The Royal Touch (2014), 8'09"
For solo performer re-animating dead circuitry. Recorded live in concert at Café Oto, London, England. January 13, 2015.
Photos and brief notes.
Salvage (Guiyu Blues) (2008), 7'48"
For seven performers re-animating dead circuitry. Performed by members of my hacking workshop at Le Quai-Mulhouse Art School, Mulhouse, France, January 2009. Recorded live in concert.
Program Notes and Score.
Grant Park, Chicago, November 4, 2008.
Chicago, November 4, 2008, 10pm, 2'59"
Chicago, November 4, 2008, The Speech, 18'53"
For Elizabeth (2004), 17'43"
This is a performance of Pea Soup segueing into a skipping CD piece called English Music, in Michael Tippet Centre at Bath Spa University (UK), with Jonathan Impett playing trumpet. By chance the feedback pitches in Pea Soup (determined by the resonant frequencies of the concert hall) meshed beautifully with the tuning of the CDs used in English Music.
Pea Soup & Mortal Coil (2004), 14'58"
This is a performance of Pea Soup segueing into a piece called Mortal Coil, in which electromagnetic feedback oscillated the strings of a backwards electric guitar built from Home Dept levels. Recorded at Jerwood Hall in London in July 2004 during the "Feedback: Order From Noise" tour organized by Resonance FM.
The Talking Cure (2002-2004), 23'27"
For solo speaking performer with computer-driven pitch-tracking piano, and optional second performer. Recorded live at the "Sounds Like Now" festival, La Mama Theatre, NYC, 2004. Nicolas Collins, talking and computer; Jonathan Chen, second speaker and violin.
Program Notes.
El Loop (2002)
My daily Chicago commute by elevated train, recorded through two electromagnetic coil pickups. Commissioned by Chris Cutler and Resonance FM (London, England).
El Loop -- full commute, 32'23"
El Loop -- excerpt, 15'25"
El Loop -- full commute, severely time-compressed, 3'52"
Live Performance at the School of Music, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 2002.
Pea Soup II, 19'10"
Sled Dog, 4'46"
Mortal Coil, 10'50"
Peter Cusack, bouzouki, Jonathan Impett, trumpet (Pea Soup II); Nicolas Collins, hacked CD player (Sled Dog), electromagnetic pickup coils and backwards electric guitar (Mortal Coil).
Tromba Marina a Cora (1999), 2'11"
For Backwards Hawaiian guitar and sweeping oscillator. Written and recorded for Hallelujah, Anyway (a tribute to Tom Cora), Tzadik Records, 1999.
Sonnet 40 (1998), 5'24"
For solo trumpet. Commissioned by Axel Doerner. The unamplified acoustic trumpet articulates the words of the Shakespeare sonnet, each of the three movements at a different speed.
Score.
Broken Choir (1997), 13'07"
For seven instruments and modified CD players. Written for Zeitkratzer. Released on SonX, Zeitkratzer Records, 1999.
microstoria_snd processed (1997), 6'56"
Remix of track by Microstoria using skipping CD players and trombone-propelled electronics, rev. 2 . Released on Microsoria: Reprovisors, Mille Plateaux and Thrill Jockey CDs, 1997.
Recordings with Third Person, from The Bends, Knitting Factory Works CD, 1991
A Country Wedding, 2'55"
If I Were Talking About, 4'56"
When A Hat Gets Lonesome, 5'00"
Samm Bennett, percussion, Tom Cora, cello; with guest Nicolas Collins, trombone-propelled electronics. Recorded live at The Knitting Factory, 1991.
Baby It's You (1989), 6'32"
Live remix of the song of that name, for trombone-propelled electronics and bouzouki. With Peter Cusack, bouzouki. Released on At Close Quarters, These Records, 1993.
Watching Scotty Grow (1989), 3'11"
Guest artist with trombone-propelled electronics on cover of song by Bobby Goldsboro by When People Were Shorter And Lived By The Water. Released on Bobby, Shimmy Disc Europe, 1989.
The Spark Heard Round The World (1988), 25'32"
Tape composition with radio source material. Commissioned by New Radio and Performing Arts, 1988.
Real Electronic Music (1986), 6'32"
For scanning radio and trombone-propelled electronics. Released on Imaginary Landscapes, Nonesuch Records, 1990.
Tone Gen (1972), 3'39"
For my first oscillator (homemade) and my first tape recorder.