Tuesday, December 17, 2013

two archive releases:


Tuesday, November 19, 2013






tracks 1,2,4,7,8,11: instrument
from the hundreds of pieces for guitar, cello, piano, analogue synthesiser, zithers and other non conventional instruments, these pieces (recorded between 1990 & 2006) focus on work that sits at a distance from my other creative output.

tracks 3,9,10: clear input pieces
i began using clear input methods as a sole improvisatory element in the early 1990‘s and continued experimenting with the technique until the early 2000‘s. similar to ‘no-input’ this involves using no conventional instruments but rather feeding the output of a device, in my case a guitar effects rack, into the input, creating a feedback loop that is then manipulated by using the same devices parameters only.
the numbering system halts in 2006 at piece number 640, recorded in 2004. 

tracks 5,12 : field
early field recordings archives will feature on future releases (perhaps). these two pieces represent a meeting point between various music techniques i have used in the past and field recording.

track 6: tape / wax  |  collage
much of my tape archive is on reel-to-reel tape and yet to be archived. these pieces, again from the 1990’s as far as I can tell, were recorded using cassette tape sources, loops, electronics and turntable.

all tracks have been taken from cdr archives or the original tape / minidisc source. 

perhaps only loosely connected to what i was doing with my other creative interests at the time and since, these tracks represent something tangible - an acceptance of process and exploration



this remarkable public building was, for a time, derelict and on the verge of being demolished. A team of dedicated volunteers and fundraisers have, along with all the other activities that now take place there, given back to the nation a remarkable listening lens. 

every building has its own voice, to which is added chorales of the locale in which it sits. I often spend long periods of time listening to buildings and think of it as a privilege and a rare chance to spend time allowing their voices to become fully audible to me. However, asking others to do this at the same time is, I have to admit, often a big ask. We as a species are happy to sit quietly watching something - a view, a picture, a tv or cinema screen, but to sit and listen, paying as much attention to the audible as we do to the visual in our daily lives is something that remains a challenge or a puzzling idea for lots of people.

in the afternoon our small group were free to explore the entire building, listening to it with our ears and with various microphones and devices. During the afternoon break myself & Rae made a recording with small omni microphones in one of the pool sections (tracks 1 & 3), this included playing back into the space a geophone recoding made earlier. In the evening we invited the public to come and listen to this remarkable space (tracks 2 & 4). Some asked what we were listening to or what for ? most expressed surprise at how much they enjoyed the experience even when they perceived that ‘nothing’ was actually being played in the space. That, it seems to me, was a good outcome indeed.

- jez riley french 

Friday, November 8, 2013

a specially edited 20 minute section of my piece for Tate Modern - 'audible silence - the tate, sleeping & waking' will be the soundtrack in the special family gallery installation - from 21st Dec - 19th Jan....very pleased that younger folks are getting to hear it even more.

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/daily-activities/family-gallery

A section is also part of the 'Juke Box meets Tate Britain' installation / activity - at the learning gallery, Tate Britain until Feb 2014.

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/daily-activities/juke-box-meets-tate-britain-audio-recording-sessions-families


Juke Box Meets Tate Britain will be based in the new Learning Gallery from 23rd November till the end of February 2014. Devised by sound artist Yuri Suzuki, Juke Box Meets Tate Britain will aim to provide a wide-ranging and accessible sound archive related to Tate Britain's collection. Each week the aim is to also offer vinyl-cutting sessions where visitors and invited guests will be able to create a record to go in the juke box, contributing their personal response to the Tate Britain collection displays.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

South Hill Park digital media presents:


The Art of Field Recording

a two day workshop

date: 23 November 2013 - 23 November 2013

price: £130, Members £126

Tutor: Jez Riley French



Unearth the extraordinary creative potential of contemporary audio recording with expert guidance in use of conventional and contact microphones, hydrophones, ultrasonic detectors and geophones. The weekend will combine practical recording and consultation sessions, plus an audio screening of submitted recordings from international field recordists.

This two day workshop runs on the Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November.


http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/13404/events/the-art-of-field-recording.html

Saturday, October 12, 2013





'room tone' (2013) installation - spazioersetti gallery, Udine, Italy - October 2013

Tuesday, September 10, 2013



insect recordings, gathered from sweden, italy and across the uk....


new release - a dawn chorus recording, with conventional microphones & geophones, recorded at foxley wood, Norfolk....

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

for those unable to get to Tate Modern to hear my headphone piece, it's now available online also:




Sunday, August 4, 2013



a short extract from the on-going teleferica project & forthcoming release

Saturday, August 3, 2013

in progress....

teleferica


recordings of teleferica wires around a small village in northern italy

Friday, August 2, 2013



in the coming weeks i'll be releasing quite a few recordings, mostly as digital download releases - these are works that have been 'waiting' and still feel of worth in various ways - or at least to represent moments of listening.

this is basically a clearing of decks - a need to place some punctuation at this point, as I move forward and become more and more engrossed in various ways of listening and living.

there are some 'in progress' recordings that i'll take forward from here, including:

. audible silence: weaves
. still, on the littoral
. bethlehem wires
. teleferica
. room tones
. (dust) | celestine

....just so you know....



120+ minutes of audio + 60 page pdf book of photographs


5 tracks - 91+ minutes of audio + 61 page pdf book of photographs


 

Sunday, July 28, 2013



2 track download album

or

2 x 8cm cdr on A6 art cards + download + 3 additional cards with download links to exclusive tracks by JrF, Sawako & Hiroki Sasajima

Saturday, July 27, 2013


jez riley french - snaefells glacier from Jez riley French on Vimeo.
in the coming weeks i'll be releasing quite a few recordings, mostly as digital download releases - these are works that have been 'waiting' and still feel of worth in various ways - or at least to represent moments of listening. 

this is basically a clearing of decks - a need to place some punctuation at this point, as I move forward and become more and more engrossed in various ways of listening and living.

there are some 'in progress' recordings that i'll take forward from here, including:

. audible silence: weaves
. still, on the littoral
. bethlehem wires
. teleferica
. room tones
. (dust) | celestine

....just so you know....

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

for 6 musicians & locale (topolo, italy - july 2013)

photos by Maria Silvano













Sunday, July 21, 2013







Alghero, Sardinia - field recording workshop

Sunday, July 7, 2013

archives # 2: instamatics, waiting

Thursday, July 4, 2013

two recordings....


an unprocessed field recording of the external staircase at the School of Architecture, Sheffield - resonating with the wind and recorded using 2 JrF c-series contact microphones.
This recording is best listened to on headphones.




tadpoles and water beetles, recorded at Froghall Wharf, Derbyshire - June 2013 with 2 JrF d-series hydrophones into a Sound Devices 7-series recorder.

 


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

new things....

new 'caught by the river' fanzine on field recording, edited by Cheryl Tipp & featuring writing from various folks, including myself....

available from the CBtR website + i'll have some copies soon



also, coming soon: a very limited edition set of 3 postcards (published in Japan) with links to field recordings by myself, Sawako & Hiroki. I'll hopefully have around 20 copies for sale....

Monday, June 24, 2013

wildeye Iceland field trip

june 2013

Chris Watson (tutor)
Jez riley French (tutor / trip leader)