Astrolabe by M. Sage

Planisphere (MV) - https://vimeo.com/268324574?activityReferer=1

"Astrolabe, when translated from Greek, is 'one that catches the astral bodies,' or, 'star taker.' The astrolabe was developed some time around 200 BC, and its invention is often attributed to Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer. It is a tool that uses astral bodies, stars and planets, to triangulate and coordinate latitude and longitude from positions on Earth’s surface. The tool can be used to aid in navigation, surveying, and to approximate local time. Many say the astrolabe is one of the first “computers” invented by humans.

I tend to work with constraints when making music. I find it offers me rules to push back against, and necessary limitations in a time when we have more tools at our disposal than we know what to do with. The constraint here veered into a new direction for me; instead of sampling records, radio, or other pre-existing audio sources, I recorded a series of lengthy live sessions myself -- a sprawling set of approximately 6 hours of improvised star fields made on a JP-08 synthesizer -- and then surveyed that material from a great distance. That source material was then sampled from, manipulated, cut, rearranged, and parsed into this very potent and compressed dose of electronic music. A star collage pasted onto floral paper pulp. Information acquired from a space body to be applied to Earthly ends.

This is music made to approximate using off-world elements to align oneself with time and tangible space. Dial in this brassy wayfinding device for assistance in maneuvering high waves, laying stakes in tall grass, or making the most of local time."

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