Func Step Mode is a solo piece featuring two instruments I love: a no-input mixer and a drum machine. The output of the drum machine feeds into the no-input mixer affecting the rhythm and timbre of already-rich sound palette. The no-input (or rather, one-input) mixer thus becomes an analog audio processor with too many knobs to control, which makes every improvisation thrilling and daunting for me. The hardware and their setup for Func Step Mode are attenable and replicable, but I think I play these instruments with a distinct voice.
Category Archives: Performances
Cobalt Vase – solo for drum machine
Cobalt Vase is a solo piece for a drum machine. The drum machine (and other electronic instruments) is a musical instrument, and therefore one gets better at playing it with more practice. I did not want to operate Korg Volca Beats to record a drum track in a DAW. Instead, I wanted to become good enough to improvise, adapt, and perform with features unique to the instrument. I think I can “play the scales without looking at my fingers” on Volca Beat at this point. Jeff Mills’ TR-909 Workout, which demonstrated that how to use counts more than what you use, is a direct inspiration for Cobalt Vase.
Dubious Toppings – for piano and electronic ensemble
A pizza-themed piece for piano and large electronic ensemble.
Performance by EMEWS (April 2019)
Joo Won Park – piano, composer
Gavin Langley – audio engineer
Sean MacKillop – video
Andy Garcia, Ebony Swain, Jacob Joslin, James Stanulet, Jessica Cory, Martin Davis, Samuel Sprague, Thane Hall, Tyler Smith, Alex MacColl-Artrip, Benjamin Schornack, Hunter Desjarlais, Gavin Langley, Josh West, Justin Carrier, Nicholas Schnorberger, Trent Nedbal, Patrick Norton, and Taylor Vaughan – laptops
Click the link below for Dubious Toppings Score and SuperCollider File
Hungry – for voice, guitar, and electronics (2018)
Jenifer DeBellis, text
Elena Hensel, voice
Joo Won Park, composer
Bianca Pokrzywa, guitar
This is an intimate conversation between the guitar and the voice on being hungry and poor. The electronic part in the piece represents the hunger: it influences the person’s thoughts, emotions, and actions, however subtle or disruptive it is.
The piece was commissioned by The Oakland University Guitar Ensemble (Bret Hoag, director) as a part of the Bridging the Gaps: Guitars for Social Justice project.
PDF Score and necessary electronics part can be found at the following link
https://app.box.com/s/zt44c58oqpk98ru9k25azptfo6y0mrm6
an excerpt of the score
Singaporean Crosswalk (2016) – for laptop ensemble
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).