Yan White: Sound

Feedbacking pedal chain

I had been interested in feedback loops for a while and decided to record some experiments.

Using a guitar pedal chain routed back to itself via a mixer I was able to obtain surprisingly versatile results by tweaking settings, changing the placing of pedals in the chain or by varying the level of aux send from the mixer (the amount of feedback)

These sessions were edited and mixed (no treatment other than some fades and panning) to produce a 25-minute piece. Dim the lights and Enjoy!

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Bavarian Concert Zither

I picked up this lovely Bavarian Concert Zither on ebay for about £40.

This is the instrument used on the soundtrack for the movie “The Third Man”. It features 5 fretted strings and 27 open strings which are usually tuned in a cycle of fifths. I used my own unison tuning.

One thing that is really interesting about these instruments is that almost every country and culture has some kind of version of the zither, and it’s basically an ancestor of the guitar.

Combined with a fairly crude homemade contact microphone and my standard effect chain (2 DL4’s, Boss PS-2, Blues Driver, Verbzilla, Alesis portable mixer) I was using this setup for the first Unknown Devices sessions with David Toop. The case acts as a resonant chamber/amplifier and picks up lots of great creaks and friction.

I later edited together this quite dark loop-based composition..

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Etta Ermini Dance Theatre ~ Fixed Wheel

I was commissioned to compose music and create sound design for a piece of physical dance theatre by Etta Ermini.

After initial discussions about the concept I made the decision to use only sounds recorded from bicycle parts. The chainwheel, forks, frames, wheels, brake levers and spokes became percussion, bells, gongs and were struck or bowed to create a library of samples and loops for placing into Sony Acid. You can listen to the individual cues here

Fixed Wheel is a 30 minute Physical Theatre piece for two male performers and a bicycle. It depicts the joys and pitfalls of the life and love of a geeky bike freak and his alter ego. The movement material is explosive and, at times, quirky. Dialogues are witty and acerbic. The acrobatic use of the prop, a bright blue BMX bicycle, heightens the tense atmosphere. This playful look at loss and longing aims to connect to the personal experiences of the audience. Be safe, wear a helmet!

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experimental postrock band featuring:
Yan White (Guitars, composition, mixing)
Matej Setinc (Drums)
Taigen Kawabe (Bass)

Debut album ‘Stem the Tide’ released on Sacred Cow records (2008)

Gigs across London including Fopp records and Badge of Friendship DIY Festival at the ICU, London, 2007.

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