sound art and electroacoustic composition
by Robin Parmar
This page contains a selection of compositions and performance excerpts together with embedded audio or links to where you can listen.
Cistern Song (14 January 2012)
Curated by Tony Langlois and Harry Moore, TANK was two hours of experimental improvisation between Ed Devane, John Daly, Harry Moore, Mick O'Shea, and myself. This is a fragment of my stream, isolated from the rest. It was not intended to be heard this way, but I find it compelling nonetheless. Recorded 2-4pm 14 January 2012 at Triskel Christchurch, Cork.
Strange Attractor (20 April 2011)
Improvisation with Danny McCarthy and Mick O'Shea at the Crawford Gallery, Cork, Ireland. This is the second half of the hour-long session. Buy the catalogue / DVD from Farpoint Recordings. Though it doesn't include audio from this session, it includes much other goodness.
Bone-Seeker (2011)
The "no input" mixing desk is a sound mixer with outputs wired to inputs, thus creating feedback loops of various permutations and sonic characteristics. Recently I have been recreating this type of cybernetic system in software, in order to challenge certain myths of digital representation. The pieces are improvised live with no overdubs.
Fold Penetration (2011)
Created for the Invisible Frequencies Bookworm project, from the one-second sample "News Blow Tone 03".
Qarun Hydrophone Death [Concretion Mix] (2011)
Created for the Mer-Wer project from original and manipulated sounds by John Kannenberg, Ola Saad, Simon Whetham, He Can Jog, Yara Mekawei, Michael Ruesenberg and Mike Hallenbeck.
"The Garden of Adumbrations" (2009)
This electroacoustic soundscape was composed for an 8.1 sound system as part of a Masters thesis. It premiered 2 September 2009 at University of Limerick, Ireland and has since been played in Stockholm, Sweden and London, England. After several requests I have made available this stereo mix, which is perforce only a shadow of the original.
Catherine Street Augmentation (2010)
The Catherine Street Culture Dig (CAT DIG) was a project of the SpiritStore collective for the exhibition "EV+A 2010: Matters". The weekend of performances, workshops, art events and other activities opened up the street and its neighbourhood to playful investigation and community-building. As part of this network of activities, Robin Parmar recorded sounds from the street and then played them back at the same location, one week later. This created an "audio time machine" that overlaid May Day on top of 8 May 2010. The location for this site-specific sound art installation was Gold Mine Jewellers, as pictured on the cover. Available as a free download on last.fm.
Outbursts (2010)
This album of recent electroacoustic works includes everything from algorithmic compositions to pieces formed by improvising with custom-built virtual instruments. "Exchange Fragments" is an excerpt from a never-ending piece played by a software engine. "Ancient Bird Trap" premiered at Tweak Festival, Ireland, 2009. "Pack Ice" was included on the Endless Endless compilation (Audiobulb Records, 2007). All selections are available for free download on last.fm.
The Lights In Room 7 (2010)
This site-specific sound installation was commissioned as part of "EV+A 2010: Matters" by curator Elizabeth Hatz. Robin Parmar was assigned Room 7 in the old Limerick School of Art & Design building on George's Quay, Limerick. His investigations into the existing sounds of the room led him to derive many hours of sound material from one source: the flickering flourescent "Lights In Room 7". The acoustic properties of the room itself was used to reduce this collection down to twenty fragments, some so quiet that visitors to the exhibit might not realise there was any sonic augmentation present. Selections from this installation will soon be made available for documentation purposes.
The Limerick-Toronto Subway Line (2009)
This site-specific electroacoustic performance had two components: a recording of the Yonge line on the Toronto subway and the sound of the busy street corner outside the SpiritStore Arts Café. Two microphones channeled this soundscape into the room while the artist controlled delay lines and relative volume. Various acoustical illusions were created, including the feeling that the room was time-shifted from its surroundings, and the impression that the room had turned itself inside out. Selections from this site-specific performance will be made available for documentation purposes.
Ouroboros (2009)
This site-specific electroacoustic performance involves a feedback loop between a microphone and radios placed about the room. The microphone feeds an FM transmitter; this radio signal can then be received at different places and with varying fidelity. The performer is then free to manipulate these through proximity, induction and other effects. This performance at the SpiritStore Arts Café follows the premiere as part of the Excursions Performance Arts Festival, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick, Ireland. Thanks to John Cage and David Tudor.
Live In Galway (2007)
This document of a live performance by escalation 746, nine tracks of noisy electronica, is available for free download on last.fm.
more
A further eight tracks of drone, glitch, electro and so on are available on the escalation 746 downloads page.