The Luminous Ground is the concluding part of the architect Christopher Alexander’s four volume treatise The Nature Of Order, a project which took him from considerations of architecture right through to musings on the intersection between matter and spirit, between order and chaos, between logic and emotion. John Chantler has borrowed the title for his new album for the Room40 label, an album which sees him explore some of the issues Alexander raises via the medium of his modular synthesizer, in particular the notion of machines making music, music which is somehow imbued with life. And he has succeeded: despite the fact that this music was created using the synthesizer’s logical processes, electrical signals being patched from module to module, there is an unmistakeable warm, emotional core to the album; and despite the inherent unpredictability of the output, Chantler manages to create a cohesive sense of narrative. This is skillful stuff.
To mark its release, we asked John to put together a mix for us which celebrated the modular synthesizer in all its modulating, oscillating glory. And here it is: a selection which includes not just pieces by pioneers like Eliane Radigue and Keith Fullerton Whitman, but also a couple of his own as-yet-unreleased works. Suitably illuminating.
1. John Chantler – “Untitled Tape” (unreleased)
2. Anthony Pateras / Valerio Tricoli – “duo” from Live at Cafe Oto (Cafe Oto/Free Music Archive)
3. Pulse Emitter – “Untitled II” from Oppressive Nature (Digitalis)
4. Keith Fullerton Whitman – “Generator” from Generator (Root Strata)
5. Ghostwriters – “Dance Of The Spirit Catchers” from No Man’s Land (Zero Company Records)
6. Greg Davis & Ben Vida – “Two Dozen Windows” from 10 (Room40)
7. John Chantler – “Automatic Music For Erik Griswold” from Automatic Music (forthcoming, self-released LP)
8. Eliane Radigue – “Kyema (Intermediate States)” from Kyema (Intermediate States) (Experimental Intermedia)
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