Country/Burning/Air Conditioning/the Storm

https://open.spotify.com/album/7IdHWxjs0vX92Hrd27neTc?si=QKrlbw2NQbSKYh4yj_IBjA

'Country Burning' with Acrylic on Canvas stuck to cream-painted plaster wall captured with android mobile camera.

Rama Williams

Here is the 'ep of REST'. Burning is a snap shot of the first half 2020 for me, from Australia's bushfires to COVID-19.

It consists of four tracks from the album in order, alternate mastering.

Country

We start with 'Country', which pays direct homage to the Great Otways National park region which is situated on the territory of the Gadubanud People. More broadly it's a love of all of earth's natural environments. At the time however, my band was soaking up that region, and my heart sings for Australian wildlife.

written and visual score for og rama Jordon trio

This piece is written without tempo or strict harmony. Performers should be more concerned with expression and Timbre.

Only 2-3 minutes in duration, the piece is a window through which one can take a glance at the colossal majesty, ancient wisdom and sacredness of the Gadubanud lands. (and the Otways in general, and just any connection with an environment you’ve had in this gorgeous country.) It’s landscapes, it’s ecology, it’s stillness, it’s power. The piece is to replicate that.   

The piece consists of a drone over F#, and sees improvised decorations, embellishments, and textures replicating the natural elements of the environment.

Performers are to listen to the drone for at least a minute, while contemplating their memories of the environments, replicating said recollections spontaneously or otherwise in any way they please.  This could include replications of sonic textures and motives that occur naturally in the Otways, ie., replicating songs and sounds of flora and fauna, wind, the great ocean, the silence, etc., or replications/interpretations of emotional responses to said experiences.

With layer upon layer of textures and musical ideas, we (the performers) are creating our own sonic landscape. The ‘window’ through which the audience is gazing through is constructed of our own interpretation, hence this is not a realistic emersion or any attempt to replicate something so powerful as the environment, for one’s experience of an environment is subjective and requires their physical presence in said environment. This distinction is necessary as interpreters of natural phenomena, to not claim authority in any way when interpreting a land that has been understood by First nations people for millennia prior to our experiences. Thus the piece can be interpreted as a projected interpretation, reflecting colonialism, which is unavoidable, and not antithetical to the intention of the piece. Particularly considering the piece that follows ‘Country’ on the record is a piece entitled ‘burning’ which explores the privilege of one being able to seek comfort and peace in the natural environment while purposely ignoring the destructive fires raging across the country in 2020.

Burning

Track 2 is 'Burning', which, to me, carries 'babe-rainbow-esque' sense of peace and love. It is a conscious reflection of my own desire to negate and repress the heart ache I feel for the natural world, and the exploitation it and its people are subjugated by the rule-makers and power-holders.

Air Conditioning

Track 3

Air Conditioning is about being in an air conditioned room while there are bush fires out side. This can symbolise whatever is relevant to the listener, or simply be a melancholy and drunk groove. To me it means the same thing as Burning, however, rather than feeling okay by enjoying what is left of the natural world, it points to man-made-band-aid solutions: Consumerism, urbanism, fossil-fuel-burner-ism, malicious-main-stream-media-ism and drugs-ism.

The Storm

The last track sees the chaos for what it is. Lockdown has arrived, my partner of 4 years and I split, I'm confronted with realisations and previously repressed memories regarding my trauma and programming through my life before 2020.

‘Storm’ written and visual score for Jordan Deneka and raamii. This is a modal/drone and sound effects piece. We are replicating a cheeky little storm. Of rain, and of life when it seems to collapse a little around you, I.e., going into lockdown for the first time in our lives, having our heart broken, realising trauma you didn’t know you had... All of these things, either way – the sky it opens up. The orange is your soloing, the yellow mine, the rectangles are the drone and scale/s for soloing, the scribbles are the density of sound. What I’d like you to do is create a daw with the timeline and make me some drones for the notes, bring whatever additional sounds and textures you like, and do some soloing. I’ll be adding to your drones, arranging pads to accompany them, soloing and creating a bunch of sounds and textures.