stopGOstop: field recordings, sound collage, and sound art

A recording of Conococheague Creek in Michaux State Forest, Pennsylvania. I used a couple contact mics on a piece of aluminum, on a copper pipe and an old speaker wired as a mic in a Ziploc bag.

This week on the program – on earth and in outer space, an audio collage about technology, family and foodstuff.  Featuring interviews and audio about the history of farming, 1970s tractors, learning to drive a tractor, backyard gardening, lettuce in near earth orbit, the year 3001, and Dead Space 2 in conjunction with digital signal processing.    

This week on the program – listening to the last men on the moon, a field recording from hyde park, lectures and presentations on climate change, accompanied by digital signal processing, pipe organ and a marching band- stopGOstop presents an audio collage entitled  The Context of a Finite Planet.    

Episode 62 of the podcast, a walk in Michaux State Forest. From wikipeadia… “Michaux State Forest was formed as a direct result of the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania that took place during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and iron companies had harve...

Episode 61 of the podcast- On October 26, 2016 I recorded cutting down two small apple trees in our backyard. I changed the mic set-up about half way through the recording.

This week on the podcast: 70s and 80s computers, memory tricks, and the social history of a self-selecting clan of gamers- an audio collage entitled The Use of Reading and Recording .  

A 25 minute recording of a walk on a beach in southern Iceland near Vik(Photo is from elsewhere in Iceland).

A walk from east to west across central park around 72nd street.

Episode 57- a recording at the Sherwood Island State Park near Westport, CT.

March 4, 2004 the blind spot radio program presented  The Fantastic Race to WLUW . Jacob Christopher, Jesse Seay, Jake Quickel, Richard Holland, and Brian Taylor (using different forms of transportation) raced to the radio station. Hosted by Eric Humphrey and John Wanzel and produced by John Wanzel. Blind Spot was founded in 2003 by Philip von Zweck and John Wanzel. In its two-year run on WLUW 88....

Slowed down pipe organ recordings, trombones, investment banking and hi-tech recruitment videos. What is everyone else doing  a new audio collage.

Episode 54 of the podcast is a binaural recording of Amsterdam Central Station. I was sitting at the main train platforms until someone started to smoke near by, at that point I walked through the station to the busy street outside. I ended the recording walking to our hotel and going up the stairs to our room. The recording is about 20 minutes, no intro, but a short outro.

After a few months off, episode 53 of the podcast- recordings while contemplating the universe: in a church while an organist practices; on a bench near a bookstore; in a car driving home. About 17 minutes.

Episode 52 of the podcast is a composition of speed/tone/EQ manipulations of flute recordings from YouTube.

On January 15, 2006, the Blind Spot radio program  aired Twilight of the Idols,  an experimental narrative that revolved around the CIA, the end of the world, Miami Vice fan-fiction, Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson. Featuring the voice talents of Anna Clark, Eric S. Humphrey, Peter Rosenbloom, and John Wanzel, engineered by Philip von Zweck, produced and written by Peter Rosenbloom and John Wanzel. B...

A waterfall, a highway — episode 50 of the podcast features noises of nature and car culture.

Episode 49 of the podcast – a stereo recording of our backyard. Featuring several birds, the neighbor’s dog, the ever-present sounds of trains, planes and/or automobiles, beeping (why is there so much beeping), a light wind and a plumber bring a 100 foot snake into the basement to unclog our sewer pipe with noises of unclogging. The recording was made near one deciduous tree, and three everg...

Episode 48 of the podcast is a composition of speed/tone manipulations of trombone recordings from YouTube (for Valentine’s day).

A binaural recording of a walk from our house to the Mount Vernon Public Library. The library was a gift to the city from Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1904. It is located in downtown Mount Vernon, across from the Post Office and up the hill from the Mount Vernon East Metro North Station. I returned the second book in Rachel Bach’s Paradox trilogy, Honor’s Knight , and picked up Jonath...

Episode 46 of the podcast- cooking a quick meal. It consisted of prepackaged ravioli, asparagus, red pepper, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. You will also hear the sound of a beer being opened about halfway through cooking. It is a stereo recording.

On January 9, 2005, the blind spot radio program filled the on-air studio with as many balloons as Eric, Jake and I could blow up (which happened to be 1,190) and then entered the room and popped them one at a time with a needle taped to a stick. Conceived by Eric Humphrey and John Wanzel. Performed by Jake Quickel and Eric Humphrey, engineered and produced by John Wanzel. This is the first time t...

Episdoe 44:  The Falls –  A three hour composition for headphones. In December 2008 my wife and I took a trip to Niagara Falls. This composition uses some of those recordings as its base. I processed them a lot. The only bit field recording that remains ‘clean’ is a short recording from inside the Niagara Falls Welcome Center. There are three other field recordings in the piece,...

Episode 43 of the podcast – a short hike on the Colorado Trail. The recording was made from Molas Lake back to our car parked just off Highway 550 between Durango and Ouray. The part of the trail we hiked is just below 11,000 feet in elevation. The Colorado Trail is about 500 miles of trail that weaves throughout the Rocky Mountains. We only hiked about 2 miles of it. It was mid-August, arou...

Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything , a new composition for headphones. Whining, electric buzzing, hissing, humming, tinging, and whistling sounds.

A binaural field recording of a walk from the parking area around Swan Lake (not pictured above, but it looks kind of the same) in  Rockefeller State Park Preserve . I did not see any swans, but there were lots of joggers. This episode is about 25 minutes long.