DANCEtrance

DtArNaCcE
DmAuNsCiEc

Alec Finlay and Andrew Hodson

'The contact between feet and the floor is the moment of the dance, the constant relationship of gravity, body and earth. The sound of soles and toes beating against or brushing the floor is something that the audience usually only experience as an undertone, concealed by the regular beat of music, as their attention is taken up by the spectacle. DtArNaCcEe is the sound of the dance: then the wheel turns and the recordings are (re)composed into music and returned to the dancers.'
– Alec Finlay


DtArNaCcE is a field recording of the sounds of the dancers and dance classes performing on location at Dance City (Newcastle-upon-Tyne). The sounds were (re)composed into DmAuNsCiEc by Andrew Hodson.

Alec was commissioned by Dance City to produce a new work of art in response to the opening of the new dance centre on Temple Street – a work which would capture the essence of the old Dance City while at the same time creating an exciting work which could integrate with the new architecture. The proposal that Alec conceived was to record the sounds of dancers feet as they trained and performed. He approached the Newcastle based composer and sound artist Andrew Hodson to collaborate on the project. The final work is being realised as a permanent jukebox with a 'top forty' dance tracks. Andrew has used these found sounds for a (re)composition, DmAuNsCiEc. This bricollage is accompanied by an animated poem Alec composed in response to watching the dancers perform; now available as a CD in the latest bookscape.

The jukebox was installed spring 2006 and the bookscape released in February 2006.

'The floors of the Dance City studios are vinyl and this made for a range of quirky squeaks and rasps. I played with these, manipulating and adding a light filter, producing an effect similar to an old moog synthesiser. I ended up with over 1,000 squeaks and squelches and all the melodic and bass notes are percussive'
- Andrew Hodson

Animation

Photographs from the field recording
Laura Harrington © 2005

Audio extract from DtArNaCcEe DmAuNsCiEc
© Alec finlay and Andrew Hodson © 2006
Musical compositions © Andrew Hodson © 2006

Track 01 | Track 02 | Track 04 | Track 24 | Track 25

Buy a copy of DtArNaCcEe DmAuNsCiEc

Links
dancecity.co.uk