Reuben
Derrick is a sonic artist and composer active in New Zealand and
Australian exploratory music communities.
As
a composer and field recordist, Reuben's works are rooted in meaningful
encounters with the environment, creative exchanges which he enters into as a
collaborator: the recordist and environmental soundscape as
compositional co-creators. At times these engagements with the
world involve the additional sound of woodwind instruments, though
not always, and for Reuben the collaborative conceptual configuration
holds even in instances where he is purely recording, adding no additional features to the sonic field. In Reuben's work, choices
made on the part of the recordist – the framing engendered by the placement and sensitivity
of a microphone, or the duration and location of a given recording –
are all inherently musical and creative compositional acts. In
positing the soundscape and environment as equal collaborators in such a way, all of Reuben’s works are underpinned by a deep a level of respect which informs each of his explorations
of sound and space.
Reuben's Doctor
of Music at University of Canterbury drew upon field recording and improvisation, exploring ways
performers might engage with sonic environments. His compositions for Acoustic
illuminations: recorded space as soundscape composition featured
recordings of locations throughout New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka. Following
his Doctoral studies, Reuben was awarded a Fulbright grant, allowing
him to participate in the OMI
International Musician Residency Program in New York. This saw him collaborating and exploring compositional
and improvisational ideas with thirteen musicians from around the
world.
Reuben has also spent time in Sri Lanka, where he has
traveled on a number of occasions since 2011 to pursue collaborative
work with local improvisers and traditional players. These
collaborations resulted in the formation of Baliphonics,
a group which combines traditional ritual performance, music, and dance with
ecstatic free-improvisation. As a performer, Reuben works solo and in
groups in exploratory and improvisational contexts. In addition to
his electroacoustic compositions which focus on environmental sound,
Reuben has written work for jazz orchestra, small ensembles and other improvisational groups. Recently performances have occurred
throughout Central Europe (2019), The Nowhere Festival (Auckland,
2018), the Radio Asia Festival (Warsaw, 2018) and at the Music
Matters Festival (Colombo, 2016). His recorded work has been released
by labels in NZ, the United States of America, and Australia,
including God
In The Music, Trapdoor
Tapes and Big
Sound.
He
is a longstanding member of the Cantabrian
Society of Sonic Artists for
which he regularly hosts visiting artists and facilitates experimental music
events.
LINKS:
Reuben Derrick on
SOUNZ
https://sounz.org.nz/contributors/1834
Reuben Derrick
http://reubenderrick.yolasite.com/listen.php
Reuben Derrick on soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/reubenderrick
