Recording 27 compositions named after the alphabetical letters “A” through “Z”, Buenos Aires musician Ulises Conti presents a new album for the good folks at Flau. The ambition of musically illustrating fantasias for piano only begin to describe Conti's album titled, Los Griegos creían que las estrellas eran pequeños agujeros por donde los dioses escuchaban a los hombres, translated in English as, The Greeks Believed That The Stars Were Small Holes Where The Gods Listened To Men.
Ulises' ability to find particular pitches and tones between the piano keys opens up volumes of possibilities. On “U”, the piano decay recites its melody through the gear turning pop and hiss from a distorted field sound take. The notes punch through in scales that pass and fade like salty sea air brought from the far oceanic reaches by inland floating clouds. Conti takes the most subtle nuances of how you understand the resonating notes, altering their ambient properties and tonal form. And while the twisting effects of the keys catch your fancy, an atmosphere of captured winds swirls on the tape like the scrambled coded whispers of ghosts traveling in the night.
What first got you into the neo-classical piano compositions?
We live in a visual society but sounds are very powerful. I’ve always felt a kind of attraction to create music and something new.
What are your earliest memories of playing piano?
Piano bar music, drunks around the pianist in the bar, sad ballads, swing, scat and so on… God was Black and his name was Duke, Duke Ellington (laughs).
Tell us about the process of writing and recording your upcoming album, Los Griegos creían que las estrellas eran pequeños agujeros por donde los dioses escuchaban a los hombres aka The Greeks Believed That The Stars Were Small Holes Where The Gods Listened To Men?
The process of this album took place in 2013 between Germany and Argentina .It's 27 pieces from A to Z produced by Ismael Pinkler, a young musician and producer from the Buenos Aires electronic scene. This recording was thought of as a sound alphabet, including different types of resonances and doing a close up in the sound transformation process itself. It includes acoustic manipulations using both digital and analog methods.
What inspired you to create an “A” through “Z” alphabet of songs?
This album investigates—both in content and form—the parameters of our manners and the ways in which we can relate with sound and music. What is a sound exactly? What is an album? How long should it last? How many songs should it have? How should it sound? The album contains musical instruments, soundscapes and field recordings from everyday life where it is possible to hear everything from pieces of processed piano to the whispers of amusement parks, children, insects, basketball games, aircrafts or bell towers. However, all these sounds—both musical instruments and sound objects—are processed in such a way that new sounds are redefined.
Was there an intrinsic motivation to link the language of music and words—in both foreign and familiar tongues—into the progression of keys?
Yes, I can see a lot of connections all the time running through my head. I mean, sounds, colours, numbers, letters appear exactly the same to me. I´m not Kandinsky but I think it is the truth. What is the difference between yellow, Dm and the letter G, you know?
Was this almost a way for you to perhaps create a new language with keys?
It´s just an attempt to modify the way of producing and listening to music. It wouldn't be fair for me to say I created a new language, I´ll leave that up to you.
What composers and instrumentalists have you found yourself enjoying lately?
Lately I became more of a sound hunter. Instead of listening to records, I’ll go around different cities and different spaces recording their particular sounds.
Advice for aspiring pianists?
Study philosophy.
Ulises Conti's new composition suite,The Greeks Believed That The Stars Were Small Holes Where The Gods Listened To Men, will be available June 22 from Flau.
