Derek Charke

Ecological sound has become a focus in recent years. I’ve created a body of work for soundtrack and live performers. Acoustic Ecology, for me, is an artistic use of natural sound. Natural sounds are captured, transformed, and framed in a new light from the original environment from which they came. I like to think that I am preserving sound-worlds, and subsequently fostering the emotional – the tangible – connection to sound vis-à-vis artistic transformation. Soundscapes are unique to a time and place. Sounds that are here today, may not be here tomorrow. I believe it is important that sound be documented, and used in artistic ways in order to preserve a unique perspective of today’s sound worlds.

I find it both a joy, and a challenge, pairing sounds I’ve captured within a live performance. Sounds are intrinsically complex, and not transcribable using traditional notation. The use of recording equipment and computers makes their use with acoustic instruments very possible, and lends a larger sonic vocabulary than musical instruments alone, essentially creating a new kind of orchestration.

As I continue this exploration of natural sonic environments, particularly those of the far north, the realization of how human sounds are affecting the environment, and not in positive ways, has become apparent. It’s remarkable just how much man-made noise there is. Noise that we take for granted but is disturbing when we stop and listen. The sound of traffic, for example: trucks, cars, and noisy mufflers. If I stop and listen, it drives me batty! It would seem every airplane headed east to Europe flies directly over my house. And when I record in remote locations, inevitably the noises from the communities – the garbage trucks, heavy machinery, and really loud electric generators (mostly coal and oil) – permeate the sonic background.

My working method for an electroacoustic composition (using field recordings) tends to be:

1. Investigate the subject.
2. Experience the place –– spend some time there, and record sounds.
3. Listen carefully to the recorded sounds, particularly for the sonic and emotional content of the sounds.
4. Choose particularly evocative sounds to utilize in establishing a structure for the compositions. 
5. Create new sounds that are informed from my research and travels.
6. Compose the work with the emotional reaction to the place firmly in mind.

For a more in-depth look you can read through the following article by W.L. Altman as published in Musicworks Magazine:

https://www.musicworks.ca/featured-article/featured-article/derek-charke

He highlights my work with the Kronos Quartet and Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq. Click on expand for a larger version. If the document is not visible, click here.

Sound Ecology