gently disturbed

With Gently Disturbed, the sh|ft ensemble aims to explore the psychoacoustic conditions that shape the communication of socio-political content within experimental music practice. During a 60-minute sound performance, the boundaries between intelligibility and diffusion, emphasis and masking, are made tangible, exaggerated, and shifted—inviting reflection on sonic experience from multiple perspectives. Through extensive electroacoustic setups, the piece constructs sonic competition between the communicated message and surrounding signals, examining these dynamics through the lens of different social constellations.

The project draws inspiration from physical models of acoustics, particularly the distinction between desired sound and noise. Desired sound refers to acoustic signals that are essential for clear speech intelligibility or the transmission of music, while noise consists of signals that disrupt the intended perception of a sound event.

In Gently Disturbed, pre-produced surround soundscapes encounter four expanded no-input mixing setups. With no-input mixing, sh|ft embraces a musical practice that inherently works with the essence of noise: sounds generated and amplified through feedback loops—artifacts of system flaws and imperfections that, in conventional sound engineering, are meticulously suppressed to preserve the clarity of desired signals. By transforming these disturbances into intentional sonic material, the piece juxtaposes them with pre-produced sound environments to draw lines of conflict. The concept of interference is explored from multiple perspectives—whether in the attention economy of social media or in the context of noise pollution in post-industrial and post-digital landscapes.

The aim is to create a performance format that merges sonic immersion with experimental music practice, enriched by performative elements.