Like most projects I begin with a mind map. I feel these are the best way (for me) to externalise my thoughts, ideas and interests. I begin in the middle with the core concept then branch off not really thinking too deeply. Once I have covered the page with notes I can then begin to link things together and pool them back to the main concept/idea.

The overarching concept for my piece is Auto-Destructive Art, creation through destruction. Auto-Destructive art is something I have become very interested in since joining UAL and now I wish to try my own hand at it.

1. Scrap Club, The Destructionist Project : Wajid Yaseen and Joel Cahen
2. Petr Valecek
3. Annae Lockwood-Walking on Glass
4. Gustav Metzger

INITIAL IDEA: A heavily improvised dance-floor composition responding to a number of visual references, crafted through the destruction/manipulation of objects, hardware and instruments.

Below I will cover the main topics from the mind map and how I intend to incorporate them.

1. Music for Dance-floors: Continuing my own personal interest in ‘dance music’ I wish to comment and respond to a number of stimuli regarding early House music and early 80s party culture. I feel this links to Auto-Destructive art due to the way the current nightlife scene has been decimated by covid restrictions. Many of us rely on nightclubs and parties as a way of meeting new people, stress relief, exercise etc, all these have been lost for over a year now. I plan for my piece to be made with a dance floor heavily in-mind.

2) House: House music was born from Disco’s destruction. The above photo captures the end of the ‘disco fad’, Disco Demolition night at the Red Sox Stadium 1979. If it wasn’t for white racist radio jocks and the media’s sudden betrayal of Disco it is quite likely house music wouldn’t exist in the way we hear it now. Chicago House was a direct retaliation to the racism, sexism and homophobia imbedded into American society at the time.

3) Ron Hardy: Directly linking to the above, Hardy was a Chicago DJ who was instrumental in championing the early sound of House. Making his name at the Music Box, a breakaway club from the Warehouse (where the genre got its name, another signifier of destruction=creation) Hardy flipped disco on its head, he played things backwards, played slow records with +8 speed, used a reel to reel for sound effects etc. He was a true maverick and many recognise his experiments with sound came through his addiction to heroin. This would ultimately lead to his death in 1991. A much sombre tone when thinking about Destruction and Creation. I intend to sample a number of his most recognisable records played at the Music box in similar creative ways to him.

4) Gareth and Jose Lessons: I have become heavily inspired by the last few sessions in class, particularly where we improvised with objects but also responded to visual stimulus. I like the idea of using improvisation because its based on instinct and I’m my eyes its the truest form of art. Communicating an emotion or feeling in its most stripped back, un-filtered form. The destructive potential is interesting to me, he same way DJing is an improvised performance, things can go wrong and the outcomes can be really profound. I intend to improvise/jam for a extended period of time focusing on my graphic score and visual collage.

5) Sampling: I also plan to incorporate a range of sampling techniques and build upon my previous assignment. I could potentially sample specific parts from my improvised response and re-mould them into my piece through effects on Ableton, Cecilia, Paul Stretch, Sound Grain etc. I feel sampling is another direct link to the theme of destruction for it involves the dissection of something that already exists. In regards to House music, sampling was the initial tool for young bedroom producers to carve a new sound from popular disco records.

7) Ritual: I briefly touched on this topic in my last assignment and wish to explore this further. Having been made aware of the genres Flashcore, Speedcore and Rhythmic Noise, I have a better idea of how I wish to re-edit the improvised piece. Obviously this might change depending on how the improv goes, it could go so well I don’t have to edit anything at all. Or quite the opposite. I plan for ritual film footage to be a big part of the visual collage, this could lead to unexpected results in contrast to the disco/house footage. The change in visual tones will force me to stay erratic and keep whatever sounds I’m coming up with diverse.