little flower-stalk

little flower-stalk


in blue jeans
faded brushed-cotton shirt
once patterned, now grey
crouching in front of electronic gadgetry
on slightly soiled plimsolls
deep brown orbs, passionate
intensely concentrate
listening through state-of-the-art headphones
pressing down silver-streaked, melanic hair
he strokes his hand across heavy growth
beginnings of a Bohemian beard
he speaks in soothing dulcet tones

no formal theology
pursuing spontaneous
impetus
Paul's purist ideology
compels him to spend hours
weeks at a time
seeking new sounds
having developed an encyclopædic
knowledge of these and their respective cryptic
location
on one of several CD's
he can select a sound
from his available palette
no need to search for one to fit a concept
simply tweak for modulation

bringing up the sampler
on the computer
a red wave expands
like some seminal oscillator
finding the exact break-lines
separating individual sounds
up to ninety-nine times
the sample is fed
through a filter
then looped
a new sound created
not as sophisticated
as the board
modifying
tempo
pitch
tone
unacceptable
till perfectly honed

a click of the mouse
and on the computer screen
appears
a virtual Roland/808/909
recreating Acid House
the early rave scene
from back in time

a toilet-break beckons
Paul opens
his sound library
to me
where time is mensurable
in fractions
of seconds
perhaps
milliseconds
I pluck sounds
from the screen
particularly enjoying
thirteen and fourteen
there are spooky notes
ambient
sonorous
evanescent
cold
moody
resonant
noises
beats
harmonious
discordant
phrases

Paul had me listen to tracks
a few of his rare grooves
taken from stacks
of vinyl
rather than compact disk
revolving on the turn-table
at forty-five r.p.m.
on the valued record-player
sounds reminiscent
of 1970's Jean-Michel Jarre
ethereal synthesizers
ecclesiastical organs
journeying to some destination
I do not know
pulling me with them
voyaging with the flow
continuing my induction
an affective impressionism
snatches of Techno
Drum & Bass
House
World
and Jazz
space age
meets aboriginal
in elicited syncretism

in a computer concerto
checking for
cadence
phrasing
sonority
spiritual harmony
the expansion
of musicality
musical form
instrumentation
and technical ability
breath-taking creation
of new worlds
soundscapes
through originality
uniqueness
and perfection
the perpetual leitmotive
though
in the Paulo-post-future
a hemlock or Valerian potion
the suicidal motif
will end
with a fatal coda
Paul's ultimate
Neurotic Symphony
the sublime acme
of contemporary
musical techno-creativity

[Image description: Roland TR-808, courtesy Wikipedia]

A musician friend permitted me to watch him at the creative slog in order that I might write about it. It is my hope that this poem illuminates some of what goes into creating the recorded sounds we all often take so for granted.