Polyphtong was conceived as a live quadraphonic composition for voice and computer. It was premiered at Stanford University in March of 2012. In August of 2013, Blonk radically reworked the piece to create the stereo version presented on this album. All sounds heard in it are derived from Blonk's vocals. Spatial placement and movement are extended by electronic means. The phonetic concepts of diphtong and approximant are an important focus in the more meditative sectons of the work. It also uses the techniques of my cheek synthesizer: many kinds of stereo mouth sounds driven by sheer air, ranging from very low to extremely high pressures. In August of 2013 Jaap Blonk radically reworked the piece, to create the stereo version presented on this CD. Polyphtong is a continuous piece, but it has been split into tracks for listeners' convenience. Elegua Records is proud to present this immersive, landmark release by Jaap Blonk, a great artist at height of his powers. The album's physical edition is approached with the care that the music deserves. The printing is modular, creating hundreds of juxtapositions of various images photographs of Blonk performing polyphtong, screen captures of his MAX/MSP patches for the piece, and original drawings by Blonk that constitute a type of visual score for the sound.
This strictly limited edition of 300 consists of CDs packaged in one-of-a-kind, individually numbered folders and vellum inserts.