This performance was created specially for the fifth event of 'Talk of the Town' a platform initiated by Shout Festival, curated and hosted by Hassan Hussain. The theme for this particular event was 'Babs, Huns, Heartbreaks & Hot Takes'.
The piece deliberately explores the tension between discomfort and beauty, pushing the materiality of sound to offer an intense experience that is both unashamedly sentimental and visceral by juxtaposing the emotional vocals of different renditions of "Without You" (fist released in 1970 by Badfinger) with what I am calling anti-AMSR, noises that can be described as unpleasant, annoying or grating.
hard-CORE is structured like a strange kind of symphony. The second part of the title is a deliberate nod to the 1922 classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. The piece is made up of an overture and five movements:
The overture samples and loops the opening piano notes of Harry Nilsson's 1971 version, which are accompanied by a spoken repetition of the words 'love' and 'fuck' (this element was delivered live in performance).
Movement 1 uses the isolated vocals of Harry Nilsson's 1971 version, juxtaposing them with the sound of chairs scaping along the floor.
Movement 2 uses the isolated vocals of Mariah Carey's 1994 version, juxtaposing them with the sound of jackhammers.
Movement 3 uses the isolated vocals of Valentina Hassan's version, which became viral in 2008 after appearing on the pop TV contest "Bulgarian Idol". These are juxtaposed with the sound of trainers squeaking on a gym floor.
Movement 4 uses the isolated vocals of Heart's 1978 version, juxtaposing them with the sound of a fork scratching a plate.
Movement 5, which serves as exit music, uses a version for string quartet performed by Kelly & Co on May 29th 2010 during a practice session, which has been treated to sound as if coming through an old radio.