Balance Bankruptcy:Metafolk
Born in 2023, the show's aim was since the beginning that of representing the intersection where mystery, anguish and instability collide to provoke self-discovery; it's content and shape varied and were rather undefined up to this season, where the need to reshape the project truly manifested itself, giving life to Metafolk, a semi-editorial project aiming to the exploration of the subject of Magic&Music aka the intersection between myth and ritual. This season, we are happy to be showcasing fluxworkers, performers and musicians that go beyond the mere passive and hypnotic machine of present entertainment and incarnate a spiritual narrative with their own peculiar instruments and processes.
Podcast
Since 2019, experimental musician and sound artist Leo Chang has been building electronic performance setups derived from Korean folk practices and instruments. On the basis of using 4 different Korean gongs as amplified resonators via transducers and various audio processing, Chang’s custom-built instrument has undergone many iterations. What started off as a unique way of live processing Chang’s improvised vocal sounds has become an obsession over uncovering electroacoustic possibilities of amplified gong resonance involving resampling, audio feedback, gestural interactivity, among others. Chang’s latest addition is the jeonmo, which is an electronic reimagining of the sangmo, a hat with a long, spinning whip made of ribbon attached to its crown, which is worn and played during sangmonori, a Korean folk tradition where the instrumentalist/performer plays and dances simultaneously with their percussion instrument. Chang modifies the sangmo hat by replacing the spinning ribbon with a lightweight, mini microphone. The act of the mic moving within the amplified gongs creates feedback between the transducers and the mic-ed hat-whip, resonating the gongs. Chang’s movement in turn interacts with the sound in a dynamic way.
Evident in Chang’s practice is the disconnect he feels between acoustic resonances that identifies what is indigenously Korean (i.e. the sounds of gongs like kkwaengwari and jing) and the digital, computerized sound world he grew up with. This tension is one that most contemporary Koreans face, and Chang’s pursuit of meaning via building performance systems that create interdependency between electronic and traditional instruments is one attempt amongst many others who desire liberation of Korean identity.
Tracklist:
- 0:00 - 1:59. Musik for Left Hand Meditation IV- 1997
- 1:59 - 11:26 Temple of Flesh - Invocation VI - 2006
- 11:26 - 20:55 Poison in my Heart 2016
- 20:55 - 29:36 Essence of Rituals - Sacrifice to Gaia 2018
- 29:36 - 37:56 Essence of Rituals (Blood Tape) - Nestle Death Curse 2018
- 37:56 - 44:20 Gaia Screaming - 2019- 2022
- 44:20 - 47:14 Social Fabric Disintegration 2020
- 47:10 - 54:00 Corona Screaming Party - 2021
- 54:00 - 60:00 Operafication - 2024. Collaboration with Operafication
The sound piece (1 hour) is composed of recordings from two sound performance devices that I designed with different sensors, in which I explore the sensory possibilities of the expanded body, particularly the sensitivity of the hands and their relationship to memory, fears, rituals, and new belief systems.
(0 - 00:36) “Ondulaciones invisibles,” designed with an infrared sensor that captures the gesture and repetition of hand movements. Created with Touchdesigner, MAX, and the Leap Motion sensor. In collaboration with sound artist Astrosuka.
(0.36 - 00:59) “Sensibilidad Aumentada,” designed with water level sensors that attach to the fingers, becoming an extension of the human body, allowing it to capture everything from wet textures to liquid media. In collaboration with sound artist ARO.
"This mix includes re-edited versions of works from the past thirteen years since I began building my own instruments, as well as new live recordings. All of the pieces were created using my self-built “mechanized instruments,” which consist of the “Electrobass,” a modified electric bass equipped with sensors and built-in synthesizer modules; the “Motor Organ,” an instrument played through the noises produced by multiple motors; several semi-automatic synthesizers and effect pedals with mechanical drive systems; and two-axis rotating speakers. The recordings vary in form — including studio sessions, home recordings, live performances, and sound installations — each reflecting different stages of my evolving interests. Like living organisms or natural phenomena, these works continue to transform and develop over time, and will keep doing so in the future."
