Pier Alfeo – Works 2016 – 2018

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one sided white vinyl LP + poster + insert – Ricerca Sonora

These three algorithmic compositions from newcomer Pier Alfeo and released on the Ricerca Sonora label were made with Wolfram – the programming language of the Mathematica software system, and Csound. The works were created between 2016 and 2018, while Alfeo studied at the Conservatorio Niccolò Piccinni in Bari, a time he used to develop and extend his unique approach to composition. The tracks have been composed using an algorithm that incorporates relative sound parameters – length, intensity, highness, envelopes and spatialization, with granulation and additive and subtractive synthesis. The outcomes of this process are then interpreted by Csound and converted into audio formats.
“All That Fall” is built upon a single sample of a crackling fire. This sample is then transformed into a sort of high-voltage, ethereal clash of different sounds. “L’Epilogo Della Crisalide” uses drones and effects to produce something dark and disturbing yet appealing. In “The Never Spoken Words” all sounds were created using recordings of different voices, resulting in an abstract and otherworldly track. Alfeo treats sound as a physical-acoustic event, its processes are subject to the theory of signals. In Works 2016 – 2018, he tries to cultivate sounds that retain their warmth in contrast to the coldness often found in similar algorithmically generated work and the results are very impressive. This is a limited edition release on white vinyl which comes in an elegantly designed cover.

 

Pier Alfeo – Works 2016 – 2018