It would be tempting to listen to this piece as a synth workout with all of the voices set to tones one wouldn’t normally use, say “sweet jam and dig that low-end groove,” and leave it at that. However, context is (or should be) everything, and if the listener knows anything about Jason Sidney Sanford and his penchant and skill for using sculpted instruments (think “homemade” but with the end result of creating new sounds—put simply, audiovisual art), then it must be assumed that there is far more at work here than a “synth workout.”
Note first the title, which suggests that, not only was this piece composed and completed on a single date, but the recorded version is the second iteration. The key word, though, is “experiment.” I come from a scientific background, but I’ve learned to read the word in a sense more aligned with “throw ideas around and see what sticks” or “put these elements together in unconventional arrangements and see what comes out” than “formulate a hypothesis and then test it,” especially when it comes to the arts . . . but, then again, Sanford has built his career around experimentation. Considering he’s been at this for more than a couple of decades, it could be said that he knows enough about his craft to approach it via the scientific method.
Because I don’t have additional information, I’m going to assume that this piece was produced without a synth (at least, not one as we may picture it). That adds the context (not necessary to enjoy the music) that glazes the piece with an air of mystery cemented by the title. No vocals appear, either, unless they are so manipulated as to be rendered unidentifiable as human voices—can’t rule that out, either. The groove itself feels “off” (because of my ingrained Western sensibilities, i.e., expecting music to fall neatly into common meters), but only at first, repeating in such a way as to quickly lock you in with it. From there, all manner of noises pop in and out and build together until you’re not sure that what you’re hearing isn’t maybe forbidden in some circles. Regardless, art is the order of the day.
Just for the record, here is Jason’s description of the track’s production, from the Ball of Wax 66 liner notes:
“Only self made instruments were used. The three instruments are The Monosequencer (V.2), The 555 Oscillator, and The Feedback Organ (V.6). The Monosequencer seeks to mediate the realms of digital and analog by having a continuously manually re-triggered, infinitely variable, 6 step analog sequence. Each of these 6 steps is individually patched to trigger a digital audio file of specific macrotonal frequencies. Pitches were generated by equally dividing the octave into 9 steps. The 555 Oscillator is a simple, adjustable, single-frequency oscillator with an output filtered to approach the sinusoidal. The Feedback Organ is a keyboard attached to 12 pipes, each with a speaker at one end of each, and a high-gain microphone inside each pipe. The pipes, being of different lengths, control the pitches of each of the feedback loops. “
AMAZING! I’ve seen the V6 Feedback Organ at his site and maybe an iteration of the 555, but I don’t think I’ve seen the Monosequencer.
For those who read comments and love this type of stuff:
http://j-s-sanford.com/JSS_instruments_table.html