by Chantale Laplante
Collaborator: Bill Gilonis  

Diary  

July 14
First day back from my residencies in Europe. I listen to the field recording my friend Bill Gilonis has sent me. I am surprised and perplexed. The 6-minute sound file is a looped mechanical-metal like sound with few variations in timbre, speed, frequency. Now starts the work of making mine this ‘unchosen’ sound material and constructing something that will bring me into new territories ...  

July 15
Bill’s sound file of some unknown object  is suggesting a train. I have been collecting all kind of sounds relating to trains for many years now. So, 24 hours later, I now feel  the recording as a welcomed challenge and perhaps a way of finally doing something around the notion of train : Pierre Schaeffer’s Étude aux chemins de fer comes to mind.  Perhaps include a quote of that piece I have always admired?

July 16, 17, 18
Going forward with the train sounds, which has lead into something quite narrative. I am not sure. Never felt comfortable with narration .

July 19
Still not sure about the work done so I take the day off.

July 20
Opening a completely new session: starting from scratch. Spent all day transforming a sample of Bill’s sound file through my max-MSP platform: filters, granulator, harmonizer. Then back into my multi-track software where I transform more mostly with equalizing. I start thinking that this looped sound suggests a looped piece! Then, I remember Pina Bausch’s piece BlueBeard where the dancers repeat the same short sequence over and over. The gestural loop was beautiful and offered a fantastic intensity. One of the sounds I have made from the original sample will be at the base of a looped sequence. Now, the process feels right.

July 21 and following…
The work evolves into a varied series of an initial composed sequence of around 1 minute. I do include a very short fragment (transformed) from Schaeffer’s train study. From there, I work on creating sounds reminiscent of trains and whistles, and something else that I could not qualify. Here and there, I insert snippets of  Bill’s original recording.

Can’t remember exactly when I decided on the title, but Pina Bausch’s work was definitely a source of inspiration and her death very much saddened me. All in all, the piece now makes good sense. From perplexity it has evolved into something I have been wanting to experiment more with : the loop.

Chantale Laplante has been following a unique route with music and holds a very original place in the sphere of composition and improvisation. Her works convey an all-embracing atmosphere of intimacy, blurred memories and discreet proposals. For more information, go to Chantale Laplante’s website