OraMIX

The Science Museum

Date: March 7, 2012
Services: Composer, Producer, Recording, Playing/Programming, Mixing
Listen:
: 'Oram Simulacrum' was our composition for the Science Museum's "OraMIX" competition, which was launched to accompany their exhibition 'Oramics to Electronica: Revealing Histories of Electronic Music'.

The piece is composed using sound samples from Daphne Oram's original Oramics Machine, which the Daphne Oram Archive released as stems for the project. We wanted to create a track that plays with the balance between "virtual" and "real" music: combining Daphne Oram's pioneering sound technology with today's cutting edge synthesisers. Oramics was all about using very real analogue machines to create virtual sounds that were previously unheard, while many of today's composers use virtual machines to recreate real instruments. This track reflects that tension by incorporating Oram's samples with modern virtual strings, guitars and drums - as well as the very human voice of Nikki.

The main melody is played on a sampler using an extract from "Oramics Tests". The electronic kick and snare are made from bits of "Oxford Excerpt" and "Single Cymbal Bite Study". The drone that permeates the track, on which everything else is built, is from "2001 Effects Tape" including the rhythmical tape click. Ive also used some loops from "Oddments I" and "Wool". The climactic moments and explosions towards the end of the track make use of some gongs and other noises from "Oddments I" and "Oramics Tests".

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