Michael Carter was born in Downey, California. He played clarinet as a child. He studied painting as a young man. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a focus in Sound. It was in this program that he studied sound design and electronics. His sound installations involve some kind of performance. His performances involve some kind of installation. He is constantly developing new methods for the creation of unique rhythms. He has developed compositional systems to this end and has recently started to look to new methods of conducting. Each of these strategies bares unique results. He will continue to explore new methods of music making, boldly blazing a path to newfound aural utopias of previously unknown origin.
Cell, Cell, Cell!
Acoustic music performed by three electronically controlled musicians. Each player has two 16-note melodic lines. They have been instructed to play one of their lines in unison with a click track heard in their headphones. They have been told to play the notes in order until they hear two pitched clicks. The players start the line from the beginning on the click following the pitched clicks. The players never know how many notes will be played before they are signaled to start over. They have been instructed to start playing one measure after the click track has started and to stop playing one measure after pink noise has started.
The conductor controls the click track with a computer. The conductor also rings a bell signal to players that they are to switch to the other of the two melodic lines that they have to play. The conductor’s assistant strikes a drum to indicate section changes. The conductor runs a series of experiments. The players will execute forms of mixed-meter, poly-meter, and phasing. They will be tested at varying rates of speed. It is the conductor’s duty to find the limit of the player’s capabilities. It is the player’s duty to execute the commands issued by the conductor and his powerful computer.