Input (The Sofia Versions)

Stefan Goldmann’s 'Input' translates electronic music into performance formats for human players of acoustic instruments. The standard remix process is thus inverted, by providing the electronics first.

Then composers backwards-engineer what they hear into scores for ensemble. The original, synthesized version isn’t available for the audience: Its hidden shape can only be guessed at through its acoustic translations.

By collaborating with multiple composers, the process of direct auditory comparison allows for multidimensional insights. It reveals common traits in unlikely places and highlights differences between individual approaches. Ambiguities of sound/score relations, emergent parallelisms and unexpected congruencies become part of the sensory and cognitive experience.

The three versions in this release – by Daniel Chernov, Adrian Pavlov and Lukas Tobiassen – were recorded at Sofia's 180 Degrees Festival and performed by the stellar group of musicians from Bulgaria, France and Switzerland which came together in Ensemble 180°. The live recordings were further processed by Stefan Goldmann and now represent a stunning sonic hall of mirrors, with multiple vectors of transformation embedded in this dialogue.