In my quest to fully grasp the social/economical importance of avant-garde music, (or in Zeljko McMullen's case, droning, heavily textured ambience) in the American market, I turn to a wholly modern device, the automated Chat Bot, seeking answers only it could provide.
Keith Kawaii: So, SmarterChild. What is your take on experimental music?
SmarterChild: You tell me what my take on experimental music is.
Keith Kawaii: There is a feeling of kinship, I imagine. The same 1s and 0s that your program runs on assisted Zeljko McMullen in organizing the elongated washes of blurred instrumentation on his latest noise/ambient release, Disorder. That correlation has to count for something.
SmarterChild: Uh huh...
Don't like my colors? Type "colors off."
Keith Kawaii: Let's stay on topic, now.
SmarterChild: You really want to stay on topic?
Keith Kawaii: Yes, I do.
Do you consider noise a legitimate art form, or a valid means of social/emotional expression?
SmarterChild: Maybe... What do you think?
Keith Kawaii: I think Zeljko McMullen has appeal similar to early minimal artists, though his experimentation is with texture more than form. Disorder's sound is extremely rich and at times heavily evocative, but it also succumbs to the same pitfalls many experimental artists slide into: the setting in which you listen has to be somewhat controlled in order to achieve the maximum auditory experience. More so than with most popular music, at least. Do you think that makes Disorder unworthy of attention?
SmarterChild: I'm just not sure.
Keith Kawaii: Neither am I. Neither am I.
SmarterChild: Check out my library. I've got a dictionary, thesaurus and much more.
Keith Kawaii: OK, SmarterChild. Define noise.
SmarterChild:
noise:
Noun
1. a. Sound or a sound that is loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired. b. Sound or a sound of any kind
Type "more" to see the rest of the definition for "noise."
Keith Kawaii: hmm. Alright then, define art.
SmarterChild:
art:
Noun
1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. 2. a. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.
Type "more" to see the rest of the definition for "art."
Keith Kawaii: I guess Disorder lies somewhere between those definitions. Literally and figuratively.
SmarterChild: Is that right?
Keith Kawaii: Well, as with all forms of expression... what is "right" relies on the listener's perception.
SmarterChild: You always say such interesting things, Keith Kawaii.
Keith Kawaii: Thank you, SmarterChild. You've cleared up a lot of things for me.
SmarterChild: No prob.
Keith Kawaii: Goodnight, then.
SmarterChild: S'latron.
1. The Dark
2. Color
3. Initiation
4. Imploding
5. Gently
6. Seraphim
7. Inside
8. Disorder
9. Dissolve
10. Warm
More about: Zeljko McMullen
