METASTABILITY, by Ben Carey

METASTABILITY

by Ben Carey

supported by

juandale Every track is a multilayered, decadent adventure turned masterclass in electronic composition, yet vertical interest never supersedes horizontal development. Each track expertly manages a delicate balance between complexity and intelligibility that keeps the listener engaged throughout.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
45rpm
Deluxe film-laminated 'Tip-On' gatefold
Limited to 200 copies worldwide
Includes download card
Include bonus binaural CD 'Apparent Equilibrium'

Includes unlimited streaming of METASTABILITY via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 3 days

$40 AUD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Get both of Ben Carey's HH releases, 2023's METASTABILITY + 2019's ANTIMATTER for 20% off

Includes unlimited streaming of METASTABILITY via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 3 days

$60 AUD or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$12 AUD or more

1.	Depth 06:36	buy track
2.	Metastability 11:41	buy track
3.	Clang 04:19	buy track
4.	Accretion 07:04	buy track
5.	Towards the Origin 04:55	buy track

about

Metastability was composed & performed on the 1975 La Trobe Serge ‘Paperface’, a colossal modular synthesiser designed by Serge Tcherepnin, currently housed at the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. The fruits of two residencies at MESS in 2019 & 2021, Metastability explores some of the vast sonic terrain of this unique machine across its five tracks. The instrument was commissioned for the La Trobe University Music Department in the mid-1970s by composer Warren Burt & has since been restored by renowned Serge expert Ken Stone. Affectionately dubbed a ‘Paperface’ system due to the characteristic paper graphics used on its front panels, the La Trobe Serge is one of three instruments designed by Tcherepnin to make its way to Australia during this period.

The La Trobe Serge is a beautiful, complex instrument. At the core of Tcherepnin’s design philosophy is the concept of ‘patch programmability’, where low-level functions of the instrument are made available to the musician. This design approach pushes the performer to define & re-define the scope of the instrument’s architecture as part of the compositional process. In my encounters with the Serge, I experience the instrument as an electronic ecosystem, one that makes me work hard for every sound, but always in collaboration with the machine. What fascinates me most about working on the Serge is this sense of human/non-human collaboration. As a patch begins to grow in complexity, I’m acutely aware that my compositional decisions are not solely my own. They’ve become part of a sprawling human-machine network, the history of which sits in front of me as an imposing tangle of patch cables. In Metastability, I was interested in exploring this relationship, resulting in sounds & processes that push & pull on each other, moving in & out of equilibrium.

Apparent Equilibrium, the bonus CD included in this release, documents a live recording made on the La Trobe Serge at MESS in July 2022. Extending upon sounds & ideas from Metastability, this recording was made in preparation for an octophonic surround sound performance at The Substation (Naarm/Melbourne), as part of Sonorous V, curated by MESS. Piloted through some custom software, the performance weaves in live Serge with pre-recorded materials from Metastability, diffused in a virtual surround-sound environment. As this CD was mixed for binaural playback, please use headphones for an optimal listening experience.

Ben Carey

credits

released June 26, 2023

Metastability:
1975 La Trobe Serge ‘Paperface’ (MESS Ltd Collection)
73-75 ‘Homebuilt’ Panels
1968 AKAI 1710W Reel to Reel Tape Machine
Marantz CP430 Cassette Recorder
NF Audio SPR-20 Stereo Spring Reverb
DIY Plate Reverb

Apparent Equilibrium:
1975 La Trobe Serge ‘Paperface’ (MESS Ltd Collection)
Random*Source Touch Activated Keyboard Sequencer
Landscape Stereofield + O/O Touchpads
Max/Mira/IRCAM SPAT (live mixing/ spatialisation & binaural rendering)

Composed, performed & mixed by
Ben Carey at MESS (Naarm/Melbourne) & Neutral Bay (Eora/Sydney), 2019-2022

Mastered & cut by Kassian Troyer, D&M, Berlin, October 2022
Photography by Kristoffer Paulsen
Design by WBYK

Thank you: Serge Tcherepnin for the inspirational designs. Robin Fox, Byron Scullin, Kate Antonas, Lauren Squire, Jonnine Nokes & the entire MESS team for the generous support. Mat Watson for the support & friendship during my MESS residencies in 2019 & 2021. Warren Burt for commissioning this instrument. Ken Stone for the custodianship & deep connection to the Serge. David Chesworth for the inspirational early explorations of this instrument. Thanks to Matt McGuigan for the continued support of my work.

This creative research project was made possible through funding support from The University of Sydney, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, & the Australia Council for the Arts.

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about

Ben Carey Sydney, Australia

Ben Carey is a Sydney/Eora-based composer and improviser. He makes music using the modular synthesiser, develops interactive music software and creates audio-visual works. Ben’s work is concerned with interactivity, generativity and the delicate dance between human and machine agencies in composition and performance. Alongside Sonya Holowell, he is one half of voice/modular synth duo Sumn Conduit ... more

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