Actual Occasions

Patterns of:

Actual Occasions is Pablo Somonte Ruano and Nicolò Cervello.

Patterns of: {Observation, Collaboration, Participation} is an ongoing sound & distribution exploratory practice inspired by philosophies of affect, materiality and modulation. The sound is defined by a playful use of FM synthesis, redundant parameter automation and odd rhythms. We work with a conscious attention to the interactions that take place in our music-making process, keeping track of the state of our files, the transformation of our instruments and the evolution of our songs as we slowly work together, sometimes simultaneously and other times asynchronously. As an integral part of the project, we explore a diverse set of approaches to digital music distribution through expansive sharing of our resources, open licencing, participatory practices and the use of alternative platforms and decentralized infrastructures.

The music will manifest in three forms:

Observant release
A traditional digital release, with a mastered version of the final songs. Available in centralized, yet alternative platforms like resonate, the internet archive and bandcamp.

Colaborant release
An open-ended, randomly accessible release containing work-in-progress versions of the songs at different stages, as well as the files for instruments, effects, samples and patches used in the process. The colaborant release acts as an invitation for others to continue, fork, diverge, remix or appropriate the material used in our process. This release will be hosted in a decentralized, peer-to-peer manner.

Participant release
A browser-based, multi-device, performative experience meant for small groups of 2 to 22 persons who share a physical space. Each mobile device will act as an individual sonic source loaded with a different set of sounds while a single base track with aleatoric elements plays on a separate pair of speakers. Participants will be able to slightly alter and control some aspects of their respective sonic sources. Additionally, through simple and sparse instructions communicated with colors, arrows, and text in the mobile interface, participants are invited to move and interact in particular patterns like sitting, standing, laying down, getting closer, walking apart or assembling in different group configurations. These actions seek to create a unique and emergent multi-channel spatialized audio experience.