Howard Stelzer
Encyclopedia
Howard Stelzer is a composer and live performer of electronic music whose work is made primary from sounds generated by cassette tapes. In 1997 he created the independent record label Intransitive Recordings
, through which he publishes CDs
and records
by sound and noise artists such as Brume, Jason Lescalleet, John Hudak, Kyle Bobby Dunn
, Nerve Net Noise, Nmperign, Jim Haynes, Brendan Murray, Seht, Lethe, Kapotte Muziek
, Lionel Marchetti, Roel Meelkop, and many others.
in Gainesville. While in high school, Stelzer began experimenting with cassette tapes, making collages with a tape recorder by quickly pausing and unpausing a tape while simultaneously changing the source sound. He performed concerts at nightclubs and in local high schools by playing back these tapes and striking metal percussion instruments made from car parts and sheet metal scavenged from junk yards. Some of this material has been published on small-edition cassettes and on compilations.
Stelzer's first CD, "Stone Blind", was published on his own Intransitive Recordings
label in 1997. The album consisted of three pieces, each roughly 20 minutes long, and made from crudely spliced cassette tapes. Each track was recorded in a single take to one side of a 40-minute tape; a piece ended when the tape ran out.
After completing an undergraduate degree in English at the University of Florida
in Gainesville
in 1998, Stelzer moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
. Here, he came into contact with musicians working in the free improvisation
idiom, such as nmperign
, David Gross, and Vic Rawlings. He also met local electro-acoustic composers Jason Lescalleet, Jay Sullivan, and Brendan Murray. These artists strongly influenced Stelzer's work. He began to conceive of his tape players as an instrument for live improvised music.
in Boston. Their music was entirely improvised, though they attempted to create a sound the resembled studio-composed spliced tape. The duo toured extensively, performing at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands
in 2003, Heaven Gallery in Chicago
, Tonic in New York City
, and art spaces around the US. They became known for short, hyper-active performances that juxtaposed dense noise with silence and unexpected pauses.
Stelzer & Talbot's recorded output included several CDRs published by Absurd (in Thessaloniki
, Greece
), Boxmedia (in Chicago
), and RRRecords
(in Lowell, MA). One side of an LP titled "The Idea of Northeast", split with bass player Mike Bullock, was recorded for their first US tour in 2000. It was followed by one full studio album, Songs, recorded and produced by Wayne Rogers (of Twisted Village, Major Stars
, Heathen Shame). Two complete live concerts were published on a double 7" single issued by CIP
, titled Four Sides.
The duo played a reunion concert in the summer of 2010 at Axiom Center for New Media Art in Boston.
artist Stephen Clover, aka Seht. The album was composed by mailing cassette tapes from Boston
to Auckland
and back, recording ambient sounds (cars passing by, airplanes passing overhead, children in a playground, leaves rustling in trees) in one city and playing it back with tape effects in the other. The album was published by Intransitive Recordings in 2007.
Stelzer's other collaborators have included Frans de Waard (Kapotte Muziek
), Jazzkammer, Emil Beaulieau
, Giuseppe Ielasi, Peter Wright, Antony Milton, nmperign, The Cherry Point, Jason Lescalleet, Joseph Hammer, Will Guthrie, Otomo Yoshihide, Jessica Rylan, Sawako, Ben Hall, John Olson (of Wolf Eyes
), Kevin Drumm
, Jed Speare, and Haco
. Currently, Stelzer's main projects include Skeletons Out, a drone duo with Jay Sullivan; and Ouest, a trio with Sullivan and Brendan Murray.
Intransitive Recordings
Intransitive Recordings is an independent record label for experimental music, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1997 by the artist Howard Stelzer and currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Intransitive publishes electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, sound art, sound poetry, and noise...
, through which he publishes CDs
CDS
-Computing and electronics:* Cadence Design Systems, American Electronic Design Automation software company* Chromatography data system, software to control chromatography instruments* Cockpit display system* Compact Discs...
and records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by sound and noise artists such as Brume, Jason Lescalleet, John Hudak, Kyle Bobby Dunn
Kyle Bobby Dunn
Kyle Bobby Dunn is a composer, arranger, and live performer of modern and neo-classical based drone music. He has performed in live and exclusive outdoor settings, including Banff National Park, since 2000 and has released music on various international recording labels.His work has been described...
, Nerve Net Noise, Nmperign, Jim Haynes, Brendan Murray, Seht, Lethe, Kapotte Muziek
Kapotte Muziek
Kapotte Muziek is the musical improvisation project of Frans de Waard, Peter Duimelinks and Roel Meelkop. Active since 1984, it is one of the most internationally visible improvisation and experimental project hailing from the Netherlands. The group began as the solo noise music project of Frans de...
, Lionel Marchetti, Roel Meelkop, and many others.
Early Years
Stelzer grew up on Long Island, NY, before moving with his family to Boca Raton, FL when he was 12 years old. He completed high school in Boca Raton, then began college in Tampa, and finished with a degree in English from the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville. While in high school, Stelzer began experimenting with cassette tapes, making collages with a tape recorder by quickly pausing and unpausing a tape while simultaneously changing the source sound. He performed concerts at nightclubs and in local high schools by playing back these tapes and striking metal percussion instruments made from car parts and sheet metal scavenged from junk yards. Some of this material has been published on small-edition cassettes and on compilations.
Stelzer's first CD, "Stone Blind", was published on his own Intransitive Recordings
Intransitive Recordings
Intransitive Recordings is an independent record label for experimental music, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1997 by the artist Howard Stelzer and currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Intransitive publishes electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, sound art, sound poetry, and noise...
label in 1997. The album consisted of three pieces, each roughly 20 minutes long, and made from crudely spliced cassette tapes. Each track was recorded in a single take to one side of a 40-minute tape; a piece ended when the tape ran out.
After completing an undergraduate degree in English at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville
Gainesville
Gainesville is the name of several places in the United States of America:*Gainesville, Alabama*Gainesville, Florida, largest municipality with this name*Gainesville, Georgia*Gainesville, Missouri*Gainesville , New York...
in 1998, Stelzer moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Here, he came into contact with musicians working in the free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
idiom, such as nmperign
Nmperign
- Early history :The idea for the group came when soprano saxophonist Bhob Rainey decided to embark upon an ambitious cross-country tour, choosing trumpeter Greg Kelley and percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani as his travelmates...
, David Gross, and Vic Rawlings. He also met local electro-acoustic composers Jason Lescalleet, Jay Sullivan, and Brendan Murray. These artists strongly influenced Stelzer's work. He began to conceive of his tape players as an instrument for live improvised music.
Stelzer & Talbot
From 2000 until 2004, Stelzer performed in a duo with turntablist Jason Talbot, then a student at the Massachusetts College of ArtMassachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a publicly-funded college of visual and applied art, founded in 1873. It is one of the oldest art schools, the only publicly-funded free-standing art school in the United States, and was the first art college in the United States to grant an artistic degree...
in Boston. Their music was entirely improvised, though they attempted to create a sound the resembled studio-composed spliced tape. The duo toured extensively, performing at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 2003, Heaven Gallery in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Tonic in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and art spaces around the US. They became known for short, hyper-active performances that juxtaposed dense noise with silence and unexpected pauses.
Stelzer & Talbot's recorded output included several CDRs published by Absurd (in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
), Boxmedia (in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
), and RRRecords
RRRecords
RRRecords is a used and new record shop. RRRecords is distinguished as being the first American record label to specifically publish underground noise music in the early 1980s, and published the first American vinyl by Merzbow, Masonna, The Hanatarash, Violent Onsen Geisha, and many more artists...
(in Lowell, MA). One side of an LP titled "The Idea of Northeast", split with bass player Mike Bullock, was recorded for their first US tour in 2000. It was followed by one full studio album, Songs, recorded and produced by Wayne Rogers (of Twisted Village, Major Stars
Major Stars
Major Stars is a critically acclaimed American psychedelic rock band from greater Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In 2002, they toured with Acid Mothers Temple as an opening act and performed at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas....
, Heathen Shame). Two complete live concerts were published on a double 7" single issued by CIP
CIP
-Business:* Carriage and Insurance Paid to, an Incoterm* Construction in Progress, in accountancy, a balance sheet assets item used for assets being constructed, e.g...
, titled Four Sides.
The duo played a reunion concert in the summer of 2010 at Axiom Center for New Media Art in Boston.
Compositions
After 2004, Stelzer concentrated primarily on solo compositions and studio collaborations. One of these was Exactly What You Lost, a long-distance collaboration with New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
artist Stephen Clover, aka Seht. The album was composed by mailing cassette tapes from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and back, recording ambient sounds (cars passing by, airplanes passing overhead, children in a playground, leaves rustling in trees) in one city and playing it back with tape effects in the other. The album was published by Intransitive Recordings in 2007.
Stelzer's other collaborators have included Frans de Waard (Kapotte Muziek
Kapotte Muziek
Kapotte Muziek is the musical improvisation project of Frans de Waard, Peter Duimelinks and Roel Meelkop. Active since 1984, it is one of the most internationally visible improvisation and experimental project hailing from the Netherlands. The group began as the solo noise music project of Frans de...
), Jazzkammer, Emil Beaulieau
Emil Beaulieau
Emil Beaulieau, or more fully, “Emil Beaulieau: America’s Greatest Living Noise Artist” is the stage name of Ron Lessard, a prominent noise musician who primarily records for his own label: RRRecords. He has collaborated and performed with many well-known noise artists, including Merzbow, Pain...
, Giuseppe Ielasi, Peter Wright, Antony Milton, nmperign, The Cherry Point, Jason Lescalleet, Joseph Hammer, Will Guthrie, Otomo Yoshihide, Jessica Rylan, Sawako, Ben Hall, John Olson (of Wolf Eyes
Wolf Eyes
Wolf Eyes is a post-industrial/noise band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.-History:Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000...
), Kevin Drumm
Kevin Drumm
-Biography:Emerging from the city's improvised music scene, in the 1990s he became one of the world's pre-eminent prepared guitar players. Since then his work has expanded to include electroacoustic compositions and live electronic music made with laptop computers and analog modular synthesizers...
, Jed Speare, and Haco
Haco
Haco is a Japanese singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist, known for her work with After Dinner and Hoahio, among others.Following formal studies in acoustics, electronic music and recording technology Haco came to international attention fronting the group After Dinner , helped...
. Currently, Stelzer's main projects include Skeletons Out, a drone duo with Jay Sullivan; and Ouest, a trio with Sullivan and Brendan Murray.
Partial discography
- Howard Stelzer - Stone Blind CD (Intransitive RecordingsIntransitive RecordingsIntransitive Recordings is an independent record label for experimental music, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1997 by the artist Howard Stelzer and currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Intransitive publishes electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, sound art, sound poetry, and noise...
, US) - Howard Stelzer - RRRecycled c20 (RRRecordsRRRecordsRRRecords is a used and new record shop. RRRecords is distinguished as being the first American record label to specifically publish underground noise music in the early 1980s, and published the first American vinyl by Merzbow, Masonna, The Hanatarash, Violent Onsen Geisha, and many more artists...
, US) - Howard Stelzer & Jason Talbot/Mike Bullock - The Idea of Northeast LP (Intransitive RecordingsIntransitive RecordingsIntransitive Recordings is an independent record label for experimental music, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1997 by the artist Howard Stelzer and currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Intransitive publishes electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, sound art, sound poetry, and noise...
/Math Records, US) - Howard Stelzer & Frans de Waard - Torn Tongue CDr (Absurd, Greece)
- Vic Rawlings, Howard Stelzer, Jason Talbot - Open CDr (BOXmedia, US)
- Howard Stelzer & Jason Talbot - Songs CD (Intransitive Recordings, US)
- Howard Stelzer & Jason Tabot - Recent Work CDr (RRRecordsRRRecordsRRRecords is a used and new record shop. RRRecords is distinguished as being the first American record label to specifically publish underground noise music in the early 1980s, and published the first American vinyl by Merzbow, Masonna, The Hanatarash, Violent Onsen Geisha, and many more artists...
, US) - Howard Stelzer & Jason Talbot - Four Sides 2x7" (CIP, US)
- The BSC - Good CD (Grob, Germany)
- Howard Stelzer & the Cherry Point - Gross CDr (Carbon, US)
- Howard Stelzer, Richard Francis, Stefan Neville, Clinton Watkins - lathe-cut 8" (CMR, NZ)
- Howard Stelzer - This Map is a Gift CDr (Gameboy, JP)
- Howard Stelzer & Giuseppe Ielasi - Night Life CD (Korm Plastics, NETH)
- Howard Stelzer & Tim Feeney - Never Happened CDr (Audiobot, Belgium)
- Howard Stelzer & the Cherry Point - Untitled LP (Troniks, US)
- Seht & Stelzer - Exactly What You Lost CD (Intransitive Recordings, US)
- Howard Stelzer - Mincing Perfect Words 3"CDr (Chondritic Sound, US)
- Howard Stelzer & Jazzkammer - Tomorrow No One Will Be Safe CD (Pacrec/Troniks, US)
- Howard Stelzer & John Hegre - The Boring Leading the Bored CDr (Humbug, NOR)
- Howard Stelzer - Go On CDr (Banned Productions, US)
- Howard Stelzer - Bond Inlets CD (Intransitive Recordings, US)
- Howard Stelzer & Vic Rawlings - By My Side; I Am Your's CDR (Songs From Under the Floorboards, US)
- Howard Stelzer, Roel Meelkop, Giuseppe Ielasi, Frans de Waard - Zondag CD (Port, JP)
- Skeletons Out - In Remembrance of Me CD (Students of Decay, US)
- Spyked Stelzer - Strangled Pairs CDR (American Tapes, US)
- Skeletons Out & nmperign - Split 7" (Absurd, Greece)
- Howard Stelzer - Apricot War Buffer Zone c20 (Razors and Medicine, US)
- Howard Stelzer & David Payne - Swelter LP (Cardinal Records, Canada)
- Howard Stelzer & Frans de Waard - A Sunburned Grotto 7" (Absurd, Greece)
External links
- Howard Stelzer, Official site
- Intransitive Recordings, Official site
- Students of Decay, publisher of Skeletons Out
- interview by Brad Rose, for Digitalis Magazine
- interview for AddLimb, a Serbian web-zine about improvised music
- video interview by Flasher, from Mutek 2005
- article about Howard Stelzer in Philadelphia CityPaper