Friday, 8 April 2011
Monday, 4 April 2011
A Critical Tripology
'Different people, let alone different cultures, have quite clearly approached the same drug differently, and the common thread linking the disparate cultures in their relationship with drugs is more correctly an attitude of ambivalence.
'. . . I think the time is right for psychedelia to undergo a critical and reflexive self-examination. Quite understandably given the legal situation, it has adopted a defensive attitude, seeing itself as a persecuted and misunderstood minority which, nonetheless, possesses privileged access to the truth. To question any of its tenets is to risk being branded ‘anti’, but not to do so, I would argue, is to leave ourselves open to the much more serious accusation of embracing irrationalism.
'. . . A postmodern approach, however, lives with the uncertainty of knowing that all experiences are culturally mediated. If the ‘essence’ of the psychedelic experience necessarily eludes our grasp we must look, instead, to the ways in which experiences are discursively constructed and contested . . . what I’m arguing for is a return to the original questing spirit of the 1950s and 60s which, bizarrely and perhaps counter-intuitively, necessitates a move away from modernist certainties – We need a new, critical Tripology.'
Andy Letcher (from an interview by Psychesdelic Press UK)
'. . . I think the time is right for psychedelia to undergo a critical and reflexive self-examination. Quite understandably given the legal situation, it has adopted a defensive attitude, seeing itself as a persecuted and misunderstood minority which, nonetheless, possesses privileged access to the truth. To question any of its tenets is to risk being branded ‘anti’, but not to do so, I would argue, is to leave ourselves open to the much more serious accusation of embracing irrationalism.
'. . . A postmodern approach, however, lives with the uncertainty of knowing that all experiences are culturally mediated. If the ‘essence’ of the psychedelic experience necessarily eludes our grasp we must look, instead, to the ways in which experiences are discursively constructed and contested . . . what I’m arguing for is a return to the original questing spirit of the 1950s and 60s which, bizarrely and perhaps counter-intuitively, necessitates a move away from modernist certainties – We need a new, critical Tripology.'
Andy Letcher (from an interview by Psychesdelic Press UK)
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Supersaw
The ‘Supersaw’ was a unique sound waveform, created by Roland in 1997 for their new synthesizer, the JP800. The Supersaw layered 7 saw tooth waveforms, slightly detuned against each other to produce a thick and expansive sound. It was picked up on by dance producers at the time and became the defining sound of the Uplifting Trance era, being used on many of the scene’s most important tracks.
For me, it represents an interesting example of the role that technological innovation plays in catalysing a cultural phenomenon, echoing perhaps, the relationship between the creation of the electric guitar and the birth of popular music; or indeed the significance of producers experimenting with an obsolete Roland 303 sequencer in the mid 1980s, inadvertently giving birth to Acid House and the Rave scene. In the case of the Supersaw, the influence was confined to one particular sub-genre over the space of a few years.
It is this relationship I am interested in, specifically how this piece of technology and it’s sound has a history of powerful memories and experiences attached to it.
For this piece, a Roland JP800 will be set up in the gallery space, lit from above with a spotlight. Using the Supersaw sound, a chord will played by taping down the appropriate keys, ringing out continuously in the space: suggesting an infinite euphoric moment and reflecting the utopian vision the sound was so influential in creating.
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