⎤⎤⎤ “Live at Opus 40” cassette (Notice)

⎤⎤⎤, the duo of Chantal Michelle and Grace Villamil, are interested in what they term “sound obliteration”—a paradoxical process that, in their hands, reveals teeming masses of sonic detail. The pair works in a variety of modes, including composition, installation, and performance. Live at Opus 40 begins with machinic drones that expand and dissolve into the warm, open-air environment where it was recorded, initially anchored by the site’s rock formations. The piece is constructed from eight distinct recordings of a live performance at Opus 40, an expansive land sculpture in upstate New York. Each field recording offers a unique spatial and acoustic perspective. In addition, microphones and various instruments were placed throughout the site, inviting audience members to interact with them—their playing captured, processed, and reintroduced into the evolving soundscape. The duo cultivates a high degree of ambient tension, creating a condition where electronics and objects situate around a central sound—circling, overwhelming, and ultimately transforming it. This approach reflects a deep attentiveness, trust, and an embrace of risk as the performance continuously evolves. The result is a work that remains uncannily musical and cathartic, teetering between composition and documentation while constantly threatening to bloom into gales of noise.