Film Jive Zachary Betonte, Simone Barros

The autumn and its contemplative condition of death and decay induce flirtations with the illusory, the uncanny, the weird and the eerie, and of course, the horrific. "A Sonospheric Corpse" derives inspiration from the surrealist technique, "exquisite corpse" in which each participant adds a contribution in a sequence. What follows is a phantasmagorical soundscape composed under similar conditions; collectively produced by way of differing forms of sound media with each contributor unaware of the other contributions made.

The autumn and its contemplative condition of death and decay induce flirtations with the illusory, the uncanny, the weird and the eerie, and of course, the horrific. "A Sonospheric Corpse" derives inspiration from the surrealist technique, "exquisite corpse" in which each participant adds a contribution in a sequence. What follows is a phantasmagorical soundscape composed under similar conditions; collectively produced by way of differing forms of sound media with each contributor unaware of the other contributions made.

In a career spanning more than sixty years, Italian musician and composer, Ennio Morricone became one of the most prominent and influential film artists of the twentieth century. Morricone’s early collaborations with filmmaker Sergio Leone would define the Italian Spaghetti western and redefine the sonic textures associated with the western genre. Morricone would serve a significant role in facilitating the transition from classical to modern cinema by implementing post-war avant-garde musical techniques to composing for the screen and embracing an aesthetics of impermanence.On the sixth of July earlier this year, Morricone passed away at the age of 91 with his self-authored obituary reading, “I, Ennio Morricone, am dead!”. In the spirit of Morricone’s many musical “selves”, this compilation samples from the varied discography of film scores with each piece accompanied by individual reflections which consider Morricone’s artistic practice and work in terms of their own personal sphere.
Guests include: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Jim Laczkowski, Zach Layton, Gary Sargenson, John Cribbs, Christopher Funderburg, KHLOARIS, Psycho Gnostic, Gabe Powers, etc.

As a result of the enduring Covid-19 pandemic, the ticking of the clock no longer seems actual in any remote sense. We have collectively entered recursive time loops, fractals and spirals where the measurements of time; seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, etc. are little more than an afterthought. An intersection of present and future has been crossed where memories are no longer composed of fragmented pasts, but of viral futures.
This episode is a psychogeographic sonic collage composed of field recordings, original music, poetic recitations, fireside readings and found audio materials which were imagined and composed during this ever-evolving temporality of quarantine by a variety of artists and thinkers. It is a podcast composed in and for the present, wherever it can be found.
[0:00] Noelle Richard, Nico Ciani - Radical Uncertainty
[3:27] Zach Betonte - Gilles Deleuze, “Difference and Repetition”
[7:41] Jesse Tinsley - Sizzling Trout Field Recording
[8:56] Peter Carellini - Early Morning Blue
[10:18] Simone Barros, Zach Betonte - Black Lives Matter Protest Refrain
[11:37] Zach Betonte - Paris Metro Field Recording
[12:05] Harry Corbissero, Zach Betonte - The Ogden Tapes [Excerpt I]
[19:36] Jesse Tinsley - Ambient Birds Field Recording
[20:01] Zach Betonte - Bleached Cassette Tk 1
[22:23] Simone Barros, Zach Betonte - Black Lives Matter Protest Refrain
[23:01] Simone Barros - Don’t Dream Soundscape [Ambient Edit]
[28:05] Zach Betonte - Gilles Deleuze, “Difference and Repetition”
[31:57] Jesse Tinsley - Ambient Wind Field Recording
[32:21] Zach Betonte - Bleached Cassette Tk 2
[35:21] Simone Barros, Zach Betonte - Black Lives Matter Protest Refrain
[36:06] Zach Betonte - Times Square Covid-19 Recording [Bleached Edit]
[39:03] Patrick Murray - Dylan Thomas’ “The Hunchback in the Park”
[41:12] Jesse Tinsley - Ambient Waterfall Field Recording
[41:44] Ronald Walter - The Memory
[46:18] Simone Barros, Zach Betonte - Black Lives Matter Protest Refrain
[47:02] Jesse Tinsley - Ambient Stream Field Recording
[47:23] Harry Corbissero, Zach Betonte - The Ogden Tapes (Excerpt II)
[56:52] Thijs Geritz - Acoustic Escape
[01:07:25] Zach Betonte - Gilles Deleuze, “Difference and Repetition”
[01:08:46] Zach Betonte - Skype Call Distortion
[01:09:46] Simone Barros - In Calendar
[01:14:45] Tyler Etters - [Untitled]
 

 
Originally published in April of 2016, Zach Betonte and Gary Sargenson discuss D.W. Griffith’s iconic melodrama, “Way Down East” originally released in 1920. The two debate the merits of Griffith’s cinematic legacy, how class relations are explored within melodrama and whether the film exists within a temporal or secular imaginary.

 
Originally published in March of 2016, Zach Betonte, Andrew Swope and Simone Barros discuss Stanley Donen’s Lerner and Loewe musical “The Little Prince'' adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novella of the same name and originally released in 1974. The discussion addresses how the film addresses the text’s existential themes, excavates its influence on future American musical forms, and its eclectic cast of characters.