ID#: 725

Alpha State Suggestions (2008); 5:00

by Vedran Mehinovic

Quinnipiac University

Alpha State Suggestions is an exercise in the expressive qualities of spoken voice. The Japanese text deals with various world facts, and has a partly humanitarian and ecological lean. The piece was created from a relatively short sample, spoken by Karen Gomyo in 2002. In the Rift relies on sonic wealth found in the human voice. The underlying themes are clashing contrast, and powerful vibrations creating glimpses of other dimensions. The only sound sources in the piece are vocal recordings by Sunny Kim and Vedran Mehinovic. Dimensions in Viseu was created from sonic materials available on viseururalmedia.org, captured at three locations: entrance to the Ribafeita Cemetery, the Covelas Bridge, and the Anigraco granite factory in the village of Oliveira de Cima (Portugal). The three recordings provide a rich reserve of complementary and contrasting timbres for electronic sculpting. I was inspired to compose the work due to the stimulating, high-quality clips on the site, my own interest in audio preservation, and the draw of creating a hyperreal environment from local recordings.