Stilling, by Nicholas Maloney

Stilling

by Nicholas Maloney

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$10 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Stilling comes in a beautiful dual disc packaging. Two discs, one track each, almost one and half hours of an incredible journey.

Includes unlimited streaming of Stilling via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 5 days

3 remaining

$16 USD or more
Subscription

Subscribe now to receive all the new music Nicholas Maloney creates, including this release and 49 back-catalog releases, delivered instantly to you via the Bandcamp app for iOS and Android. You’ll also get access to subscriber-only exclusives. Learn more.

Subscribe Now $20 USD/year or more
Full Digital Discography

50

releases

Get all 50 Nicholas Maloney releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hidden/observation, Confluence, Quiet Point, Side, Sleeping Draughts, Through the clearing, It's all happening..., (un)studied|2|m, and 42 more. , and , .
Excludes subscriber-only releases.

Purchasable with gift card

$163.10 USD (30% OFF)

	1.	Movement 1 43:11		buy track
	2.	Movement 2 42:31		buy track

about

Released as a 2xCD on Somewherecold Records.
nicholasmaloneyswc.bandcamp.com/album/stilling

Digital purchase includes a hidden track between Movements 1 and 2.

“Stilling” is a two-part piece composed using highly transformed and manipulated field recordings. It was originally commissioned by Crosstown Arts (Memphis, TN) to be performed at the “A Change of Tone Music Exhibition” concert series in April of 2020. The series was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The four-part, four-day event was to feature a selection of four musical acts, one act per night, who would “exhibit” their music for a listening audience over loudspeakers in one venue as they simultaneously perform it in another, creating a non-traditional listening experience.

The theme of the exhibition was “in/out of sync.” “What does it mean to be “in or out of sync”–with something, with nothing, with anything…with everything? In what ways do you feel or observe things as being in or out of sync with one another…”

The two movements of “Stilling” focus on sound as it relates to synchrony in my subjective human experience on a: 1) micro-level: exploring day to day experiences and shifts of mood, especially as they relate to my immediate surroundings and the ever-fluctuating environment. 2) Macro-level: exploring environmental phenomena on a larger scale (i.e. shifts in temperature, extreme weather), as well as shifts between feelings of inner-peace and anxiety as they relate to my contemplation on the immediate now.

Throughout the composition, duplicated layers of manipulated source sounds are staggered to further exaggerate on the theme of synchrony. This not only results in constructive/destructive phase interference but also a wider, and richer, stereo image, bringing to mind the larger question of what does it mean (for an audio track, or human perception) to be out of sync, if the disorientation is causing a unique, harmonic, sonic richness (and perhaps a more composed and attentive state of mind)?

For the first movement, focusing on micro-environmental sound, I recorded sounds that I encounter daily, with a particular focus on sounds that relate to my interaction with man-made things that cause change within the greater environment, whether it be positive or negative. For instance, I captured the sound of items being thrown away into the garbage and recycling bins, the garbage and recycling collection trucks, my daily commute to work, the sounds of water flowing from the sink and shower, gas and water lines, vibrations running through my walls, crackling and musical samples from old stacks of records, and various electrical appliances around the house. I also gathered more “organic” materials such as the sounds of various rooms of my house, the ambiance of the backyard, etc, etc...

For the second movement, focusing on macro-environmental sound, I recorded sounds produced by large-scale natural and human phenomena. For instance, I captured the sounds of large storms, large interior spaces, the sound of strong wind, the sound of large, untouched natural environments (i.e. forests, rivers, fields), the sound of crowded public spaces, the sound of traffic, and much more, using contact microphones, hydrophones, and traditional microphones. I also used field recordings from several international sound artists to exaggerate further on this “zooming out” from the small, everyday, first-person experiences to a larger, global viewpoint.

While recording these sounds, I made an effort to be aware of whether I was feeling in or out of sync with the environment while interacting with the source of the sound. I composed in such a way so that each movement and sub-movement flows from a state of tension to resolve. To achieve this, I used “out-of-sync” source sounds for the first portion of each movement, gradually shifting into more peaceful and harmonious sounds.

credits

released April 23, 2021

Recorded, arranged, and produced by Nicholas Maloney from August 2019 – May 2020.
Source field recordings in Movement 2 (5:03 – 12:55) provided by Robert Cole Rizzi – Berlin, Denmark, Germany, New York City.
Source field recordings in Movement 2 (22:41 – 23:47) provided by Jonathan Maloney – Italy, Bulgaria.
Source field recordings in Movement 2 (23:47 – 27:24) provided by Toni Dimitrov – Macedonia

nicholasmaloney.com

license

about

Nicholas Maloney Nashville, Tennessee

Nicholas Maloney is a sound artist working with field recording and a variety of instruments and electronics to create an abstract world of immense complexity and range. Maloney's work expresses stillness and activity, lightness and dark, in order to provide a rich imaginative space for listeners to explore.

They are also Blanket Swimming

Mastering
www.nicholasmaloney.com/mastering.html ... more

contact / help

Contact Nicholas Maloney

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Nicholas Maloney, you may also like:

Cloudlands
by Blanket Swimming

supported by 4 fans who also own “Stilling”

This is perfection! 10 hrs of beautiful music and textures. Thank you blanket swimming for this album. grandbruitmusique
go to album
無限反復 Infinite iteration
by Duenn + Music For Sleep

supported by 4 fans who also own “Stilling”

biutiful collaboration, a great collision of 2 styles, ❤️ it, thnk u geebheart
go to album
Blanket of Labor
by Blanket Swimming / Division of Labor

supported by 4 fans who also own “Stilling”
go to album
Site Seeing
by Economy of Meaning

These two sprawling 20-minute electronic pieces offer both crackling, otherworldly textures and moments of surprising beauty. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 15, 2023
go to album
Cataclysmic System Binding Loss
by Carbon In Prose

Shards of static & distortion crash against disarmingly beautiful piano & synth melodies on this riveting new record from Carbon and Prose. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 30, 2022
go to album
Loss Less
by KAMRAN SADEGHI

Recorded inside a nuclear cooling tower, this 25-minute album is distinguished by innovative sound design and musical ingenuity. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 18, 2020
go to album
Temple Of Heaven
by Blanket Swimming

supported by 4 fans who also own “Stilling”
go to album