Jessica Ekomane

Multivocal

“Multivocal is a polyphonic maze that unfolds to both the body and the mind. A generative take on rhythm and spacial perception, it presents the same events in different configurations.”

SoundCloud. (2019). Jessica Ekomane – Multivocal – LP – PRE-ORDER. [online] Available at: https://soundcloud.com/importantrecords/jessica-ekomane-multivocal-lp-pre-order [Accessed 21 Oct. 2020].
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From the start there is what initially feels like a repeating rhythm but slowly starts to become less and less rhythmic as the left and right channels become out of time with each other, it slowly starts to form a new rhythm and encourages the listener to listen out for the differences, it is simple which encourages this reflection and perception even further. There are several patterns that suggest different motions and emotions, swinging from one ear to another, an argument between two sides, you can also feel the exploration at moments as if the sound is testing your reaction to it.

I find myself chasing the moments of recognisable rhythm, Multivocal definitely puts me outside of my comfort zone and so when there are brief passages where there is a recognisable and followable tempo, it is easy to yearn for something like that

On listening to Ekomane’s work I can’t help but reflect slightly on my own, and while we both have different intentions and arguably work in very different worlds it is interesting to me that she is able to achieve her own goals in seemingly such a simplistic way, I often tend to go very grand and complicated but it seems that an emotion can be suggested to the listener with not so much of the dark brooding feel that I can’t seem to escape.

Attempting a response

My initial thoughts to try and create a Ekomane-esque piece was to use my midi controller on the free program that it came with and go through the synth plug-in. I added some chorus and turned up the release but overall it didn’t sound as crisp, and the changing tempo feel that keeps the listener enthralled wasn’t something I am able to achieve. Music is not my forte, I deal primarily in sound effects and so this is not something I have any real skill in, .

I then attempted to touch up the audio in audition where I dereverbed the audio, this helped the general quality this didn’t really add to the shifting nature that I was attempting to emulate. From there I decided to dive into the collection of VSTs I have that work for messing with sound in a specific way but it felt like applying new paint to rotten wood. I used the Hysteresis and Fracture Plugins from Glitchmachines and then some delay to change the tempo. It comes nowhere close to Ekomanes piece and doesn’t give the same effect, there is none of the catharsis that she tries to create (and indeed succeeds in creating)

“Her quadraphonic performances, characterized by their physical affect, seek a cathartic effect through the interplay of psychoacoustics”

Ekomane, J. (2019). Jessica Ekomane. [online] Jessica Ekomane. Available at: https://www.jessicaekomane.com/about [Accessed 21 Oct. 2020].
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Ultimatley though I think this failure is a good start, I have been very secure in my comfort zone of doing sound effects for my Audio Drama podcast, my foray’s into the more “abstract” areas of sound design are few and far between and I have rarely been happy with the outcome. That’s not to say I exclusively work in the realm of realistic sounds, I have done soundscapes with surreal/abstract elements but they are always in the context of a full scene and aren’t the actual piece themselves.

I would be interested to hear criticisms and suggestions from people who are better versed in music, I think once I begin to work more closely with the other people on this course I will find it easier to work on things like this.