Даррен Дж. Каннінгем

Smalltown Supersound: A Black Box Theory (Part 1)

Cover taken from Actress’ bandcamp

There is something indefinable in the autumn catalogue from Smalltown Supersound. Having not been an avid listener of the label before encountering them in the late 2010s - I cannot speak, nor draw, from their entire discography; yet there seems to be a growing presence in their output which very much staunchly reaffirms their position left-off-center of anything. A conscious or unconscious position, which whilst moving between spheres of music, remains categorically outside of any one ‘box’.

Although their background is somewhat rooted in the late 90s/early 2000s phenomenon of space-disco: the cementation of a then internationally nascent Norwegian electronica movement - they have, as before, constantly escaped even the most diffuse categorization. Even the categorization of ‘diffuse’ doesn’t fit - as there is a very clear identity in the undefinable output of Joakim Haugland’s label. It isn't undefinable by virtue of being so, more undefinable by consequence of a certain force - a certain touch - a certain curation. Which one has to presume is at the epicenter of the label itself.

Having followed the label in a more or less close manner the last five or so years - it seems that this autumn this force grew in size, grew into itself and fulfilled a phase, whilst entering a new one. This essay-series will try to reflect upon this shadowy character, which has fully cemented its workings and thus Smalltown Supersound, as one of the most forward-thinking and avant-garde labels of the contemporary scene.

Seeing as artists often pursue labels, or labels them - there is always a starting point created before the touch of the relational process between artist and label comes into the fore. There is an idea, which needs to be moulded - and in this process of discovery done between artist and label - the output spawns. Meaning we have an input, which after being touched by said force, becomes the output. Now, the meantime, that indelible process of communication, curation and maturation, is what irks me and what will be looked upon.

In systems theory, there is one idea which corresponds to this sonic entropy - which is ‘the black box theory’. Which goes as follows:

«A black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The term can be used to refer to many inner workings…»

This opaque nature is exactly the nexus of what one is looking into. To seek to understand its inner mechanics is fruitless - yet by trying to define the in and outputs, one can get closer to the heart of the matter:

«An understanding of something entirely in terms of its function. This leaves on one side the question of what the mechanism is that enables it to perform that function. The thing is treated as a black box whose workings are invisible …To analyze an open system with a typical "black box approach", only the behavior of the stimulus/response will be accounted for, to infer the (unknown) box.»

A keyword here is ‘open system’. The system which in the case of Smalltown Supersound is applicable - is the mechanics of releasing music: we have an input (an idea from an artist or an idea from a label which approaches its counterpart), this input is given an ‘opaque’ treatment and we get an output (the music released). We will regard the system as ‘open’, due to music’s artistic nature and it as a creative force (the matter of the system in question) being ever-changing and ever-growing.

Starting with «Даррен Дж. Каннінгем» by Actress (the title being Actress’ government name Darren J. Cunningham translated into Ukrainian). A release which was first promoted to the public as the artist’s debut on the RA Podcast series with «100% original, unreleased Actress» (material). A couple months later it was released as mentioned above as a Small-town Supersound release - on cassette, CD and vinyl. 

Having listened to Actress’ earlier debut on Smalltown, the LP «Statik» - one could trace a similar coloring to «Даррен Дж. Каннінгем». Having always been hazy, murky and swathed over layers of sonic textures and abrupt turns of expression within works or DJ sets; it still came to a heed the integration of this hazy nature. Where before this nature had colored track-sequencing or parts of tracks - giving them connected multi-dual structures - it was still an evolution the way this swathe of  texture and affinity for the forward-thinking, this ’indefinable’ nature, was woven into every seam, into every thread of information…

Being a man of few words, Actress only relayed a very swift response when asked for the idea behind the RA mix: «A collage - Braque». Braque being one of the pioneers of early 20th century modernism, through cubism - the twisted, abstract nature of both his work and hotchpotch quality of collage, is very much sensible throughout the piece.

From the get-go its format - it being a mixtape - gives a continuous quality which mixes do. Yet, there are almost complete pauses and very definable movements, which gives its narrative an episodic structure - a construction of vignettes. Something his DJ sets are wont to do.

One is forced to reflect and by instinct try to connect the previous movement to the next. Seeing as it is progressing not by beat-matching or continually tethered textures, one focuses on the different impressions and their tonalities - the spirit of the melody, the ambiance of the soundscape and the feel of the rhythm - the manifestations of soul in the music. In this curation of movements one very much senses the presence of a touch - which is very much similar to the touch which ties together Smalltown’s works which we now encounter laying silently yet present in-between the sections of «Даррен Дж. Каннінгем». 

By the virtue of creating this seamlessness out of no clearcut nor repeating formula, one has to come to the conclusion that there is an organic quality to this curation. Feeling spirited one might say ‘a voice without the voice’. As in literature one can sense the author’s voice, without it necessarily being the narrator - we here can feel a very clear presence without hearing any defined communique. 

One Soundcloud user named «HTP», has in the middle of the mixtape, commented: «oh this one is blisss. these blunted sounds that you do so well»

Both the utterances of «blisss» and «blunted», gives an insight into the nature of this organic curated entity. For in all of Actress’ work lie an ambivalent tonality - it is constantly enveloped in shades of monochrome, a black-white scale which dunks the compositions in a hazy colouration. There are never clear skies - its always clouded, this sonic vision we receive - if not entirely fogged up and resolutely misty. Yet in this cloud of smoke, this ‘blunted’ affect, here in the deep recesses of blunted ‘motions - it doesn’t feel heavy, though all of the colourations of the figurations would deem it so - it reaches beneath the lowest point of the sea-bed to find pockets of air - pockets of energy. It taps into an oft unrecognized and untapped source - to release a spectrum of fossilized energy - uplifting energy, which sends us into an ethereal space - strongly reminiscent of ‘blisss’.

Although this constant drilling deep has organic mechanics, it also contains computing qualities. For throughout are pads, arpeggios, ‘trills’ or melodies - synthesized or from acoustic piano - which are firmly engulfed in a cosmic liquid. They work as signaling of sorts, as an alarm or a herald…Its fairly concise, repetitive and un-complicated nature - deems it the closest we come to a coherent ‘voicing’ of any sorts in the entire piece. That, and of course the snippets of actual voices which mutter, growl, howl or even softly sing in the background of the soundscapes - giving us hint of a human entity which belies the sounds we are hearing. 

This very entity, seemingly behind the organic, virtuos sequencing and the machinist, melodic voicing - ties together the different rhythms and sonic landscapes we are given.

The piece, as in most of Actress’ oeuvre and much of Smalltown Supersound’s catalogue - combines different structures of rhythm. Moving in the spectrums between and to the side of the linearity of techno, incessant acid, pounding of house, hesitant hip-hop and jerk of electro.

Some phases stand out: such as the submerged squelch and undulations of the middle interlude around 25 minutes in, which lasts half a minute before giving way  to 64-bit video-game sounds, accompanied by a soft-thudded kick, a delayed piano and trills of static mimicking a marching snare’s staccatos. Or the sneaky riddim around the 47 minute mark, consisting of ping-pong-galaxy-synthesizers bouncing off each other to a lithe melodic motif supported by a deep, whaling sub driven in tandem with ghost-echoed keys.

The manner which this «Даррен Дж. Каннінгем» was first released as a podcast - then in a premeditated fashion adopted as an official release - speaks to the inherit accordance between this piece and the overall ethos of the label.

«Даррен Дж. Каннінгем» is therefore an excellent insight and illustration into this ‘undefinable’ quality: the organic characteristic - which has left its seasoned tinkering and reached steady and matured intervention - that engulfs Smalltown Supersound and keeps it at the bleeding cutting edge of sonic, electronic pursuits.