Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Harvest.

At around 9:30 PM I woke up from a one hour nap. During my rest I was listening to The Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. When I woke up I was at the 9 minute mark of Miles Runs The Voodoo Down. After laying in bed for several more minutes the word "Harvest" was placed in my head. At approximately 9:44 my friend Danielle called me to tell me that her father's favorite ambient record is Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno. We talked about my recent liking of Pop by Gas and Time Machines by Coil --

Side Note:
At 1:06 AM, November 11, 2007 I stopped playing Miles Runs The Voodoo Down and started playing the album Times Machines. I now shut off all of the lights in my bedroom. Since I am very sensitive to light I am currently adjusting the brightness and contrast on my computer monitor. I have the contrast set to 57 while the Brightness is set to 67.

I started to discuss with Danielle my recent "body" on work. Last week I completed four projects: Six Steps, Twenty Steps, John Thorell, and Quartet for Explosive, Motor, Wind, Heatbeat, and Landslide in Two Parts. The entire time I was trying to explain my creative process the word "Harvest" was digging in the back of my mind. The last topic in our short phone conversation was a brief, abstract conversation about the harvest. When Danielle and I disconnected I did one single push-up. While I was lifting my body's weight I heard yet another external voice telling me the importance and dynamic of the harvest.

I called Dan Oatman and started to explain. I started to plant seeds on January 29, 2006. My life started on July 29, 2007. The previous night was the opening of 709 Railroad Street followed by a roof top party that conceived Siamese Dream. I spent July 29-30, 2007 throwing up. I now realize that was the first day of my life. From May 8, 1985 - July 28, 2007 my entire life was in pre-production. I was busy setting up the microphones, hooking up the camera, getting all of the lights and recourses ready. I now realize in the pre-production part of my life I was planting seeds for the harvest. I started telling Dan about my recent body of work. Six Steps to Quartet for Explosive, Motor, Wind, Heatbeat, and Landslide. I expressed that I started to feel like I was realizing obvious bodies. Here is a run down since July 29, 2007:

Body #1:
Siamese Dream I

Body #2:
Various Artists - House Party, Vol. 1

Body #3:
Siamese Dream II

Body #4:
Boy - blackbrowngreenred
Dan Oatman - 10.13.07

Body #5:
Sleeping Music
Walking Music

Body #6:
Billy Mack - Panic`er
The Naughty Naughty Nurses - Pabst Smear
Siamese Dream III
Siamese Dream IIII

Body #7 -- Harvest #1:
Six Steps
Twenty Steps
John Thorell
Quartet For Explosive, Motor, Wind, Heatbeat, and Landslide.

I started to tell Dan that each "Body" was a complete creative flow. When the creative flow was complete I would shut down until another body was started. During the elapsed time between Bodies I would sleep in irregular increments while listening to ambient music and/or noise. I continued to tell Dan that I now feel Bodies was and is and incorrect word to use for the release and creative process of my current work.

I'm starting to see everything as a harvest. As everyone knows a harvest marks the end of the growing season, or the growing cycle for a particular crop. Since I was born I've been planting seeds. Since my life started I've been experiencing the release of a harvest. The seed for Siamese Dream was planted on July 28, 2007. Siamese Dream had it's first harvest on August 6, 2007. Do you follow? The seed for Siamese Dream took 9 complete days to develop into a complete harvest. Once a harvest is done I will release the harvest in the appropriate manner. People may taste that harvest. Some may or may not enjoy the taste, sound, look, visual balance of the harvest. Everything is everyone's perspective. Everyone's Anyone. Do you follow?

When the harvest is complete it's alive forever. I'm starting to realize that over the past year I've been planting seeds almost everyday. On November 24, 2007 I woke up from a three hour nap at around 1:00 AM. Upon waking up I started hearing an external voice telling myself to start putting sounds together. I worked under this external force for about three hours. When I woke up in the afternoon I was startled to hear a new-complete composition entitled "Quartet For Explosive, Motor, Wind, Heartbeat, and Landslide." Tonight I realize that I planted the seed for this project in March of 2007 when I wrote the title down in a notebook. This project, like any different kind of crop, takes a different amount of time to develop, grow, and bloom. Quartet for Explosive, Motor, Wind, Heartbeat, and Landslide took 7 months to grow. We now have a beautiful ambient harvest that is over 1 hour long. It's full of fruit and people can taste the delicious sounds.

Since November 24, 2007 I spent most of my time sleeping to 1963-1966 Bob Dylan. Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, and live recordings from 1966 and 1964. When I was tired of Bob Dylan I would listen to Miles Davis. When I was tired of both I would listen to ambient recordings. Starting today I got easily frustrated that I have a complete outline of over 30 conceptual ideas that need executed. Now that I understand the concept of the harvest I am at complete peace.

Last night I called my friend Ivy for no reason. I'm realize today that I planted a seed inside of her. We are going to start working on a project currently titled Tone Poems. After telling Dan Oatman about the harvest and starting work on our new project Seventy Seven, I called Ivy to tell her the exciting new and developments. We talked about the harvest for a short while then our project. I realized the seed that I planted in Ivy last night is already growing. I'm not sure when the harvest will be complete but as long as we water, feed, love, and respect our seed it will become beautiful long living fruit.

The reason I am writing this is not because of the harvest. It's because of a chemical reaction in my body based on a feeling, surrounding, idea, etc. Starting in January 2007 I started having strange chemical reactions to an idea. Late at night when I would be conceptualizing an idea when I started to realized how everything inside the piece would function in a natural and organic state it would release a chemical reaction in my body. My body's temperature would change and I would feel the sensation as though I was ready to cry. This reaction felt like a complete body orgasm that would sometimes last for several minutes.

As I presented in my opening statement "I feel like every second of the day I'm getting closer to a discovery. Right now it's 12:56 AM, November 11, 2007. Approximately five minutes ago I reached a short but substantial out of body experience due to today's overall dynamic." -- This my friends is what I am really talking about. Everything that happens to me is based on surroundings. When my chemistry changes it's changing because of an emotion that releases something very pure.

I'm starting to realize that I planted many seeds. I feel some of these seeds will take several years to develop. A few days ago I saw into the future. When I turn 55 something terrible is going to happen to my skull. I think someone is going to smash my face in with a brick. I know then when I am in my 60's and 70's I am going to have the most fruitful harvest of my entire life. The reason is some seeds develop over night. I've been calling these projects "Happenings." I feel that word is still a correct representation of the creative process. Some seeds that I'm planing right this very second won't harvest until I'm 30. Some of the seeds will harvest before the close of 2007. I think before the end of the year I'm going to experience 7-12 different harvest.

When I came to this discovery I was so excited that I wanted to communicate the idea to many people. I feel that writing this post / blog will be an appropriate documentation inside the themes and ideas expressed, and my current and forever creative process. Again, I am getting close to a beautiful discovery. Something huge will happen and all I need to do is water, feed, love, and respect the seeds I've been planting.

Brandon Locher

1:52 AM
November 27, 2007

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