Volta  Yann Leguay Oct 2017 -

The past few years, Yann Leguay’s works focused on various media, publications and interfaces. First on vinyl, with the Cutter-Off project, then by opening different media players with « quasi static crack propagation » and with the last project « head crash », which he was interacting with computer data storage as a raw material to produce a fully controlled but unpredictable soundscape. Several hard drives were used as turntables, hacked in many different ways and spanning the entire range from analog to digital and reverse, creating physical rhythms, feedbacks and deviant behavior creating a radical minimal noise techno.

Going further (or deeper) in this research, and trying to reach the core of the device’s behavior, he will explore the potential of the electricity itself, as a source. The sound of the electricity, generator, capacitors, transformers… are generating drones, buzzes, and cracks due to the accumulation of magnetic charges. Field recordings will be done during the period, electrical noises will be collected and analysed for future compositions. The basic alternating current, 50 Hz in Europe and 60 Hz in the US, generates a lot of harmonics and secondary noises of vibrations, but it’s also possible to variate this frequency and produce other tones and harmonics that are very interesting to work with.

Another important side of the project will be the fabrication of an « electrical archaic » instrument with an accumulation of condensers increasing the voltage, and producing short circuits and arcs. High voltage generates also a big magnetic field and can disturb radio frequencies and electronic circuits that you can capture with antennas and coils. Attempting to make this instrument as a physical sequencer and powerful generator, to check how much electronic devices can be disturbed by and then to finally work the raw sound of it.

This would end up with an installation in a form of a suitcase, containing the different devices build during the residency, with an autonomous behavior , transforming normal currant in very high voltage and working as a sequencer producing rhythms and sparks and continuous voltage as electrical drones. a powerful self-instrument concentrated in a plug and play box that could also be activated during performances.

Energy and resources are one of the biggest coming challenges for society, nowadays it’s particularly interesting to focus on this kind of topic and then develop it into an artistic, aesthetic, and musical research.