From: piovanel@ghost.dsi.unimi.it (marco piovanelli)
Subject: The Hafler Trio: 'Masturbatorium'
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Organization: Computer Science Dep. - Milan University
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 10:46:03 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.misc
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Keywords: The Hafler Trio, Touch, experimental music



  The Hafler Trio
  MASTURBATORIUM
  CD 1991 Touch {TONE:1}
  [17:38]

  ANNIE SPRINKLE, PRINCESS of Pleasure, is a top attraction in the
  red-light theatres of Amsterdam, Hamburg and New York.
  In Europe, Annie's is a sex show, whilst in America it's called
  'performance art'.  Whatever the chosen term, it's hard to put
  the lid on Sprinkle's show.  Playing around with the audience's
  preconceptions about what is erotic, what might be pornographic
  and all the time exposing the limitations of our present
  attitudes to sexuality, Sprinkle's show SLUTS AND GODDESSES is
  both sexy, instructive and often hilarious.

  IN AMSTERDAM FOR a run of sell-out shows, Annie Sprinkle was
  introduced to sound artists the Hafler Trio.  Masturbatorium is
  the outcome of this collaboration.  By contrasting extra-
  terrestrial sound sources against a sequence of sexual sounds
  produced by Annie herself, the Hafler Trio compose a soundtrack
  that is outer-wordly, deeply moving and highly personal.
  Those who have heard it bear testimony to its evocative power.

  THE ON-STAGE masturbation performance of Annie Sprinkle includes
  the obvious breathing, but also the more subtle sounds of
  rustling hair and the moist sucking sounds of penetration.
  These are multi-tracked (one involving 333 layers of the same sound)
  and manipulated to create a piece that doesn't sound like a mix
  of sexual noises, but progresses in the same route.

  THE PIECE IS initiated with the recorded sounds of the planet's
  natural resonant frequencies and the beat created by a pulsar.
  These progress into a second movement which is constructed from
  the sounds of Sprinkle arousing herself.  Although the sounds
  are not recognisable, this section has a definite erotic image.
  One can feel the excitement in the drones and the unidentifiable
  rustling sounds, translated from the recording to the emotions
  of the listener.

  THE FINAL SEGMENT is strongly identifiable.  A throbbing
  electronic sequence is paired with the sound of Sprinkle's
  increasingly intense breathing, although the multi-tracking
  does not immediately communicate sex.  The two rhythms offset
  each other, and they build quickly to a musical climax.

  WHAT MAKES THIS piece so erotic is that the sexual sounds are
  normal, not melodramatic.  It is familiar, even if not
  immediately recognizable...  'Masturbatorium' is so well done,
  it can be recommeded as background music for having sex.
  It may even function as an additional stimulus, heightening
  the experience for all involved.

  FOR THOSE INTERESTED, the leaflet accompanying the CD does a
  good job of explaining the principles according to which
  the sheer mass of sound layers were obtained and combined.
  As usual in all recent work by the Hafler Trio, these
  principles descend from knowledge of occult and abstruse
  techniques derived from alchemy, psycho-acoustics, astrology,
  Tantric Buddhism and more.  For the purpose of this recording,
  Mr Andrew McKenzie was aided by Zbigniew Karkowski, Adi Newton
  (whose sound experiments with T.A.G.C. are well known in the
  industrial scene) and John Duncan.

  LET THERE BE PLEASURE ON EARTH, AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME.
					       -- Annie Sprinkle

x-gateway: rodan.UU.NET from love-hounds to rec.music.gaffa; Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:58:58 EDT
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:57:16 -0400
From: glocke@morgan.ucs.mun.ca (Gordon Locke)
Errors-To: Love-Hounds-request@uunet.uu.net
Message-ID: <9210122057.AA13855@morgan.ucs.mun.ca>