October 12, 2014 (excerpt) is a recording of a live performance held in New York City on October 12, 2014 as part of ABC No Rio’s COMA Series, which presents experimental and improvised music. “This piece uses samples of voice for all of its material, manipulated in real time using my custom Max/MSP live instrument,” composer Aaron Oppenheim explains. “As with many of my solo performances, in this instance I had a rough plan of how the piece should progress, which was largely forgotten during the actual performance in favour of intuitive improvisation.”
 
Aaron Oppenheim is an American-Canadian Canadian-American composer and improviser currently based in Oakland, California. His work examines the hidden chaos at the heart of computer systems, exploiting elements of randomness and entropy to expose the similarities between computer systems and natural phenomena. Aaron primarily uses a custom laptop-based instrument with which he writes and records his music in real time. In addition to his solo work, he frequently performs in mixed electronic / acoustic improvised groups, and has performed with such renowned improvisers as Roscoe Mitchell, Ikue Mori, Wadada Leo Smith, and Tim Perkis.
 
FYI: MUSICWORKS’ 2016 ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPOSITION and “SONIC GEOGRAPHY” WRITING CONTESTS ARE OPEN. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter for contest updates.
 

Photo of Aaron Oppenheim by Lenny Gonzalez