Dusk Machines

Aaron Ximm’s work, Serendipity Machine 12.13.03 (morris,) is unlike anything around. The only similarity it draws between his other works is the flowing, layered feel to it. There is a background that fades in and out between noises slowly and almost unnoticeably, a middle section with sounds that move and change more frequently, and an upper register with flittering, higher pitched noises that change rapidly and are used mainly to keep the listener’s ear interested and distracted while the background and middle sections change.

However, unlike Ximm’s other pieces that draw from a specific sound set and are made to convey the specific emotions of a specific place, his Dusk Machines, as he calls them, are void of his interaction beyond their initial programming. He supplies the material and the mood for the machine and then the system takes over and creates the sound scape. This method makes it more noticeable when the sounds switch, making the transitions a little rough around the edges. Also, the upper layer voices are sometimes a little more out of place than usual and don’t seem to fit as well into the piece as a whole.

One of the truly interesting aspects of Aaron Ximm’s work is that there is never any true silence. At times there is sound that some would consider silence, but there is never a lack of sound. Once that background noise begins, though it changes in content and volume, it never disappears.

Dukka, by Aaron Ximm

Aaron Ximm’s work creates a world. In his piece, Dukka, Ximm uses sounds from Thien Mu Monastery which is the oldest surviving Buddhist Monastery in Vietnam. Through sound he paints the picture of a monastery, with all of its calm surroundings, chanting, praying, and believing. There is a slow moving layer in the background that does not change as fast as the other layers with slow fades and relatively low volume. Then, above that, there’s the middle layer which holds all of the recurring sounds such as all of the bells and the high screech. The middle is more of the rhythmic layer. Finally, on top of all of that, is the fast moving layer that changes rapidly and keeps the listener on their toes. It is more of the experimental layer where Ximm plays with sounds of different kinds to pique the aural interest of the listener. The other layers provide the background noise that only becomes apparent when the highest layer drops out. The sections of his piece are not defined in the way typical music is; it cannot be categorized in the same way music can be categorized because it is so unconventional.

What Aaron Ximm creates can best be described as a soundscape. It is an all encompassing aural description of the world around him. It is an idea that swallows you if you let it. However, it goes even further than that and demands that the listener to become involved. One must give oneself up and allow the sounds to take them on a journey through his travels. Only once you have gotten beyond the fact that it is just sound that you’re listening, beyond actively criticizing and looking for flaws, can you really become the other half of the piece that Dukka needs: the listener.

While some people take pictures to remember and to express the emotions of the adventure, Aaron Ximm uses the sounds he collects. He doesn’t just record the sounds and play them back though, he makes them his own. He takes what he sees as the most important parts of each soundscape and uses effects to emphasize them to help the listener understand what is he trying to convey. He captures not only the sounds around him, but through digital manipulation is also is able to convey the emotion that he felt while experiencing the location.