This week I was able to perform a first draft of my first piece, ‘xenu’. The piece included quotes about the cult of scientology, which I then attempted to relate to the soundscape.

Scientology is a dangerous cult which preys on the weak minded, offering them a better, happier life in exchange for vast quantities of mandatory ‘donations’ . The creator, L. Ron Hubble, was a science fiction novelist who has been quoted saying that the real way to make money is by starting your own religion. There are more ex-scientologists than confirmed members of the supposed religion, most of which have very negative experiences of their time in the church of scientology.

I used several techniques to represent my attitude towards, ‘The church of scientology’.

I automated a breakdown of pure tones with degrade and granulation. This represents the hidden darker potential of what originally presents itself as calm and trustworthy. Striking tones bounce around the soundscape in a disorienting way creating a sense of unpredictability in the piece.

I used ixiquarks to maipulate a recording of Tom Cruise so that it had a different tone. I stretched the words apart so that instead of, ‘You don’t know the history of psychology, I do’ , it sounds like, ‘You don ‘t know s**t’. This is intended as response to the original statement.

When I played my piece i noticed alot of things about the mix which were lacking. I felt that there wasn’t enough exploration of sounds, and certain ideas could be developed in more detail.

listen:

xenu

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