2023
for orchestra
workshopped by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland student orchestra
conducted by Peggy Wu
‘NIMB’ stands for no-input mixing board and is used to describe a form of electronic free improvisation coined by sound artist Toshimaru Nakamura in the 1990s, a leading figure in the Japanese Onkyō movement. NIMB #1 for orchestra takes inspiration from the distinct sound of no-input mixing; the act of looping an output signal back into the input of a mixing board in order to control high-pitched frequencies and feedback sounds, in return, creating continuous waves of noise and oscillating gestures. Developing a texturally rich sonic atmosphere out of uncertainty and ambiguity, this work for orchestra aims to imitate the fundamentals of no-input mixing, while also bridging the gap between electronic and acoustic sound.
Melissa Rankin 