Frontera Norte (The Northern Border) for computer-mediated keyboard and imitators.
Cmmissioned by the Center for Music Experiment, University of California, San Diego, for the Intercambio program. (1992 for portable cassette players, revised in 2010 for mp3 players, with different lessons) (6:50)
The "imitators" are scattered throughout the audience, while the keyboard player performs on stage. They listen with headphones to mp3 files on portable players of language lessons (Spanish, French, Arabic) and repeat back what they hear in a normal voice/volume, trying to match the pronunciation and inflection of the speaker.
As soon as the imitators hear the piece begin they start their mp3 players. There is a strange backward signal sound at the beginning and end.
frontera.mp3 - audio file
imitators files- spanish1 spanish2 spanish3 spanish3a spanish3b (if there are many people use spanish 3a/3b instead of 3) spanish4 french1 french2 french3 arabic
[ creative ]
©2001 Robert Willey