Volt_#1 is the first installment in a series of pieces based on self-made devices intended to recreate the unstable and unpredictable nature of analogue synthesizers and thus revisit these synths’ basic principles.
The sounds coming out of my device are rough, noisy and accompanied by the machines’ breath. They are amplified and treated using feedback. For Volt_#1, I wanted to port these sounds into another setting, in this case an electroacoustic piece with a different type of listening, duration and structure, without losing the improvised nature of the sequences.
— Monique Jean [English translation: François Couture, iv-26]
Volt_#1 was realized in 2015 at the composer’s studio in Montréal (Québec) and at the studios of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal. It was premiered on April 28, 2016 as part of the Ultrasons festival presented at Salle Claude-Champagne in Montréal. The piece underwent a revision at the composer’s studio in 2024. Volt_#1 was a finalist at the 2015 edition of the international electroacoustic music competition Musica Nova (Prague, Czech Republic).
Premiere
- April 28, 2016, Ultrasons — L’élite numérique, Salle Claude-Champagne — Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)
Awards
Mastering
- 2025 – 2026, Mario Gauthier • Montréal (Québec)
