I like music, especially those trends connected with the future. I am from the south of Spain and thanks to this reason I had the opportunity to take contact with Puertas de Castilla, a Cultural Center located in the city of Murcia, which is the main urban point around the region. There, just on October 2010 was opened an ambitious but pioneer project: a sound archive specialized in experimental music. The idea was developed by Francisco López, one of the most recognized artist and producer of sound-art.

Around that days I was more focused on my recent memories around the Biennal of contemporary art of Berlín (August 2010) and Manifiesta 8 (October 2010), the Biennal of art which that year took place also in Murcia. Both were dedicated to the dialogs with Africa and I focused  onto the works of Mark Boulos or Chamber of Public Secrets. However, due to the so-called “mouth and ear” I discovered the SONM and I decided to visit it. Then, I realized about the possibilities of  proposals like this, out of those big standards and huge exhibitions. SONM is an extraordinary initiative developed by Francisco, who somewhen decided to start collecting  information and works from another musicians and technical experts, also musicians, creators of pieces under the patterns of experimental music.

Currently, SONM is an open space where one can find a very rare and unique pieces recorded and composed from almost all places around the world. Some of that pieces are almost exclusive, created and executed with scarced means and collected by Francisco for thirty years . Actually, now this centre is one of the main references around Europe because it contains a big amount of information due to the personal exchange with thousand of artist from all the world.

This concept of experimental music was born and developed under the philosophy and the influence of John Cage in the mid-20th century in North America. Later, and with the rising of adepts to this movement, concepts of random music, graphical notation, indeterminate music or developing notion of composition, were adding and getting a more complex background around it. That’s cool!

From my point of view, experimental music is uncertain. Many often is full of questions for the listener, who most of the times hope to find some thing understandable  through established patterns. This is a challenge, not only for the public, but also for the sound-artists. They should create their compositions under the responsibility of  contributing, I mean, supporting something new. I know, this is a big word. Contribution can be understood under different criteria and we could start to speak over a very absurd and snob spiral of intellectual interpretations. But as I told before, experimental is uncertain and usually is a concept which escapes from the categorized positions. Perhaps, If you are looking for short answers, then experimental music could be too long. Literally, certain pieces elongate till almost one hour, even more!!!

But if you are brave, don’t feel fear to the darkness and enjoy with new plans, maybe you could know a bit of this music the next October 6^th at George Bariţiu Public Library (19.00 pm). You will heard not only sound landscapes from asiatic prayers, but also the most advanced electronic effects from the North of Europe, gathered all in the same composition. It sounds good!

http://www.franciscolopez.net/

http://sonm.es/index.php/es/la-fonotecainformacion-general