On the evening of Thursday, 02 November 2000, three individuals -- all musicians, engineers, and long-time good friends -- dedicated one night to creating a "soundtrack" for the upcoming weekend's Halloween festivities. There was no plan, only a loose goal of filling an hour-long 8-track ADAT tape with a single piece that would move unbroken through three, roughly-20-minute moods.
Armed with only a few instruments, one or two amps, and the equipment, space, and miscellaneous objects available at the studio facility, the three painted a musical landscape with largely improvised sounds and musical expressions. In addition to traditional techniques, production included the use of circular signal routing, analog tape effects, building-scale acoustic feedback, and the inclusion and manipulation of commonplace sounds. The entire process of designing, recording, and mixing down the piece was completed within 10 hours.
The result of this experimental composition, dubbed "Spooky II" in honor of its intended venue, is an ambient soundscape occasionally punctuated by evocative and surprising moments and transitions. The piece's sparse and wavy substrate of heavily affected traditional electric instruments serves as a canvas for both heavy and subtle strokes of organic, industrial, abstract, and even nonsensical hues. Despite its strengths in its intended utility as a dark and moody background for other activity, Spooky II offers a blurry but dynamic journey -- with a few unforgettable way-markers -- to the active listener willing to submerge.
credits
released November 3, 2000
All sound created, engineered, and produced by Joseph Mancuso, Markus Nee, and Mark Stock at Perfect Balance Recording Studio, Ann Arbor, Michigan on the night of 02-03 November 2000.
Versatile composer-performer Joseph Mancuso touched many projects in his 15+ years in Southeast Michigan's independent
scene, including as founder/frontman of North (northmusic1.bandcamp.com). Now, after "real life" forced him to reinvent his perspective on music, he blends his previous styles with highly experimental approaches that encourage both artists and listeners to broaden their horizons....more
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