I have been most fortunate to be able to use some of the incredible synth collection at MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio). Look for some of the sounds on the next Xordox album.

JG Thirlwell & Mivos Quartet - Dystonia - I would not have guessed back in the Foetus days that he'd eventually write music for string quartet

"You’re about to listen to a powerful collection of string quartets written by JG Thirlwell, dynamically performed by the brilliant Mivos Quartet. Released collectively under the title Dystonia, they represent Thirlwell’s dark and jagged vision of past, present and future. Although Dystonia refers to a medical condition that causes involuntary contractions of the muscles, I can’t help making associations — Dys-Ton(e)-ia, Dissonance, Dysrhythmia, Destiny. All five works here project different shades of a bodily, psychological, and societal Dysfunction through a bold, insistent music that grabs you and takes you where it wants to go." — Michael Gordon Deeply challenging, even confrontational, to the classical string quartet format, composer JG Thirlwell's Dystonia is a leap forward not only for listeners, but for musicians as well. Mivos Quartet's fiery interpretation of these five pieces — each in its own way difficult, harrowing, engaging and uplifting — is also a tribute to their dedication, skill and sense of adventure as artists. Thirlwell works under many pseudonyms, including Manorexia, Foetus, Xordox, Steroid Maximus, Baby Zizanie, Hydroze Plus, Clint Ruin and Wiseblood. Over the course of more than thirty albums. If there's a common thread to his varied musical styles, it's a dramatic intensity and an evocative, cinematic quality. The same holds true for his approach to this astonishing project, which was conceived and developed over a period of years, beginning in 2014. As he succinctly puts it: “Hopefully Dystonia will challenge and inspire people to think differently about what a string quartet can be.”  Performed by Mivos Quartet: Olivia De Prato - violin Maya Bennardo - violin Victor Lowrie Tafoya - viola Tyler J. Borden - cello

Blog Week 11

Reflection

This week mainly consisted of finalising the titles for borderline as the performance dates are from the 5th to the 7th of October. This included a lot of re-rendering of the tiles with time and aesthetic changes. We did a tech run on Wednesday which I was able to sit with Aaron who was doing the mapping for the show in Madmapper and doing all the cues via Qlab. It was interesting just being able to shadow his workflow and see how everything works seamlessly. Light, Hugh and I watched the final dress rehearsal before the show on Thursday. We also all saw the show for the opening night, which was amazing to see with a full house! Overall being part of the borderline AV team was an amazing experience and getting to work alongside other creatives in different fields was extremely insightful. From now on I will be working solely on my major project for the final in week 13. I have had the desire to change the music in my main piece due to the repetition in the piece, which was discussed in my last blog. I was recommended Endeavor by Xordox. Xordox is J.D Thirlwell's name for a place to put his work that is specifically “ suspenseful, sci-fi influenced analog synthesisers explorations”. I have currently been working with this new music choice in my final master compositions and plan to get feedback on Tuesday about how I work with this music in my piece.

Research

Academic

This week I looked into Intrdocing Maya by Dariush Derakhshani specifically the chapter about animations. I have done 3D modelling and animation within Maya and refreshed my memory about how keyframes, weight, eases and exporting animations within Maya. In the earlier weeks of my project, I discussed how I used Cinema 4d Lite which is an extension within After Effects of a 3D suite. Although as it is the lite version I can import FBX files (3D models) I have already made and generally have less of a creative range of what I can do. I have been Maya to try to achieve the zoetrope effect that I have discussed in previous blogs. I want to create a 2D video that switches to a 3D version of the zoetrope effect.

Creative practice

For my main project, I have been working on how to seamlessly transition with clips as an extension of feedback from two weeks ago.

( screenshots of working with my seamless shape animations within after effects)

Technical

This week being the lead-up to the Borderline performance we did a lot of tech runs in the Kaliede theatre.

I was able to use the full version of Mad Mapper with Jonno’s projection onto my trial triangular shapes currently in the black box. The rest of the triangular shape have currently not been brought in for precautionary reasons, but I intend to this coming week.

( test run at the kale side theatre side on Wednesday, Aaron showing me their mad mapper and Qlab setup )

( testing projection mapping with full version on triangular shapes with Light's work)

Progress

This week concluded the end of the borderline and helped me feel prepared to finalise my final piece over the next two weeks.

Bibliography

Derakhshani, D. (2010) Introducing maya 2011, Google Books. Available at: https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YHVLv8uSj64C&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=simple%2Banimation%2Bin%2Bmaya&ots=XkcnzO9S9i&sig=gVXTJxYO1N5CSl9NlwDuRC-1VWs#v=onepage&q=simple animation in maya&f=false (Accessed: 06 October 2023).

Xordox: Omniverse (2021) LP on light blue vinyl

bandcamp friday

Exceptionaly well executed electronic rock with strong 80′s influences. Under Xordox monicker hides J.G. Thriwell which I know from his post-industrial efforts issued as Foetus. Both his projects have rather nothing in common music-wise but both are excelent

xordox -- between dimensions

Xordox

Diamonds

xordox “neospection”

New Thirlwell project.

Happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.

Xordox - Omniverse - a new one from JG Thirlwell

Throughout his vast career, the New York based Australian composer JG Thirlwell has adopted many masks as a means of infiltrating and subsequently subverting a wide range of cultural forms. His work under the Foetus moniker has taken on everything from big band to opera to noise-rock. Steroid Maximus embraced exotica and the world of soundtracks, while his Manorexia project continued his quest to the outer limits of contemporary composition and musique concrete. Thirlwell has also carved out a significant output in the field of the soundtrack via the large body of work created for the animated television shows Archer and The Venture Bros. In addition he has been commissioned to create compositions by such notables as Kronos Quartet, Bang On A Can, Alarm Will Sound, String Orchestra of Brooklyn and many others. Now we have ‘Omniverse’, the second release under the moniker Xordox. Xordox is a synthesizer-based project, and on this evocative album we see the project branch into many new avenues. Science fiction elements brush up against crime noir and the epic film scores. With an audacious attitude and an arsenal of machines Thirlwell serves up a selection of thrilling retro-future mind capsules. This is music made from a life saturated in culture, both underground and mainstream, high and low. Fully formed compositions, tense sequencing and noir tinged keyboard lines invoke a powerful visual image of films and memory, of screens and speakers, of sound and space, all entering the cosmos and the subsequent galactic race.

Xordox is J G Thirlwell’s new project.

"Diamonds" Xordox

Xordox Asteroid Dust (2017)

From the album: Neospection (Editions Mego)