Formenlehre 01 by Formen

Formen has been developing his "Formenlehre" for quite some time. After extensive experimentation, he has refined a concept that allows him to pursue his creative and experimental interests in a tonal, musical, and medial context.

In essence, the "Formenlehre" is a series of electro‑acoustic études. Each "Formenlehre" comprises two études, each built around a single sound source and extended into a twelve‑minute composition. Although no additional sound sources are introduced, each piece may employ various sound modulators. Every étude is performed and recorded live six times, with no overdubs, edits, or corrections allowed. The unedited recordings capture each performance in full—including improvisational highlights as well as subtle imperfections.

One of these six recordings will be released here on Bandcamp as a digital download. The remaining five performances will be cut individually onto dubplates and then erased from Formen’s hard drive. These five analog‑only versions exist solely on their respective lathe cuts, each one embodying a distinct performance.

By adopting the electro‑acoustic étude format, "Formenlehre" offers an opportunity to explore a single sound source in depth. The twelve‑minute limit presents a compositional challenge that demands new writing and performance techniques. Finally, manufacturing unique vinyl records transforms the project into an art object—detaching the medium from mass production and highlighting the singularity of each performance.

In many respects, "Formenlehre" expresses a fleeting moment—an irreproducible study of form, sound, and disappearance.

Formen (German for "forms" or "to form") is a musician and sound artist based in Biel/Bienne. He explores glitch aesthetics and electroacoustic soundscapes through analog production techniques.

Renowned for working exclusively with hardware, he performs his tracks live at the mixing console. Most of his compositions are live performances, designed as one-take recordings without overdubs.

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