Work
Pacific Soundscapes with Dancing
electroacoustic
About
Pacific Soundscapes with Dancing was composed in 1995 at the Computer Music facility, Centre for the Arts, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. The work is based on computer transformations of environmental sounds derived from the following: sea with cicadas and stream, bell birds and parrots recorded on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) and volcanic activity on White Island (Whakaari) including ominous sounds from a vent in the side of the main crater and delicate bubbling sulphur streams.
The dancing referred to in the title is an electronic image of boisterous Pacific drumming ensembles and is derived from a tiny fragment of the opening of the composer's Composition 4 for Flute and Electronic Sounds. These sounds are extended beyond their environmental settings by granulation and time stretching.