b. 1983 || Website || SoundCloud || YouTube
Andys Skordis is a Cypriot composer who has studied in America, Amsterdam, and Indonesia. His musical style is highly varied due to his studies of Karnatic music, Javenese Gamelan, and Balanese Gamelan. In his bio he is described to find inspiration through “primordial human nature” and through “ceremonial and mystic rituals from around the world”. Along with composing he also teaches, is a curator, and an artistic collaborator.
Happening ... but not ... kjkjk is a piece written for 4 wind players, 2 percussionists, and a conductor. In this video, it is performed by Amsterdam Collage Ensemble. While the dynamic form here is a basic A B A, (meaning the overall sound of the piece starts quiet, gets loud, and then returns to being quiet towards the end) the instrumentation and use of outside objects is anything but conventional. Using bows on cymbals, and clothes hangers hit on trashcans, this piece dares to think outside the traditional and delves into the new and exciting. One last technique that I wanted to highlight is his use of the woodwinds playing together around 6:25. They are playing trilled notes (very quick notes that pass between two separate pitches) all together. But because of the complexity and speed of the music, they are not all playing together in sync. This sound created because of the humanness of the musicians, combined with the occasional high notes in the crotales sounds like bells. Instances like this not only show the creativity of the composer, but also his skill and knowledge of the instruments and the musicians abilities.
Happening ... but not ... kjkjk
Ou...DA is a piece where one can really feel the mystic and ritualistic influences in his music. As a rather dark and mysterious piece, it is written for large ensemble and electronics. The voices with incoherent words and utterings in his electronic track mixed with the extended techniques and short outbursts in the acoustic instruments creates a soundscape that is quite sinister. This particular video below shows the piece being played live with the digital animation behind the musicians who are dressed in particular costumes. All of these specific elements combined definitely evoke an atmosphere that feels otherworldly. While this piece may not be for everyone, I find that it challenges my musical comfort zone and leaves me asking myself how I can further expand my palette of sounds, ideas, and concepts.
Ou...DA
Andys Skordis's music is often defined as dark and archaic. And while I believe that to be an apt description, I also welcome the challenge he presents to expand our "box of sounds" as it were. To be more open to all the various possibilities of what music is is part of exploring the "unknown" and being open to try something new, even if we are unsure of whether we will like it or not.
To hear more of his music, follow him on social media, and find out what you can do to support Andys Skordis, be sure to follow him on his Website and support him by clicking on the links above.
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I do not own any of the videos in this blog or any of my other blog posts.
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