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Terre Thaemlitz
20 / 01 / 02
Screening / Discussion / Electroacoustic Performance
haus.0 presents Terre Thaemlitz: Interstices
at the Filmhaus Stuttgart, for the Stuttgarter Filmwinter
Terre Thaemlitz
Terre Thaemlitz
Terre Thaemlitz
see also:
www.comatonse.com/listening/couture
www.comatonse.com/listening/material
www.comatonse.com/releases
Miss Take´s dragfesto
"When fighting culture with culture you realize there's a thin line
between the elegance of poignant regurgitation and vomit. But fear brings
on wrinkles, and you're not just another mess in a dress or tomboy with
no toy. You are an amazon warrior who wears the foundation of the future
on your face. Realness or not, your outfit can never betray you - every
flawless touch or telltale sign is a shattering blow against preconceptions
of gender.
With a beauty pageant wave I'm calling you to join me at the front lines
of the revolution. Else with every motion of my razor sharp press-on nails
I vow to strike terror in those who continue suckling at the dry male teats
of dominant culture."
Love, Miss Take
Terre Thaemlitz, haus.0 presentation, 20 / 01 / 02 photo: Murat
Terre Thaemlitz is a producer of theory-laden computer music for such labels as Mille Plateaux (Germany), Daisyworld Discs (Japan), and his own Comatonse Recordings. He has released seven solo albums; two collaborative albums (one with Bill Laswell); numerous 12" singles; as well as remixes for the Golden Palominos, Material and Haruomi Hosono, among others. Thaemlitz' works examine the flaws in sound's contradictory cultural functions as a socializing force and a means of subjective release. In particular, Thaemlitz is concerned with drawing strategic parallels between electroacoustique audio production and anti-essentialist transgenderism. His albums are typically found in large record stores misfiled under "Pop/Rock".
Terre Thaemlitz’ newest electroacoustique release, Interstices (meaning, "small spaces or cracks between objects"), ostensibly presents itself as an album about process. In particular, Thaemlitz' accompanying text discusses two processes called FRAMING and SYSTOLIC COMPOSITION. However, Thaemlitz’ attempts to complicate the formalist trappings of an 'album about process' which plague so many digital synthesis and electroacoustique projects by defining his recurrent use of these processes in relation to the intended socio-analytical thematics of his compositions. In particular, Thaemlitz is interested in using 'interstitial' sounds and compositional processes as metaphors for cultural processes which exist between dominant binarisms of sexuality, gender and ethnicity. The compositions in Interstices raise issues of Transgenderism (including Intersexuality and Transsexuality), Queer pansexuality, identity politics, and the essentialist dangers of the disenfranchised 'homecoming' fantasy. He also discusses the frustrations of developing audio discourse in a marketplace which repeatedly restricts fair-use sampling, arguing that musicians should be able to use sampling in the same manner that writers use quotations with footnotes. As usual, Thaemlitz undertakes these discussions with a critical (and at times campy) eye to his own actions as a producer.