Francisco Colasanto

Interview by Giorgos Frangiskos

Francisco Colasanto was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1971. He obtained his degree in electroacoustic composition from the “Facultad de Ciencias Sociales” of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. He worked as music professor and technology at National School of Cinema (ENERC), Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas, LIPM (Centro Cultural Recoleta) and at the ORT Institute (Producer of electroacοustic arts).
He was awarded a scholarship to study electroacοustic music by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2000, and has received a subsidy from Fundación Antorchas (2003) to make an electroacοustic piece and again from the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2006 to make a piece for piano and electroacoustic processes.
His piece “Duo” was awarded by the Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition in Live Electronic Music Competition (2006). His work “Baile” for Contrabass Clarinet, live electronics and computer-generated tape has been awarded with the “Juan Carlos Paz” Prize (2004) granted by the "Fondo Nacional de las Artes", Argentina.
He is currently technical coordinator of the Mexican Centre for Music and Sonic Arts (CMMAS) located in the City of Morelia, México.

In what ways do you use technology in your music? How did your relation with technology begin and how has it evolved since?
In the first place, I’d like to say that for this interview, I will understand “technology” to be the new electronic media that we have today, because acoustic instruments are technology too (as well as many other things that composers have used for centuries).

As many other electroacoustic composers, I use the computer as a tool to assist me with composition (using algorithmic process to generate some musical parameters), and to sequence and edit musical ideas (using score editors, multitrack software, etc.) . On the other hand I use the computer as a musical instrument, one that allows me to create many varied timbres using different techniques of sound synthesis.

My relationship with technology began twelve years ago, when I started my musical studies at the University (Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

During and after my studies, I worked in several laboratories, but it was in the Laboratorio de Investigación y Producción Musical (LIPM) where I spent most of my time researching and experimenting with computer music tools. Also during this time I started to teach in several Argentine institutions.

In 2005, I met the composer Rodrigo Sigal, who invited me to participate in his project in Morelia, Mexico. That project is today the Centro Mexicano para la Musica y las Artes Sonoras (www.cmmas.org). Currently I’m working as the technical coordinator of that centre.

Technology is no more the prerogative of the rich or the computer specialists? Does this make music sound more homogeneous? Is it difficult to be different?
Technology these days, is not the prerogative of computer specialists (I think that neither is it for the rich… but it is clear that in some parts of our world ownership of a computer is limited to those of a certain socio-economic status), because it is present in almost all interactions that we have with our environment. However, in the specific case of computer music, as in many other areas, there are, several applications with different levels of difficulty: some very popular ones are designed as “do it yourself” software (an example of this would be software that people use to copy and paste loops), but there is another category of more complex software (such as MaxMSp, SuperCollider, Csound, etc.), which requires some level of specialization, and therefore is not as widely used.

If we understand “homogeneous” as “uniform”, I think that’s right, but that phenomenon it’s not unique to our time. It has happened many times that new instruments have dictated the predominant aesthetic; that happened with the first synthesizers in the 50’s, and with the invention of pianoforte in the XVIII century. On the other hand, we could do an analysis of today’s consumer society, which puts a high value on the immediacy and speed of process, and which thereby leads to people wanting faster results with less effort. As a result there are more and more ready-made instruments that allow the user to create music based in patterns with a high level of uniformity.

Being different is always hard, especially considering how difficult it is to guarantee that one’s work is original (nobody knows all the music in the world). Also, we often have to pay a high price when we don't make the things that the majority wants (this can be true in the academic world as well).

Electroacoustic music appears to speak to limited audiences; why do you think this is the case? Why popular electronic music is -on the contrary- such a popular culture?
Because music, and possibly cinema, is the art form with which the general public is least willing to experiment. I believe that there are many causes for that, but among them is the fact that many people often have, and seek, a direct relationship between music and their own emotions (memories, sadness, happiness, etc.) or experiences; in other words, music is relegated to a secondary role. Electroacoustic music, with its intrinsic complexity (for the general public), is a bad medium to provide that relationship.

Popular electronic music is much more accepted because much of it is based on regular beats, which provide a comfortable medium for assimilation and uniformity. Very often people who like such music say that the raves and festivals are like “a ritual”, where many people fall into a homogenous trance with the rhythm of the bass drum in quarter notes. It's not so strange that this music receives the support of many big companies ...I suspect that there is some relationship between “uniformity” and marketing.

Electroacoustic music is used within other art forms, such as video or theatre. Do you feel that this is maybe where its future lies? Is this a way to attract more people to it or will this be to its detriment?
I think that electroacoustic music is very appropriate for use within or beside others artistic disciplines, perhaps much more so than it is used today. It is however very common to find artists (from various disciplines) that have a very contemporary aesthetic in their pieces but a very old one in the music that they use; maybe this will be change in the future.

Maybe the combination of electroacoustic music and visual arts could attract a wider public, because the visual components help to anchor the artistic endeavor with the public. I don't know if this could be detrimental to electroacoustic music.

Do you believe that technology has opened up the doors for more people to enter the world of art and to make it more popular than ever before?
Well, in order to respond to that, we would have to know what we mean by “art” and, as we know, that question is very hard to answer.

I believe that technology brings more possibilities to more people for experimentation with new media of expression, but it is important to remember that musical instruments, and, for example, drawing materials, have existed for a long time. In other words, the materials for artistic expression have always existed.

My personal opinion is that not everyone that takes a brush is, in fact, an artist; nor is everyone that uses Propellerhead Reason.

Live electronics, live improvisation or jamming between electronic musicians, performers and even “laptop orchestras” seem to be becoming more and more popular. Could this bring more people into the this music scene?
I really don't know.

Do you know any Greek composers of electronic music?
Yes, I have had the good fortune to meet some very prolific Greek composers, such as Manolis Manousakis, Panos Tsagkarakis, Theodore Lotis y Phivos-Angelos Kollias

What are your expectations of Electromediaworks in Athens?
Well, we know that most people dream of becoming acquainted with Greece in general and Athens in particular; in my case I am fortunate enough to have that dream come true, and also to participate in an event that promises to be very interesting and professional.