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DVD-ROM
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XI 133DVD
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2007 release. Five Sound Installations is a DVD-ROM (for Mac and PC) that contains five sound compositions generated in "real time" by a computer algorithm. The works are: "Room Piece Twenty-Four"; "Noema"; "Steiner Suite"; "Unintending"; "Scene." Sound Art, algorithmic composition, chance operations, multi-channel sound systems, immersive installations, computer music; these terms all intersect at a point defined by Michael J. Schumacher's Five Sound Installations. Schumacher is a composer, curator (he runs Diapason, NY's only "sound art" gallery), and performer. His output at the time of this release includes five solo CDs, but these were by necessity adaptations of works designed for more or less "permanent" listening situations, in which auditors could explore various modes of listening within sound environments. These works were composed with installation settings in mind -- they had no "beginning-middle-end" (even out of order) in the traditional sense. For the CD releases, the pieces needed to be manipulated in various ways to accommodate the medium. A better way needed to be found. Schumacher has always been interested in creating algorithmic works that extend the boundaries of the genre, investing them with hundreds of constituent parts that form sonic mobiles in space and time. Now he presents the ambitious (and technically savvy) listener with a means to experience Schumacher's installations in the home, through up to eight separate speaker channels and for as long as the computer keeps running. No question, this is not an iPod experience! For some, just understanding the reason for such a project will be difficult. But the composer and XI believe that the time is apt for challenging a complacent public and industry. This release, more than anything else, is a challenge to break boundaries in both content and distribution, a call for a new way of thinking about sound in the home, which is more than ever the predominant place for listening. NOTE: These compositions must be installed on a computer to be heard. Instructions are enclosed. Minimum system requirements: one gig processor speed, five gig free disc space; Mac OS 10.3 or Windows XP.
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CD
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QUECK 008CD
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"The new album by composer, performer and installation artist Michael J. Schumacher from New York City after the critically acclaimed Room Pieces, on the XI label, which was rated best of 2003 for 'modern composition' by The Wire magazine. Feat. guest musicians Tim Barnes, Charles Curtis, Donald Miller, Peter Zummo, George Bishop and many more. Stories refers to the idea of layering, the process of building a structure by stacking things on top of each other. This procedure is particularly evident in 'Room Pieces New York', in which as many as 23 parts play simultaneously. In general, Schumacher's interest is to develop a contemporary form of counterpoint, where each voice maintains its integrity while contributing to a total sound. Listeners are invited to create their own melodies by letting their ears follow the sounds moment by moment, allowing spontaneous pathways linking the various voices to emerge effortlessly."
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