口机 (Kouji) (2015)
for 8 channel fixed media
The title 口机 is a play on the homonymous traditional Chinese form of entertainment called Kouji 口技: a one-person show based on mimicry, song, and story-telling. The first character “kou 口” means “mouth” or “vocal” while the second word “ji 技” loosely translates to “skill.” This type of entertainment required various “vocal skills,” including mimicking noises from nature like the cries of animals. This composition explores samples of vocally produced sounds to emulate an electronic percussion ensemble. Suitably, the character from the title “ji 机” means “machine,” making the complete title “vocal machine.”
口机 (Kouji) was premiered during the 2016 Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) National Conference