Carl Stone (born Carl Joseph Stone, February 10, 1953) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, primarily working in the field of live

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

. His works have been performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the Near East.

Biography

From 1966-9 he formed a band with

Z'EV Z'EV (born Stefan Joel Weisser, February 8, 1951 – December 16, 2017) was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. After studying various world music traditions at CalArts, he began creating his own percussion sounds out of indust ...

and James Stewart, performing

jazz rock Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

. After auditioning for

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

Bizarre Records Bizarre Records, self-identified simply as Bizarre, was a production company and record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. History Bizarre was originally formed as a produ ...

, the band ceased activities and both he and Z'EV went on to attend

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

. Stone studied composition at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

with

Morton Subotnick Morton Subotnick (born April 14, 1933) is an American composer of electronic music, best known for his 1967 composition '' Silver Apples of the Moon'', the first electronic work commissioned by a record company, Nonesuch. He was one of the foun ...

and

James Tenney James Tenney (August 10, 1934 – August 24, 2006) was an American composer and music theorist. He made significant early musical contributions to plunderphonics, sound synthesis, algorithmic composition, process music, spectral music, microtonal ...

and has composed electro-acoustic music almost exclusively since 1972. Stone utilizes a laptop computer as his primary instrument and his works often feature very slowly developing manipulations of samples of acoustic music, speech, or other sounds. Because of this, as well as his preference for tonal melodic and harmonic materials similar to those used in popular musics, Stone's work has been associated with the movement known as

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

. Prior to his settling on the laptop, in the 1980s, he created a number of electronic and collage works utilizing various electronic equipment as well as

turntables A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

. Prominent works from this period include ''Dong Il Jang'' (1982) and ''Shibucho'' (1984), both of which subjected a wide variety of appropriated musical materials (e.g. Okinawan folk song, European

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...

, 1960s Motown, etc.) to fragmentation and looping. In this way his work paralleled innovations being made in the early days of

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and hip hop (e.g.

Grandmaster Flash Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip Hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the Fur ...

, of whose work he was unaware at the time). It was during this period that he began naming many of his works after his favorite restaurants (often Asian ones). His first residency in Japan, sponsored by the

Asian Cultural Council The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing international cultural exchange between Asia and the U.S. and between the countries of Asia through the arts. Founded by John D. Rockefeller III in 1963, AC ...

, was from November 1988 to April 1989. While living in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

he collected more than 50 hours of recordings of the city's urban soundscape, which he later used as the basis for his radio composition ''Kamiya Bar'', sponsored by Tokyo FM radio, and released on a CD of the same name by the Italian label NewTone / Robi Droli. Stone has collaborated frequently with Asian performers, including traditional instrumentalists such as

Min Xiao-Fen Min Xiao-Fen () is a Chinese-American pipa player, vocalist, and composer known for her work in traditional Chinese music, contemporary classical music, and jazz. Life Min Xiao-Fen studied with her father, Min Jiqian (闵季骞), a music profess ...

(

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

), Yumiko Tanaka (

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

Kazue Sawai is a Japanese ''koto'' player noted for her performance of contemporary classical music and free improvisation. She began studying, at the age of eight, with Michio Miyagi. She later graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and M ...

(

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

), Michiko Akao ( ryuteki), and those working with modern instruments, such as

Otomo Yoshihide is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He mainly plays guitar, turntables, and electronics. He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in ...

(turntables, guitar),

Kazuhisa Uchihashi Kazuhisa Uchihashi (内橋和久, ''Uchihashi Kazuhisa'') is a Japanese guitarist involved in free improvisation music. Born in 1959 in Osaka, Uchihashi began to play the guitar at age 12, playing in various rock bands, though he later studied j ...

(guitar,

daxophone The daxophone, invented by Hans Reichel, is an electric wooden experimental musical instrument of the friction idiophones category. Etymology The ''dax'' in ''daxophone'' is derived from the German word ''Dachs'', meaning "badger" and refer ...

Yuji Takahashi Yuji or Yu Ji may refer to: * Yuji Naka, is a Japanese video game programmer, designer and producer * Yu Ji (painter), a Qing dynasty painter and calligrapher * Yūji, a common masculine Japanese given name * Consort Yu (Xiang Yu's wife) (虞姬; ...

(computer, piano), and vocalists such as Reisu Saki and Haco. He has also collaborated on an album with Hirohito Ihara's Radicalfashion with

Alfred Harth Alfred Harth, now known as Alfred 23 Harth or A23H, is a German multimedia artist, band leader, multi-instrumentalist musician, and composer who creatively mixes genres. Career Harth founded a free improvisation band, Just Music (1967 to 1972) ...

who partly lives in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and with Miki Yui who lives in Düsseldorf. Beginning in the early years of the 21st century, Stone began to compose more frequently for acoustic instruments and ensembles, completing a new work for the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

-based American Baroque. Stone served as president of the

American Music Center New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media program ...

from 1992 to 1995, and was director of

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

/California from 1981 to 1997. He also served as music director of

KPFK KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, United States, which serves Southern California, and also streams 24 hours a day via the Internet. It was the second of five stations in the non-commerci ...

-FM in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

from 1978 to 1981. For many years, Stone has divided his time between

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Stone received a 1999

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award.

Works

Solo recordings

* ''Namidabashi'' (2021) - digital only release, part of the ''Displacing'' series, on

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

*''Stolen Car'' (2020) * ''Al Noor'' (2007) – Explorations into the dismantling and re-composition of global song and melody * ''Nak Won'' (2002) – Real-time music for laptop computer * ''Resonator'' (2002) – Soundtrack for the works of sculptor Seiji Kunishima * ''Exusiai'' (1998, released 1999) – Music for contemporary dancer Akira Kasai * ''em:t 1196'' (1996) – The musical part of a three-way collaboration between the composer, dancer Kuniko Kisanuki and sculptor Satoru Shoji * ''Kamiya Bar'' (1995) – Excerpts from a sound collage assembled in 1992 from TV commercials and field recordings made in Tokyo in the late 1980s * ''Mom’s'' (1992) * ''Four Pieces'' (1989) – Playful explorations and transformations for Macintosh computer * ''Wave-Heat'' (1983) – Piece for digital delay/harmonizer and an LP record; released on audio cassette * ''Woo Lae Oak'' (1981, released 1983; re-issued 2008 as a single continuous track) – A concrete symphony for the tremolo of a rubbed string and the tone of a blown bottle * ''Wat Dong Moon Lek'' (May 2022)

Some unreleased recordings

*''Torung'' (1983) – Piece for Synclavier *''Maneeya'' (1973) – Piece for tape *''Plastics'' (1972) �
Film soundtrack

Other released collaborations

Realistic Monk, (2015 - present) collaboration with sound artis
Miki Yui
Pict.soul (2000–2001) – Long-distance collaboration with

Tetsu Inoue Tetsu (written: 哲, 徹, 鉄 or テツ in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese musician *, Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan ...

Monogatari: Amino Argot (1994) – Long-distance collaboration with Otomo Yoshihide
Over-Ring-Under (1992) – Soundtrack to a videogame CD-ROM, with visual artist Teckon

Other commissioned works

*''Luong Hai Ky Mi Gia'' (2001) – DVD-Audio/Video piece for 5.1 surround sound system; commissioned by Starkland *''Sa Rit Gol'' (1997) – Piece for disklavier and pianist; commissioned by Bay Area Pianists and Cal Performances, as part of the Henry Cowell Centennial Celebration at UC Berkeley *''The Noh Project'' (1996) – A collaboration with choreographer June Watanabe and Noh master Anshin Uchida *''Yam Vun Sen'' (1995) – Network duel piece for the internet; commissioned by NTT as part of IC95 Festival, Tokyo *''Sudi Mampir'' (1995) – Contribution to compilation album "em:t 5595" *''Banh Mi So'' (1994) – Piece for ondes martenot and piano; commissioned by Takashi Harada and Aki Takahashi *''Mae Ploy'' (1994) – Piece for String Quartet and computer accompanist; commissioned by the Strings Plus Festival, Kobe, for the Smith Quartet *''Lumpinee'' (1993) – Installation for computer-operated MIDI system; commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles for the exhibition "John Cage: Rolywholyover: A Circus" *''Du Pars'' (1993) – Soundtrack for interactive laserdisk "L.A. Journal", produced by Voyager *''Ruen Pair'' (1993) – Piece for electronic chamber ensemble; commissioned by the Paul Dresher Ensemble *''Rezukuja'' (1991) – Piece for bass marimba and electronics; commissioned by Sumire Yoshihara *''She Gol Jib'' (1991) – Piece for ryuteki (flute) and electronics; commissioned by Michiko Akao *''Recurring Cosmos'' (1991) – Piece for High Definition video and electronics, including ''Banteay Srey''; commissioned by Sony PCL *''Made in Hollywood'' (1990) – Soundtrack music; commissioned by ZDF Television, Germany *''Thonburi'' (1989) – Part of the radio series "Territory of Art" *''Spalding Gray's Map of L.A.'' (1987) – Soundtrack for videotape produced and directed by Bruce and Norman Yonemoto *''Vault'' (1984) – Soundtrack for videotape produced and directed by Bruce and Norman Yonemoto *''Mae Yao'' (1984) – Piece for live electronics, multiple bagpipes and pipe organ; commissioned by The Art of Spectacle Festival *''Se Jong'' (1983) – Piece for tape; commissioned by the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival as part of the radio series "Sounds In Motion"

References

Reviews

The Wire Top Ten 2020
''Stolen Car''
Artforum, Best of 2019
''Himalaya''
Bandcamp, Best Experimental Albums of 2019
''Himalaya'' and ''Baroo''
Pitchfork, Best Experimental Albums of 2019
''Baroo''
The Wire Best of 2019
''Himalaya''
The Wire Best of 2019
''Baroo''
The Wire full review
''Himalaya''

External links

Official websiteDeep algebra for deep beats: The beautiful sounds of musical programming
ArsTechnica 2020
Tone Glow 032.6: Carl Stone
2020
UNA CONVERSACIÓN CON CARL STONE
Luca 2021
Lecture
Harvey Mudd College Nelson Speaker Series, 2012
Lecture Presentation
Carl Stone at TEDxTheWebbSchools, 2013
Fifteen Questions Interview with Carl StoneCarl Stone :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
2018
15 Questions to Carl Stone
2013 *Golden, Barbara. “Conversation with Carl Stone.�

(April 2010). Montréal: CEC. *O’Toole, Owen. �
Carl Stone Interview
” Interview from 27 August 2009, La Brea Farmers Market. ''Underminds'', 17 December 2009. *Taylor, Gregory. �
An Interview With Carl Stone
” ''Cycling 74'', 13 September 2005. *webSYNradio. �
websynradio – programmed by Carl Stone
” ''podcast available'', 18–25 March 2010. *Burns, Todd.
Charting Carl Stone's Musical Evolution: Sampling the Sacred and Profane
" Red Bull Music Academy Daily, 5 December 2016.

Listening

commissioned by

Starkland Starkland is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in alternative classical music. It was founded in 1991 by Thomas Steenland. Starkland's first two CDs offered all the principal 1960s music from the "organized s ...

* at SASSAS {{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Carl 1953 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Asian Cultural Council grantees 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians