Category Archives: Compositions

Modulationist

Announcement, Compositions, ,

Last week, my 3rd solo album, Modulationist was released on NoRemixes Label (click on the album cover).

modulationistsmall

Tracklist

  1. Hallelujah (6:49)
  2. Armor+2 (6:29)
  3. Notation for Synthesizer (5:12)
  4. JNNJ (7:06)
  5. Swamps, Showers, and Creatures (6:36)
  6. Cmin13 (7:04)
  7. Singaporean Crosswalk (7:30)
  8. Modulationist (7:06)

Here’s the promo writing from the record label describing the album.

Known for his series of YouTube video series entitled ‘100 Strange Sounds’, Joo Won Park returns to NOREMIXES for his second album, Modulationist, which finds the composer incorporating live instrumentation into his bed of electronic disturbances.

On his previous NOREMIXES album, Overundertone, Joo Won Park toned down the raw and often aggressive nature of the ‘100 Strange Sounds’ series into more quirky melodic passages that mixed foundsound with his SuperCollider experiments. With Modulationist, the composer pits live performers against the computer with the entire album arching towards a full-on digital takeover. Percussionist Hunter Brown, joins Park on vibraphone during opener, ‘Hallelujah’, a sparse starting place. Complexity develops with ‘Armor+2’ featuring Giovanni Bertoni on clarinets. ‘Notation for Synth’ provides a playful break from the tension as electronics take center stage. This is followed by ‘JNNJ’ which pits dueling percussion against electronics in the album’s most rhythmically challenging work. ‘Swamps, Showers, and Creatures’ utilizes foundsound and sparse electronics with bursts of oboe, for the last sign of acoustic instrumentation on Modulationist. The electronics takeover, however, fitting closer ‘Modulationist’ shows just how hands-on Park is with his electronics as the composer utilizes no-input mixing for a full on sonic assault on the listener.

Hunter Brown, percussion (Hallelujah /JNNJ)
Giovanni Bertoni, clarinets (Armor+2)
Louis Pino, percussion (JNNJ)
Theodosia Roussos, oboe (Swamps, Showers, and Creatures)

There are three previously-unreleased tracks in this album. Cmin13 and Modulationist are created exclusively for this release. The two tracks are examples of the musical directions I am currently interested in. I also included a stereo “studio” version of Singaporean Crosswalk. It sounds quite different from the live recordings as it has different ways to spatialize the sound.

I think I have an intimate personal story to share in this album.  Have a listen!

Gestalt – Video for Sky Blue Waves

Collaborators, Compositions, ,

Nicolas Garnier of Comoda  created a beautiful video that uses my pieces, Sky Blue Waves.

gestalt from comoda on Vimeo.

I love it. I am also very fascinated with this collaboration, because Nicolas found me on Soundcloud, and asked my permission to use the piece on his video. Nicolas and I never met in person, but I think we make a good team!

Sky Blue Waves is a track in Overundertone released by NOREMIXES.

 

Singaporean Crosswalk (2016) – for laptop ensemble

Collaborators, Compositions, Performances

 

Singaporean Crosswalk was inspired by my trip to Singapore in 2010. The sound of the traffic light in the city was quite different from that of the United States and Korea.

 

It was fun, effective, and musically intriguing. During the day, this sound was a theme song for the people in a metropolis. During the night, the traffic lights became part of a flora and fauna surrounding the city. I thank SPLICE Ensemble for commissioning and premiering this piece. I also thank Oberlin College’s Center for Information and Technology for renting me multiple computers.

 Singaporean Crosswalk requires four laptops and four players. It uses the internal speaker and microphone of the laptop, so there is no additional equipment needed. The essence of the piece is in the creation of unique spatialization through physical movement of the laptop players on and off the stage. The recording of the premiere thus does not demonstrate the most interesting part of the piece, but you can at least hear the general atmosphere.

 

All materials needed to play the piece is uploaded on the top folder of this page. Let me know if you have any questions or need different versions (i.e. for trio, octet, etc).

 

Swamps, Showers, and Creatures – for oboe and computer

Compositions, , ,

Swamps, Showers, and Creatures (2016) was commissioned and premiered by Theodosia Roussos. It was inspired by the flora and fauna of the swamp regions of Louisiana and Florida.

Link To SoundCloud

Hardware Setup

  1. Needs: audio interface, a microphone (condenser recommended), two speakers, and a computer
  2. Connect the microphone to input 1 of the audio interface
  3. Connect the stereo output of the audio interface to the speakers

Software Setup

  1. Make sure that the computer’s default audio input and output is set to the audio interface
  2. Download and install SuperCollider from www.audiosynth.com
  3. If you have not done so already, download files from www.joowonpark.net/sss
  4. Open SSS.scd in SuperCollider
  5. VERY IMPORTANT: Edit the file path in line #30 of SSS.scd  so that the program can properly find SwampsShowers.aif file. If you do not know the file path, you can drag-and-drop the SwampsShowers.aif file to line #30. It will automatically load the file path
  6. Go to SuperCollider->Menu->Language->Evaluate File. You should hear a thunderstorm sound in few seconds

Performance Instructions

  1. The oboe part is improvised. Imitate nature sounds you hear in the recorded part. There are rains, birds, streams, bugs, and other swamp creatures.
  2. Starting at about 1:30 of the piece, the oboe sound  will trigger long tones in the computer part. The oboist should improvise good accompanying notes to the computer- generated tones.
  3. The piece is in d minor.
  4. Generally, play fewer, but meaningful notes and phrases. Silences are essential.

DSCF0628

JNNJ – for percussion duo and computer

Compositions, Performances, Uncategorized

JNNJ was commissioned and premiered by Hunter Brown and Louis Pino in 2016.  The piece is inspired by the life and dynamics of my family. The title is a combination of the first letters of mom, dad, and two sons.

Technical Needs

  • One computer with a DAW or Max: Download files from www.joowonpark.net/jnnj . A Logic Pro X session is provided on the composer’s website, but any DAW will work.  The tape part can also be played with the provided Max patch.
  • Two speakers (stereo)
  • Two headphones for click tracks
  • An audio Interface with four separate outputs
  • TapeL.aif should be routed to output 1, connected to the left speaker
  • TapeR.aif should be routed to output 2, connected to the right speaker
  • ClickTrackL.aif should be routed to output 3, connected to Perc1’s click track
  • ClickTrackL.aif should be routed to output 4, connected to Perc2’s click track

Performance Needs

  • Two percussionists with a snare drum and a large cymbal for each performer.
  • Both performers use brushes for the entire piece.
  • Perc1  stands close to the left speaker, and Perc2 stands close to the right speaker

Performance Notes

  • Each performer gets his/her own click track. The click tracks will run in different tempi, and will gradually change the rate over the entire piece. Each performer should follow the tempo of his/her own click track.
  • Interpret the score like a jazz chart. Improvise in the notated style (funk and swing).
  • Pay attention to the pitch of the click track to hear the section changes.
  • Section-specific notes:
  1. S1: The tape part will fade in at around 20 seconds mark.
  2. S2:  Perc1  transforms the rhythmic pattern to a swing  (indicated as “target rhythm”) while slowing down.
  3. S3: Perc2 transforms the rhythmic  pattern to more energetic and busy funk rhythm while slowing down. Listen for the white noise cue for the next section.
  4. S4: Both Perc1 and Perc2 trade off solo while speeding up. The trade off will gradually overlap each other. Listen for the white noise cues to play uneven brush sweep on cymbals.
  5. S5: Both parts will speed up significantly. When the tempo becomes too fast, freely improvise with great energy. Increase the use of cymbals throughout the section.
  6. S6: Both Perc1 and Perc2 plays energetic cymbal improvisation while slowing down. Accompany the tape part after the click track stops. At the end of the tape part (7:00), create a quiet windy sound by swinging the brush in the air.