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Studies in Hexany II: Modal Plasticity

by Phexioenesystems

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about

This set of pieces is an exploration of the remaining six of Erv Wilson’s hexanies, subsequent to the release of Studies in Hexany I: Consonant Relations (May 2021).

I began work on the set immediately following the release of the first and, for months, was unhappy with the results. I had (inadvertently) left the sets which were more distant from 12EDO to the second batch and found myself trying to manage them as much as possible so that they sounded less ‘alien’. At the same time, as I expanded the range of instrumentation/software in the studio which could accommodate microtonality, I found myself suffocated with possibilities and unable to actually compose.

Earlier this year, however, I went away for a bit and took a small modular set-up with me. With a pairing down of resource I found that I was able to explore the sounds of these hexanies with greater freedom and realised, obviously in retrospect, that I should embrace their alien tonalities. This second set were all composed in a relatively short space of time, with minimal (or no) multitracking and from a distinct set of sound sources: a Buchla/Tiptop 258t, MI's Rings, and Expert Sleepers' General CV & Disting EX.

These six short pieces, much like Tom Johnson’s Rational Melodies, openly present their form. Whether it is a cycle of three unsynchronised sequences reaching a joint conclusion (Sequent 258), or interlocking pulses in prime ratios (Still Life, Circling) both the tonality and the structure are presented without obfuscation or embellishment.

I will openly admit that my knowledge and experience in the mathematics of Wilson’s CPS is minimal, particularly compared to those who have been working and studying these tonalities for decades, and see myself as a participating observer more than any authority on the matter. Nonetheless I hope that these studies, created primarily for my own development, will be of interest to any listener interested in the possibilities of music outside of equal temperament.

credits

released March 4, 2022

All tracks written and produced by Dominic Thurgood.

Cover art derived from a photograph of Vassaraträsket, Gällivare by Dominic Thurgood.

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about

Phexioenesystems London, UK

// composer of quiet electronic music
// just intonation & microtonality
// releases on Sound Holes, Salmon Universe, Castles in Space

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