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8 min read đŸ€“

Awesome Foursomes (vii - No. 138)

March 31, 2022


« Milling wormholes to our not-so-'the-Jetsons'-like future, from there then up to here now and after. »

No. 138

1. A Hundred Eager Questions [Hollandse Meesters​]


Apart from being Young Lions, Ronald Heiloo and Harold Schellinx, the-later-to-become-but-then-not-yet Hollandse Meesters, throughout 1980 diligently worked on a never quite really finished series of songs and tunes boeketreeksthat ever since they have been referring to as the Dokterromannetjes ("three penny novels") or the Bouquetreeks. That is the Dutch title of a still existing series of romantic 'pulp fictions', specifically aimed at female readers.
Many a mother and housewife were huge fans. Like Har$' late mother, just to name one.
Each episode is a 'throw away story' in which a man and woman (plots may have changed with the times, but forty years ago in most cases the man would be a medical doctor and the woman a nurse) fell in love with each other, but then needed to overcome a number of obstacles before, in the end, they'd find one another to live happily ever after.

On the outset, R & H bought a handful of these floppy booklets at an Amsterdam drugstore, quickly went through them, and selected a couple of text-fragments cheesy enought to translate into English. These were their lyrics.

The original versions of the songs, composed in weekly sessions, were recorded sound-on-sound, on the AKAI reel-to-reel recorder that in those days served as their home-studio, most of them in but two or three takes. A few of the pieces they somewhat later re-recorded on the TEAC four track machine and mixing console that in the course of 1980 ad been installed by Pressepapier's Wijnand de Groot in the basement on the Amsterdam Marnixstraat, a tiny rehearsal space shared by Pressepapier, The Young Lions and the Minny Pops.

eagerquestions

This "A Hundred Eager Questions" is one of these multitrack recordings, probably done early 1981. Ronald sings the lead vocals and plays the electric piano, Har$ strung the guitar and sung the final verse, on and on and on: "Lately she had changed like a leaf on a tree"...

2. Heerlen [ookoi]


Heerlen is one of 4 ookoi tracks that together make up HIER, originally released in 2014 as an iPhone application.
'HIER' was the first ever release of an album of strictly localised pop ( * ).
Of strictly localised Future Popp !
"Jij bent altijd daar. En ik ben altijd HIER."
("You are always there. And I am always here.")
...
It could have made headlines!
It should have made headlines!
(But it did not đŸ€” ...)
...
In these times of data clouds and information overload, it has become almost unimaginable that physical effort might be required of a listener in order to access recorded music. Indeed, as the late David Bowie said some twenty years ago ( ** ) (already back then one did not need a crystal ball to see thát future): "music will become like running water...".
Running! Yes!
Haha, but not so, though, if that music is the Future Popp as so forcefully revealed to and by the ookoi—auch_oi, also_oi, aussi_oi...—who in those same two past decades counted among the world’s most adventurous as well as most unpopular explorers of the sonic arts. Yes! Counted! The ookoi counts!

ookoi now

Loca(c)tivity always has been of paramount importance to the ookoi: from the very beginning the duo has conceived of their works as transcending given notions of there, of then. Of where, of when. Of space and time. In 'HIER', this aspiration led them to use the geopositioning of the playback device to make listening to each of the four instrumental pieces possible only within very limited geographical confines: playback of a track on the iPhone was enabled only within a circular region drawn on the map of the city whose name it bore.

The four cities featured on 'HIER' are Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Paris (France), Kortrijk (Belgium) and Heerlen (the Netherlands): we have moved from A to H, we have moved from A to K, we have moved from A to P ... "We have moved from A to X" ( *** )...

Amsterdam and Paris, for there is where the ookoi are based.

Amsterdam Paris

The Belgian city of Kortrijk (Courtrai) became one of the four 'HIER' locations because the space time-warping twins were invited to lecture there on their locative work during an international symposium on locative media and sound art, organised by the Flanders Festival Kortrijk, on May 10th 2014.
It was where they announced there 'HIER'.

And, finally, the Dutch city of Heerlen was chosen, because it is in Heerlen that the material that was used in composing the four 'HIER' tracks was recorded, in kunstencentrum Signe (KuS): "No Hear, No See"... Indeed, for when the ookoi performed, at the very early beginning of the event in KuS, curated by Mike Kramer, on Saturday April 6th 2013, FPCM was not hier...

Kortrijk Heerlen

Ephemeral as is almost all new media art, the iPhone app is no longer compatible with current versions of Apple's iOS, hence no longer available in the app store. The non-locative version of the album is available for streaming and download on Bandcamp.

notes __ ::
(*) As far as we know, that is. We are not aware of anything truly comparable being published before; nor after, indeed. There are, though, many fascinatingly interesting variations and developments thinkable to exploit this 'theme' further. Stduio ookoi would (have) love(d) to pursue and take this further; and, given the much needed financial support, they most certainly will ... đŸ€“ ... [ ^ ]
(**) David Bowie in an interview with John Pareles in The New York Times, June 9th 2002 ("David Bowie, 21st Century Entrepreneur") [ ^ ]
(***) This Heat - A New Kind of Water (on their album 'Deceit') [ ^ ]

3. Page 25 [Har$]


In 1983 Har$ enrolled as a student at the Institute for Sonology, which back then still was part of the Utrecht University, housed in the center of town, along the Plompetorengracht. Page 25 is the third in a trilogy of short pieces that he made there, using the serial composition model PR1—short for 'Projekt 1'—conceived and programmed (in FORTRAN, running on one of the institute's memory-less PDP-15 computing 'monsters') by the recently deceased pioneer Gottfried Michael Koenig (1926-2021), who was the director of the Sonology Institute, until it was divested by the university, and became part of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.

PDP 15

The three parts of the 'trilogy' each interpret the output generated by a run (a 'page') of the PR1 program in a different manner:
Page 23b is 'electronics only': all of the output was played by the VOSIM sound synthesis system proper to the Institute, developed and built by Werner Kaegi and Stan Tempelaars.
Page 21 is 'instrumental'. Har$ transcribed the computer's number and symbol output as a traditional score, for two piano's. The piece was premiered by Martijn Padding and AgnĂšs Benoist on one of the institute's concert evenings, on December 4th 1984.

Electronisch concert

☞ The piece that is available as part of this seventh awesome foursome, Page 25, has a hybrid format. It is a montage of parts of the PR1 output that were played back by the VOSIM system, and parts that Har$ transcribed, played on the piano, and recorded onto tape. The electronic and instrumental tape-parts then were pasted together in the order prescribed by the program's output, to make Page 25 complete.

Read more about Gottfried Michael Koenig and the time that Har$ spent at the Utrecht Institute for Sonology, in the 24th 'Harolds Hoofd Stuk' in Gonzo Circus (Magazine); in Dutch: Dáár zit de muziek! Het Bachiaanse werk van Gottfried Michael Koenig, GC #168, maart-april 2022.

Hoofd Stuk 24
[ illustration by Xenia Gottenkieny ]

4. Rare Vogels [ookoi​​]


It was over 2007's weekend of Pentecost that the vision and dare of Maastricht Kunsttour's curator Bert Lemmens gave rise to an early ookoi retrospective, in the form of a three days event during which a green coated Har$ and FPCM occupied the big hall of the Art Garage, a former fire station in the Capucijnenstraat.

Art Garage

The track Rare Vogels ('Rare Birds') and the related lo-res videoclip Vogelvlucht ('Birdseye') were made there, then during that 2007 Kunssttour event.

The material used for the composition of Rare Vogels was recorded as part of the ookoi's performances during the many, many hours long webcast in which Har$ and FPCM connected the Maastricht Art Garage to the Archipel Media Lab in Hollum on the waddenisland Ameland, and to Xiamen in the People's Republic of China, from where Yariv Alter Fin contributed with chatter, thoughts, music and sounds. Among these sounds: the birdies' twitter that opens and also further on prominently figures in the track. (Yariv chose to end his life a mere three months later. The ookoi dedicates 'Rare Birds' to his memory.)

In those days a big part of the duo's interest was directed at some of the initial scanning, investigations and exploitations of a metaverse, as, for example, in virtual worlds like that of Second Life. This is why as part of their performances and retrospective at the Art Garage the ookoi could be seen accompanying a local cyber shaman, Don Renaro, into parts of that virtual world where cyber culture meets psychedelic movements' quests into realms of extended consciousness, where magics, myths and many a mystery are said to be unveiled.

Lucid dream time!

Art Garage

Watch the ookoi flap their tails in the feedback of a webcam watching a PC-screen, mise en abyme, stretching after slumber, tentatively searching their way back into the real world from out of the virtual depths where they left Don Renaro behind, who, out there, maybe to this very day continues to strive for oneness with his avatar, to ensemble live on in eternal psychedecybercosmic consciousness.

Rare vogels ... đŸ•ș



To receive updates on the ookoi's b.ookoi's progress and all related events and activities, follow Stduio on Bandcamp!

Bandcamp is our preferred platform, but you can also listen to Stduio ookoi's No. 138 on streaming music platforms, like YouTube Music or Spotify ... :


stduioo

The b.ookoi are coming!

Bookoi

wordt vervolgd



Read about the ookoi elsewhere:
ANNUAL, 1, december 2023 (Korm Plastics) - Green-tainted hyperbole, quailish quirks and summer-flies. The inscrutable genius of the ookoi.
eContact! 21.2, july 2023 - Towards an Unhearable Music. Conceptualism in the ookoi's art.
Gonzo #88, september/october 2008 - Zelfcomponerende Klankstukken

Read about the ookoi and Raudio and Stduio on the SoundBlog:
(2023, december 31) - d.ookoi writes b.ookoi (ii) - A Year in the Rear (2023)
(2023, december 16+) - Awesome Foursomes (xi) - No. 178
(2023, december 16+) - Awesome Foursomes (x) - No. 789
(2023, december 16+) - Awesome Foursomes (ix) - No. 329
(2023, august 20) - Three days of residency at Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels
(2022, april 25) - Awesome Foursomes (viii) - No. 664
(2022, march 31) - Awesome Foursomes (vii) - No. 138
(2022, february 20) - Awesome Foursomes (vi) - No. 419
(2021, november 01) - Awesome Foursomes (v) - No. 954
(2021, august 20) - Awesome Foursomes (iv) - No. 793
(2021, july 18) - Awesome Foursomes (iii) - No. 562
(2021, july 09) - Awesome Foursomes (ii)- No. 284
(2021, june 21) - Awesome Foursomes (i) - No. 019
(2021, may 31) - d.ookoi writes b.ookoi (i)
(2020, january 26) - STDUIO Arti: aLife @Hal-fIve
(2020, january 25) - STDUIO Arti: The LⒶst Weekend
(2019, march 03) - ookoi 2.0: the remake of a spect[r]al b[r]and
(2017, april 12) - 1024
(2015, march 07) - The men once in green are now writing a book!
(2014, may 09) - You are NOT Hier!
(2013, july 03) - How to keep devils away
(2013, may 06) - Next Numbr!
(2012, june 24) - Ninja Fruit Plus Instruments
(2012, may 06) - Y.3 = Yltra !
(2012, may 06) - Our final gig / Ons laatste optreden
(2010, may 23) - 'Raise the trumpet, sound the drum'
(2010, april 02) - [Second Life and WudyWudy]
(2010, january 05) - ookoi: onderood
(2009, november 17) - Soli Deo Gloria !
(2009, october 10) - Project Icarus OST
(2009, august 24) - ookoi ShakeNRoll
(2009, july 18) - Pure . Reactive . Music . Hack Day
(2009, april 07) - "Blood and Bottom" (Raudi0GaGa)
(2009, february 21) - Insular arithmetic (ookoi toont)
(2009, january 31) - A glimpse of Heesbeen
(2009, january 15) - Rien à voir
(2008, october 02) - The right to be slow
(2008, june 06) - Raudio Graffiti: almost live !
(2008, february 24) - The Great Washing
(2007, december 04) - I'm an island
(2007, november 20) - Live Beyond the Paradiso, Amsterdam
(2007, september 04) - leve ookoi! (3)
(2007, august 22) - leve ookoi! (2)
(2007, august 12) - leve ookoi! (1)
(2007, april 12) - Back to Berlin [Raudio 11/15]
(2007, march 24) - Vicky, Killers and Avatars
(2007, february 15) - Every presentation is a premiere
(2007, january 25) - 1024 Waarden, by ookoi
(2007, january 19) - Preparations for a Second Life
(2006, november 05) - Cellarlar Heroes
(2006, october 20) - Funky shit
(2006, august 14) - placard : la générale
(2006, july 07) - de-'tails of lite house keeping'
(2006, may 06) - jam karet?
(2006, april 04) - 100+ new (r)audio philes ... [3] [Raudio 07]
(2006, march 20) - raudio @cosman's
(2006, march 12) - 100+ new (r)audio philes ... [2] [Raudio 07]
(2006, march 03) - 100+ new (r)audio philes ... [1] [Raudio 07]
(2005, october 12) - Raudio #06 [Raudio 06]
(2005, september 25) - 0 OK, 0:1, life on ze road
(2005, july 31) - Outside - Inside Paradiso
(2005, june 18) - Sand-Y da-Y #5-7 [Raudio 05]
(2005, june 05) - Sand-Y :: da-Y #04 - da birds
(2005, may 26-24) - Sand-Y :: da-Y #03, #02, #01 - Crew cut ; "The truth is out here" ; ::
(2005, may 14) - 9 Beet Stretch [Raudio Special]
(2005, march 31) - Raudio #04 :: "GespRek 1982-2005" [Raudio 04]
(2005, february 10) - raudio #3 (drie/three) [Raudio 03]
(2004, december 08) - pure sound [Raudio 02]
(2004, november 24) - other, and good news! [Raudio 01]
(2004, october 10) - raudio launched
(2004, september 24) - made in ameland
(2004, june 09) - boyzz buzz # listen!global corpus
(2004, may 20-31) - >∞-îl_o_tré

Read some of the ookoi's papers in pdf:
(2014) - Localized Sounds, Sounding Locations.
Presented at the International Symposium "Locative Media and Sound Art", Kortrijk (be)
(2007) - ookoi - Uptime Publishing Demonstration. (With Jay Needham.)

ookoi - The works:
(2015—now) :: writing b.ookoi: pick a number!
(2017) Weekly, 10'24" :: ookoi dooki podcast
(2014) HIER - iPhone app, 4 track album of localized Future Popp
(2013) Y ¬ Y.1024 (HTML5 web app)
(2013) Wandelzand - iPhone app, soundwalk for the Dutch isle of Ameland
(2012) Palm Top Theatre V2
(2010) WudyWudy, machina movie, filmed in Second Life by Evo Szuyuan (trailer)
(2009) ookoi_@_E@rport, Amsterdam - channel 19 of the RAUDIO IIIII streaming audio art iThing app
(2009) ShakeNRoll, Project Icarus OST - scenes for the RJDJ reactive music iPhone platform
(2009) iRingg®, iPhone ringtones
(2009) 2525 (video)
(2008) L'Ecoute - public space screen video
(2008) Jam Karet I & Jam Karet IV - pocket movies
(2007) Live beyond the Paradiso (USB-stick data-dump)
(2007) Leve ookoi! - channel 16 of the RAUDIO IIIII streaming audio art iThing app
(2007) 1024 (DVD)
(2007) 1024 Waarden - flash animation
(2006) "Roam Stroam" - channel 12 of the RAUDIO IIIII streaming audio art iThing app
(2006) Tijdrekken - flash animation
(2005) Sand-Y (Zandoog) - channel 7 of the RAUDIO IIIII streaming audio art iThing app
(2004) Muziektafel-Tafelmuziek (CD)
...
(1980) Signs and Symptoms



Read about unPublic on the SoundBlog:

(2023, november 3-..) - Ethereal Reverberations. A Decade of unPublic (« Dix ans qu'on fait la musique sans public ») (uP#100)
(2023, august 20) - Three days of residency at Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels (uP#65, uP#93, up #94)
(2022, september 2) - Three Musketeers Musicking Maastricht & La Générale (uP#86, up #87)
(2022, august 4) - Berlin: Zero Cohesion (3) (uP#84)
(2022, july 24) - Berlin: Zero Cohesion (2) (uP#83)
(2022, july 11) - Berlin: Zero Cohesion (1) (uP#82)
(2022, july 2) - X-unPub (uP#81)
(2022, march 13) - "Manifeste" (uP#80)
(2021, june 13) - Die Stillgestandenen (The Stillstands / Standstills / Stillstanders) (uP#67)
(2021, may 02) - Playing Apart Together: Chuncheon↯Paris (uP#73)
(2018, november 02) - "Five years stuck on my eyes" (Lustrum Non Publicum) (uP#56)
(2018, september 01) - t'Obsolete or not t'Obsolete ... [iv] (uP#54)
(2018, august 13) - Rage, rafts & refugees (uP#49, uP#50)
(2018, august 10) - t'Obsolete or not t'Obsolete ... [iii] (uP#45)
(2017, june 11) - Moving out, of, on ... [ii] (uP#42)
(2016, june 10) - unPublic #18 - 대부도 (Daebu-Do), 14 June 2015 (uP#18)
(2016, may 07) - In Praise of Slowness (uP#21)
(2015, july 15) - Bridges, troubles, water (uP#19)
(2015, april 14) - Mal-là--colisé dans l'espace et dans le temps (uP#16)
(2014, august 02) - Appearance and Reality (uP#8)
(2014, march 08) - "12 - 11 - 9 - 10 - 3 - 6 - 7 - 1 - 2 - 8 - 4 - 5" (uP#5)
(2013, december 31) - Candles, Cassettes & Champagne (uP#4)
(2013, november 23) - unPublic 1, 2 (sauf riverains) (uP#1, uP#2)


Read about unPublic on Medium:

April 16, 2022 - Playing Apart Together (uP#66-#69)
March 17, 2022 - All delusion is expansive (uP#80)
November 10, 2021 - The Future always was Yesterday


Read about unPublic in Gonzo (Circus) [Dutch]:

Gonzo #143, januari/februari 2018 - Met kop noch staart: muzhakdag! (uP#48)
Gonzo #139, mei/juni 2017 - De waan, de wil, de weg


Read about unPublic elsewhere:

Plus-X-Creative, january 2022 - Playing Apart Together
Electronic Cottage, november 2018 - unPublic - 'Five Years stuck on my eyes' -sketch as a memoire


To listen, download & support, visit unPublic @ Bandcamp.


tags: ookoi, sonology, metaverse

# .520.


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