In 2007 Jim Phelps will be touring with a program primarily consisting of JULULU work. Pieces will include fixed-media computer-music selections, video w/computer music, video w/live guitar and computer music/electronics and pieces for live guitar with computer music and/or electronics. All music will be either stereo or mono but may, when necessary, be diffused in stereo/mono pairs (speakers). Video works will be projected either from computer or DVD player. House setup will be fairly simple and straight-forward. For now, touring will be confined to reasonable driving distance from Chicago due to specific equipment needed on stage (Soldano amp/head, various guitars and electronics).

Some pieces are currently in production and, therefore, do not appear on this Web Site in excerpted, downloadable form. One new recently-finished video, STARk Raving Red, is now available as excerpt. This collaborative work presents a playful look into certain aspects of young female lifestyles often found in today's China. Ms. Luo Ting-Yi provides both sonic and visual materials for this piece as well as for some other music pieces on the program.

Some materials found on the JULULU CD Hide Windwill also be presented, although not necessarily in the exact same form in which they appear on the CD and may be fused with newer materials. The video version of RickLicks (excerpt below), from this CD, will be performed live with the Rickenbacker 3/4-scale guitar for which it was written and which was made famous in the early '60s by John Lennon of The BEATLES. Video artist for this piece is Bart Woodstrup, also creator of the Hide Wind CD cover art. Another piece appearing on the Hide Wind CD as an audio piece will be presented in its video version, Thirty Comfortable Days, video by Kurt Schultz (excerpt below).

Among the newest works is an excursion (back) into Mono. I grew weary of what has become the "default" genres at mainstream electroacoustic conferences and festivals - 8-channel dispersion, and other surround-sound formats. I thought perhaps I would offer an alternative. I've begun this re-exploration by reviewing some of the masters of Mono production such as Phil Spector, Dave Clark and The BEATLES. I intend to explore what I occasionally refer to as "multi-stream" Mono and this is indeed how I hear some of Spector's work. Below are a couple of my explorations thus far, but they do not attempt to copy anyone's aesthetic, these earlier efforts serving as impetus - models from which to begin.

Additionally, some of my newer music reflects a resurgence of interest in an aesthetic of sound production which, perhaps, began in the late 60s/early 70s in the first "punk" music, although the term was not universally applied then. A stand-out in this genre is Iggy Pop's seminal LP "Raw Power." One might hear this production as the anti-textbook for audio production - a recording session in progress with no one running the board. This was clearly intentional and fit the music. Beautiful in its "ugliness." While I don't consider my work along these lines as participating in the noise genres of the present, the element of noise is certainly a compositional tool.

The program will last roughly a comfortable 1 hour and some sections will flow seamlessly into other sections, without break. For more information about this program or to inquire about booking this event, please contact Jim Phelps directly at jimphelps_niucms@yahoo.com.

Provided below are MP3 and QuickTime excerpts of some materials included in this program.