Diaspora.In.Synchro.City
composed
by Mukul for Danish group Ssshhhhh's Ghettoblaster
Ensemble, to be premiered alongside 8 other works at "Streets
of Asia" – Århus Festuge, Denmark, on Saturday 30 August
2003 – in various public spaces in the city of Århus.
We invite
you for a participatory pre-performance SCENARIO PARTS G1 sopr1 AMBIENCE
– railway platform announcements, bustle of the forecourt,
WHERE in London Fields park "left of SPORTS GROUND"
(click here
for map)
WHEN on Saturday 16th of August, 1700 (for alternatives
if weather inclement: call manu07951 539144/email mukul[at]ambientTV.NET).
TO DO You'll need a powerful CD ghettoblaster. Download,
print and read through the score / choreography PDF. Bring this along with
your ghettoblaster (with fresh batteries), and some drinks for the fish
barbecue afterwards (fish provided, donations welcome). CDs will be distributed
in the park. The piece lasts around 15 minutes.
A modern Indian city is mapped onto the performance space. Drawing
on field recordings made across India, the piece begins with the arrival
of a train at a railway station (a fixed point in the performance space).
The musicians disembark and disperse through the space, passing through
4 distinct locations (railway platform, station forecourt, marketplace
and city square) before returning to the station and leaving again.
Ghettoblasters
G1–8 take on individual characters:
marketplace ambience, some street music. G1 moves through these spaces
helping
to set the scene
G2 sopr2 STATION – strolling up and down the railway platform (beginning
and end
of piece) and around the market (middle section), providing ambience.
G3 alto1 RADIO – mainly hangs around the market and forecourt, tuning
into random
stations, also plays some figures on the flute.
G4 alto2 ONION – with a basket on his head or perhaps pushing a
trolley, hawking
various items . . . onions, newspapers, and religion (from 11.45)
G5 tenr1 HAWKER – with a basket on his head or perhaps pushing a
trolley, selling
various items . . . like G4, from 11.45 begins religious chant
G6 tenr2 HORN – train horns, car horns, rickshaw horns, and tannoys
broadcasting
political slogans from competing parties. A cause of commotion in the
station forecourt.
G7 bass1 BBOY – throws downs beatboxing tune to G8 (from 09.30 to
11.30) in the
city square. rest of the time provides ambient support – temple
bells, public service
announcements . . .
G8 bass2 TAXI – The sound of the metropolis. A small Fiat taxi or
even a rickshaw
with a serious sound system (the vehicle is festooned with old CD “coasters”,
blue
LEDs and a charm made from lemons and chillies that wards off accidents).
The cab
picks up the film song playing in the station forecourt kiosks and the
twists it into an
energetic dub techno remix. At a point there is a battle wth G7 BBOY.