New Music and Video: Cloud Track

Sometimes experimentation crosses boundaries. Historically I have divided much of my literary, audio, and visual/video work categorically to allow for sense-making and efficiencies in output. This has been machine-like and in some ways has kept me from going further into the “interdisciplinary” realms many artists work within. Last year’s videos Boulder River Aphorisms, Oceanic Triptych, and Thorough Water all combined some of the approaches listed above, but I have never looked at my experimental music/audio work connecting with video so fluidly. Bring in the “music video” concept, and some new hardware technology, and I’ve started to explore a little beyond my previous works.

Below is “Cloud Track,” which is a “song” created for a video. The music uses no field recordings, though that is something I hope to do with whatever I work on next; instead utilizing samples and instruments from digital libraries. The video footage is from some time-lapses I took recently on San Juan Island. Even the most abstract moments of the “Cloud Track” video are derivative from that footage, using some diffusion blending and my typical manipulation of brightness and contrast settings. It’s clearly an extension of my GIF work, as well (surprising? not surprising?).

As for the audio? I’ve added it to Bandcamp, and as stated there, it’s “[m]y first foray into leaving field recordings for digital libraries of samples and instruments. Inspired by a couple of time-lapse videos recording in the San Juan Islands, and the music of Gas and Einstürzende Neubauten.

I’m proud to say it’s available in 1440p, too–something I intend to do with all my upcoming short videos. Enjoy!