Eli Smith’s Generation / Moon Inside was released by FTAM, a Milwaukee-based record label dedicated to experimental and noise music. Smith has been active in Milwaukee’s music scene. He’s appeared with local acts Cairns, Honeymooners and Social Caterpillar, as a guest performer with both local and visiting bands and as a solo performer.
Generation / Moon Inside documents some of Smith’s recent solo experiments, though “solo” isn’t quite the correct word for this record. Smith created a computer program that takes guitar recordings and generates more music from them. All sounds on this release are computer-generated, using phrases from Smith’s guitar as sonic fodder.
In “Generation,” Smith showcases how chaotic the program can be as it devolves into many sputtering layers, making a synthesizer out of the guitar. As the track progresses, beautiful harmonies emerge from this dense cloud of chatter. It moves from noisy busyness to a sparse, open soundscape. By the end of “Generation,” all is calm and quiet, with only one guitar playing.
“Moon Inside” demonstrates the variety possible in Smith’s program. The harmonies swell gently, expanding and contracting. Toward the middle, peace is momentarily broken by familiar shuddering loops similar to those heard in “Generation.” We return to the breathing-like swelling of volume by the end of the track, with the electronic harmonies replaced by warm, lush noise.
Though often noisy, this release is never harsh, with chaotic sections always balanced out by peace elsewhere. If you are new to noise or curious about what computer-made music sounds like, give this a listen. Generation / Moon Inside is available as a digital release or cassette on FTAM’s Bandcamp page.
