By Jeff Blagdon
For communities of creative individuals, working under shared constraints can result in some incredible work, showing off what artists can put together with a limited set of tools. A great example is the “beat battle,” in which competing musicians are all given the same sample and compete to build the best instrumental track out of it. Online ambient music publication Disquiet has masterminded a number of similar projects, notably last year’sInstagr/am/bient compilation (below), which asked contributors to create pieces inspired by 25 images from the photo sharing service.
“IF A GIVEN IMAGE WERE THE COVER TO A RECORD ALBUM, WHAT WOULD THE ALBUM’S MUSIC SOUND LIKE?”
Following the success of Instagr/am/bient and LX(RMX) — a project inspired by Jorge Colombo’s Lisbon Revisited photo installation — Disquiet is making its collaborative projects a weekly affair with the launch of the Disquiet Junto this year. Every week the group’s members receive a new assignment (the first was “record the sound of ice in a glass and make something of it”) and have from Thursday until 11:59 Monday evening to finish their compositions. If you’re interested in hearing what the group’s been working on, or better yet participating, head over to the Junto’s Soundcloud site to check it out.
Christopher Bissonnette 