So, I’m not sure about you, but as far as my life experience is concerned, the difference between all the “art students” I know and Portland-based, interdisciplinary artist Ben Glas (who is currently attending the Pacific Northwest College of Art) is that, unlike all of them, Ben is MAKING STUFF and then actually SHOWING IT TO PEOPLE.
What kind of stuff? Well, let’s see: there’s your good ol’ sturdy multimedia installations, your sound and video work, and most importantly, he’s also releasing an album next month on the Portland-based Blankstairs label that’s put out out some other beat-based internet jams that we’ve told you about in the past. The album, titled Music To Interact To, will see the light of day on cassette and digital on September 15 and explores the “highly personal interactions that take place between an audio (or musical) production and its audience” over the span of six, slowly unfurling Jan Jelineck-esque electronic-y soundscapes. According to the label:
At the foundation of all organized audio (music) there exists systems. These systems provide a simple (preconceived) context for the listener and guides their perceptions through the piece. If an artist produces a piece based in these systems, but also allows for experimentation in an unrestricted environment, then naturally the end result will lead to these systems endlessly building on top of each other, cascading ultimately into complete nothingness. Meaning without meaning; conclusion without conclusion. This is the relationship that artist Ben Glas is most interested in, and is arguably the most crucial element to his productions.
Check out the track “Halbdruck” from the forthcoming album down below and hear for yourself.
Music To Interact To tracklisting:
01. Sonic Primer I
02. Haldbruck
03. Hause
04. Sonic Primer II
05. Stagnation, Happydrone
06. Digital Serialism
• Ben Glas: http://blnkstrs.com/ben-glas
• Blankstairs: http://blnkstrs.com