Topodadanymy

Part of our Dada Sound project (February 2016) - see more at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/dadasounds

By Fernando Ramalho.

"The title, «Topodadanymy», refers not only to the topic of the conversation we can listen on the field recording, but also to the effort of producing an alternative and critical cartography, a common practice among many groups that assume, in a way, the tradition of the Dadaists, like the Situationist International and their studies on psychogeography. The absurdity induced by the manipulation of the field recording may transport us to a scenario where our movements through the city escape the rationalized logic of the contemporary productive city.

Dada techniques applied – sound poem/cut‐up, chance, collage. The reimagined piece features: ‐ The original field recording; ‐ Slices of the original field recording (sound poem/ cut‐up) placed randomly through the track (chance); ‐ Two oscillators (collage). Oscillator 1 is a straight loop, representing the functional and rationalized dimension of the contemporary city, while oscillator 2 is an improvised filter, representing the unpredictability of the city’s everyday life."