This is a collection of five pieces for guitar and machine improvisation which I wrote and recorded between December of 1997 and August of 1998. My desire was to create textured, evolving soundscapes which explored the many possibilities of the instrument and to abuse technology and sound. Central to this approach was the use of an expanded instrument system which samples and mutates fragments of performed and often improvised guitar gestures. The system spits out textures of these fragments which are manipulated by random, chaos and probability based programs that I wrote in the MAX programming environment

The performer (in this case, me) reacts to this technologically mediated sonic spew and the perfect marriage between man and machine is accomplished. Right! For more information on my love- hate relationship with technology please consult the liner notes of the CD Technological Shackjob (Tesco/ Functional : 1997) which was done by my "band" ConDemek. Suffice it to say, that I view technology as a means and not as an end.

Each piece, with the exception of the third (the one with the mysterious symbol for a title) was realized with this performance system which I initially designed as part of a sound installation in collaboration with composer/ programmer and all around nice guy Christopher Dobrian. The installation was initially presented noisily at the ICMC '96 exhibit in Hong Kong and was also done at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC during 1997.

All boring stuff about technology aside, I was really pleased to finally have an intuition-based environment for creating these pieces. Often I'd go into the studio without any clear cut objectives only to emerge disoriented by this immersive process. The sounds would often flow freely and with great intensity yielding, (for lack of a less cheesey term) spiritually rewarding experiences.

I'd like to thank my friend Pete Malinowski for the unique sounding, wonderfully hand- crafted guitar which he made and sold to me for an outrageously cheap rate (currently nicknamed "wonderbat"). I'd also like to thank Chris Dobrian for introducing me to the evils of algorithmic composition. Finally a huge thank you to Ardele Lister and Liss Platt for being such supportive friends and colleagues at my place of employment, Rutgers University .

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