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100% PERFECT DEEP LISTENING

by Nick Scavo

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1.
ACT I (Side A) 10:13
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2.
ACT II (Side B) 24:00
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about

"100% PERFECT DEEP LISTENING" is a radio play inspired by composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros’s concept of Deep Listening, a "way of listening in every possible way to everything possible [...] to hear no matter what you are doing.” In playful dialogue with this concept, "100% PERFECT DEEP LISTENING,” takes Oliveros's aim towards a total "listening to everything possible" seriously—imagining a situation where listening to every possible sound is actually achieved at a 100% level.

To do this, the piece explores the reciprocity of text and sound, of command and of listening. It’s dealing with the perceptually vague areas of cause and effect within the realm of listening and attempts to splice the common areas between a direction and a resulting action—a score and a sound, text and music. Having struggled with concepts of meditation and guided experiences throughout my life, as well as many of the more "directive" demands that scores within experimental music place on performers, the piece attempts to treat listening as a tautological experience through a piece of music (and play) that is comprised solely of directions for how to listen to it.

Taking cues from guided meditation experiences and walking tours, the script is a group of instructions read by a group of characters describing how the listener should listen piece i.e. "listen as hardly as you possibly can, now listen softly, now let your listening wander, now turn your listening into a hot molten explosion of lava, etc." developing into an unhinged and sometimes absurd narrative. The script that these characters read is the score for the piece. Because the score is a reading for how to listen to the piece, the reading of the piece also signifies listening to it—and vice-versa—making the piece a kind of tautological experience. I’m hoping you try to aim for 100% when listening to this piece.

Sincere gratitude to Montez Press Radio and Seth Stolbun for commissioning this piece as part of their fundraising initiative, "Situated Listening Environments." Those who commission a Situated Listening Environment receive a single edition cassette along with a score from the artist and instructions on how to configure their listening experience, plus a special package of segment-specific goodies and artist multiples/editions. Each commission is also aired once on radio.montezpress.com to be enjoyed by the Montez Press Radio community at large. Each listening experience is effectively an edition of 1. Email Montez at radio@montezpress.com if you would like to learn more about commissioning a Listening Environment in order to further support the station and the artist's they work with while helping to develop radio that pushes the bounds of the medium.

credits

released May 7, 2021

"100% PERFECT DEEP LISTENING" was commissioned by Montez Press Radio & Seth Stolbun as part of their "Situated Listening Environments" series.

Cover photo is a reconstructed from the artwork of an edition of two cassette produced by Montez Press Radio.

Special thanks to Stacy Skolnik and Thomas Laprade for all their work on this project.

INNER VOICE #1 played by Molly Gavin
INNER VOICE #2 played by a Shaggy Rogers Impressionist
INNER VOICE #3 played by Sash X G
INNER VOICE #4 played by a Gandalf The Grey Impressionist

Script/score is available upon request.

Mastered by Jack Callahan

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Nick Scavo New York, New York

Nick James Scavo is a musician and writer based in New York City.

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