This piece, like much of my work, has little emphasis on conceptual structures, nor any concrete reference to sources. The intention, as always, has been to maintain and keep a highly detailed non-referential sonic mass afloat. Hopefully removing the desire from the listener to attempt to name what they are listening to. Therefore I won't give any further reference other than it features elements from a particular rainy winter during my residency at 'Adishakti' in Vazhakulam near Pondicherry, South India 2007-08 and the obvious playing of shakuhachi during a residency this spring at 'intro in situ' in Maastricht.The title is taken from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, where a teacher is questioned by his students to describe 'brahman' (i.e. the background/source of all that exists). He responds to all questions by saying that brahman is not this, not that (neti, neti)—thereby slowly dislodging habits of verbal or mental conceptualization. This was a key tactic that was employed in the Indian philosophy of 'jhana yoga' (knowledge yoga) which is etymologically connected to chan buddhism which subsequently became zen buddhism.
my technique of non-referential sound 'composting' is and has been a humble attempt to avoid overtly 'mental' structures, intending rather to take the listener to an acousmatic state within which they are suspended for a while...
michael northam
brattleboro, vermont
november 2008
http://oro.preg.org
Neti Neti (18:02)
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