Squidco Blurb

“Part of Boston multi-wind/instrumentalist David Peck’s “Orchestra of PEKs” series, this extended improvisation finds PEK interacting with a pre-recorded Ableton Mix of synthetics developed during his Semantic Notions album, over which he improvises on clarinets, saxophones double reeds & flutes, along with many percussive instruments, particularly a Chinese guqin.”

Squidco Staff

Liner Notes by PEK

Every once in a while, there is a break in the crazy schedule here at Evil Clown and I have some time to do a solo album.  Our grand olde pal, the Corona Virus has provided such a break in spades….  At the beginning of the 2020, it appeared that the year would be our busiest yet…  We did a bunch of albums in January, February and the first weeks of March, and then I was forced to cancel a bunch of wonderful performances scheduled for the months that followed.   So, I caught up all my old business:  web site, social media, distribution, and the other non-musical activity required to drive the enterprise.  Then I took a month off…  my biggest rest since I started up in 2015 after my long hiatus.  In mid-May I started up again, conceiving some new means of producing some of the enormous output normally achieved by Evil Clown.  In the Fall I did a huge series of solo works along with a few Metal Chaos Ensemble sets.

Now entering the second calendar year to be affected by the Stupid Virus, I really miss playing with others…  For obvious reasons, I have been producing a lot more PEK Solo albums than I do typically.  I conceived a structural schema for producing solo works while we wait for the virus to be over.  As with larger ensemble Evil Clown sessions, the planning involves selecting sound resources from the massive Evil Clown Arsenal and setting up the studio with these instruments to allow rapid changes in instrumentation and therefore in sonority.  This system provides a framework to create solo works that are sufficiently different from each other that I can continue to produce new work at something close to my usual rate even while I can’t perform with others.

The PEK Solo albums fall into four categories:

1. One continuous track (no overdubbing) of PEK playing one or many instruments with or without signal processing.
2. One continuous track of PEK playing one or many instruments with a prerecorded mix of samples drawn from the Evil Clown Catalog or specially recorded at Evil Clown Headquarters.  Solo albums from before 2020 fall into the categories 1 & 2.
3. A Quartet of PEKs – Four continuous tracks of one PEK each playing many instruments on each pass.  Three of these albums, Schematic Abstractions for the Clarinet Family, Fixed Intentions for the Saxophone Family, and Completeness for Flutes and Double Reeds use very focused palettes.  Other Quartet of PEKs releases use broader palettes comprised of woodwinds, percussion, electronics, and strings.
4. An Orchestra of PEKs – Many tracks of PEKs performing on a broad section of the Arsenal.  The last two of these, Semantic Notions and Some Truths are Known, are mammoth 4-hour studio constructions / compositions in 3 eighty-minute movements.  I list 110 instruments in the notes for this album….

The last project for the Orchestra of PEKs, Semantic Notions was a three CD package, a four hour studio construction/composition in three 80-minute movements, which follows the previous Some Truths are known in format and structure.  When I ordered the CDs I found that my manufacturer now only sells the 3 CD sets in lots of at least 100.  Since most of my sales come from downloads, I have decided to do this and future Orchestra pieces on single CDs where I can order a smaller lot. 

For Semantic Notions, I created a bunch of intermediate mixes including two for new string instruments in the Evil Clown Arsenal (Nagoya harps and guqin).  The Nagoya harps, which are from Japan, have a set of keys which you depress with the left hand…  I found they make great sounds with a pick or a mallet in the right hand.  The bass one really adds a new dimension to the low end string options.  The guqin, which is Chinese, is 7-strings on a large piece of aged wood that you stop the strings against.  The one I bought is a nice professional grade instrument which is very expressive.

These two intermediate mixes made for Semantic Notions are each very nice alone, and are not used very much on Semantic Notions, so I decided to feature them more on this new set along with a mix for the sruti box, an Indian drone instrument.  For the rest of the tracks, I also featured more of the growing selection of string instruments in the Arsenal.  The overall vibe of the work contains a bit less horns, percussion and electronics in order to bring out the sounds from the string instruments.  The result clearly belongs in the category 4 group of PEK Solos, but has a more focused palette than the last two larger works.  It’s a bit more like a Quartet of PEKs set with a few palette focused intermediate mixes added on…

Until the stupid virus is over and more normal interactions are possible with other people, I will continue to create PEK Solo new works using the four concepts listed above and maybe some new ones.  There also may be some small group Leap of Faith and Metal Chaos Ensemble sets.  Evil Clown will resume its normal routines when vaccination is widespread, and it is safe to do so.

As usual, the chaos of the universe throws out problems which require our attention.   Expression must be expressed.  Music must be made.  The chaos of the universe demands it.

PEK – 2/16/21