Experimental Music
"As a music fan I am always looking for something new and exciting. Something I haven't heard before. As a musician I feel that if I am just repeating something that has been done before, what is the point of doing it." - Caeser Pink
Experimentation has always been a part of Caeser Pink's work. Pink sees his work in terms of two general types of experimental music. One is innovation within a pop song format. A challenging thing to achieve because of the structural, melodic, and length limitations. The other is complete freedom to look at music as raw sound. Free from any expectation of what makes something music or not music. Free to use or ignore the rules placed on ourselves through thousands of years of music making.
"When presenting something to an audience in performance or on a recording, I often do take the audience into consideration. What I like to do is mix slightly experimental pop songs, with more free form experimental music. It is a game of, how far can I push the audience without losing them? I like to take them to the edge, and then bring that back in. Back and forth, almost tricking them into opening their minds to experimental music. I like to initiate mainstream audiences into new musical experiences. If you give them something engaging, they will pretty much accept anything" - Caeser Pink
On other projects Pink goes fully experimental. His album "A Beginer's Mind On Love & Sin," is a 60 minute sonic soundscape that incorporates ethnic tribal music, electronic ambient music, noise, tape manipulations, found sound collages, and world music.
The first third of the largely instrumental recording is based on an eastern creation myth that follows the formations of the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire.
The middle section is based on the divisions of the psyche in Freudian Psychology. Segments representing the Superego and ID at first struggle in conflict, before meeting again in a unified harmony.
The last third of the recording follows a deconstruction of the elements in the first third, Ending with a musical inclusio titled Vishnu slate that represents a primordial hum that underlies the universe.
The video below is the opening from a multimedia performance at the Chashama Gallery on 42nd Street, New York City. The first piece, titled "Tao Tones," is a minimalist chant sung by Jen Oda and Talia Wright. The Second is an apocalyptic spoken word poem over a bed of improvised noise that becomes more chaotic as it progresses. The piece tends to alienate mainstream audiences, who must then be won back. At the height of the cacophony Caeser makes clear that is all under control by bringing the barrage to a pin-drop silence with a wave of his hand.