Kill Joy - Clint

Kill Joy - Clint

This sound piece consists on multiple tonalities of layered in a 60 second endless loop cassette. These tonalities are done with a guitar, rather than using a heavily distorted characteristic found in many of his other works. This tonality creates a tranquil atmosphere providing the opportunity to the listener to discern every note and drift in the space within the loops. These tonality is interrupted every 60 seconds, reminding the listener about the materiality of this piece, as well as the time spent listening to this work. This gives the work an imperfect characteristic, which is part of the piece as a whole. In this work, not only the tonalities being reproduced are important, but also the materials used when reproducing it. After the pause, the listener comes back again to this tranquil atmosphere that the sounds provide, until it is again interrupted after 60 seconds. After being interrupted for several times, the listener is aware and anticipates the moment when the sound will be interrupted again. This gives the work a non-resolving state, in which the listener is always waiting for the melodies as well as waiting for the interruption.
The interruption of the sound piece works well with the calmness of the melodies, since one is an abrupt change, while then giving the listener again the relaxation and tranquility that he or she was enjoying before the interruption. The melodies then become to interplay with the material chosen to reproduce this piece, then working both as a whole. The longer the piece is played, the interruption becomes less abrupt and becomes part of the whole melody, since the listener is always anticipating this interruption.
I think this work was successful since the harmonies create a harmonious atmosphere for the listener, but not to the extend that the listener will get annoyed or bored of listening to them, since there is always the change with the interruption of the cassette. I think it brings the listener to an interesting play between what it has been created by the artist and what the artist cannot control because of the nature of the cassette. The listener plays between what he or she is listening to and what its being expected and anticipated. Either the listener is awaiting for the interruption of the tonalities and the interruption of the “tranquil atmosphere”, or is awaiting for these tonalities to begin again after the interruption has occurred. In addition, I think that not having the heavily distorted characteristic makes this piece more successful since this way it is easier for the listener not to get annoyed by the tones after listening to them for a while.
- Diana Ossa