Illusory Lines (2015, dur. 10:48”) is an immersive 8-channel composition that utilizes several significant aural illusions to provide the work’s structural underpinnings. Specifically, the work incorporates both Shepard Tones (endless glissandi) and Risset Rhythms (endless accelerando/ritardando) that are featured prominently in several large sections of the work. The surface of the composition includes physically modeled strings and meshes/plates as well as samples from an accordion, a double bass and bees, exploring the inter-relationships between these seemingly divergent synthetic and concrete sound worlds. Spatialization strategies highlight a variety of structural moments while creating a rich sense of location within space.

The full stereo recording can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/jon-nelson/illusory-lines-stereo-mix

To obtain performance materials please contact jon.nelson@unt.edu