Episode 33: DIS/EMBODIED - with Cruel Diagonals

Sound Propositions

Having first captured our attention with Monolithic Nuance (2018) for Longform Editions, Megan Mitchell’s Cruel Diagonals has continued to impress with each new work. With Fractured Whole, she set herself the task of producing an album using nothing but her voice as raw material. While she deserves recognition as a gifted vocalist, she deserves at least as much praise for her production work, alchemically transmuting her voice into a wide range of instruments and textures. In this episode, she discusses the production challenges posed by Fractured Whole, her background in musical theatre, her work with the feminist archive Many Many Women, and much more.

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TRACKLIST

ARTIST – “TITLE” (ALBUM, LABEL, YEAR)

Cruel Diagonals - “Penance” (Fractured Whole, Beacon Sound, 2023)

INTRO

Cruel Diagonals - “Monolithic Nuance” (Monolithic Nuance, Longform Editions, 2018)

Mika Vainio - “Se On Olemassa (It Is Existing)” (In The Land Of The Blind One​-​Eyed Is King, Touch, 2003)

Matthewdavid - “Phased Moon” (Mycelium Music, Leaving, 2023)

Cruel Diagonals - “Monolithic Nuance” (Monolithic Nuance, Longform Editions, 2018)

Cruel Diagonals - “Render Arcane” (Disambiguation, Drawing Room Records, 2018)

Cruel Diagonals & Jon Carr - “Fall Back Into Earth” (Fall Back Into Earth, 2022)

Asmus Tietchens - “Club of Rome” (The Emergency Cassette Vol. 2, Los Angeles Free Music Society, 1981)

Faust - “Why don’t you eat carrots?” (Faust, Polydor, 1971)

Can - “One More Night” (Ege Bamyasi, Liberty, 1972)

Demdike Stare - “Black Sun” (Voices of Dust, Modern Love, 2010)

Andy Stott - “Luxury Problems” (Luxury Problems, Modern Love, 2012)

Porter Ricks - “Biokinetics 2” (Biokinetics, Chain Reaction, 1996)

Anne Gillis - “A6” (Monetachek, Rangehen, 1985)

Techno Animal - “Bionic Beatbox (Tortoise version)” (Techno Animal Versus Reality, City Slang, 1998)

Cruel Diagonals - “Intuit Sensate [edit]” (Fractured Whole, Beacon Sound, 2023)

Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis - “Lear” (Deep Listening, New Albion, 1989)

Eliane Radigue - “L'​Î​le re​-​sonante (2000)” (L'​Î​le re​-​sonante, Shiiin, 2005)

Annea Lockwood - “For Ruth” (T​ê​te​-​à​-​t​ê​te by Ruth Anderson & Annea Lockwood, Ergot, 2023)

Petr Kotik – S.E.M. Ensemble – Many Many Women – Part 13 (That being uncovered) (Many Many Women, Labor, 1981)

Cruel Diagonals - “Fluvial” (A Dormant Vigor, 2021)

Laurie Spiegel - “Three Sonic Spaces II” (Unseen Worlds, Scarlett/Infinity, 1991)

Lana Del Rabies - “Grace the Teacher (Cruel Diagonals remix)” (Becoming Everything: STREGA BEATA Remixed, 2024)

Cruel Diagonals - “Live in Los Angeles - March 2023 pt.1” (Live in Los Angeles, March 2023, Beacon Sound, 2023)

Cruel Diagonals - “Vestigial Mythology (remix)” (Live in Los Angeles, March 2023, Beacon Sound, 2023)

Cruel Diagonals - “Vestigial Mythology” (Fractured Whole, Beacon Sound, 2023)

Andy Stott - “Submission” (We Stay Together, Modern Love, 2011)

Andy Stott - “Promises” (It Should Be Us, Modern Love, 2019)

Luc Ferrari - “Music Promenade” (Music Promenade / Unheimlich Sch​ö​n, Recollection GRM, 2019)

Cruel Diagonals - “Soporific Return” (Disambiguation, Drawing Room, 2018)

Cruel Diagonals - “Decimated Whole” (Fractured Whole, Beacon Sound, 2023)

Pauline Oliveros, Roscoe Mitchell, John Tilbury, Wadada Leo Smith - “Part III [Encore]” (Nessuno, I Dischi Di Angelica, 2016)

Demdike Stare - “We have already died” (Elemental, Modern Love, 2012)

Can - “Call Me” (Saw Delight, Mute/Spoon, 1977/1991)

Silent Servant - “Violencia” (Violencia, Sandwell District, 2008)

Realivox Ladies (2015)

Bjork - “It’s Not Up To You” (Vespertine, Polydor, 2001)

Pauline Oliveros - “Sound Patterns” (Extended Voices, Odyssey, 1967)

Maxwell - “This Woman’s Work” (Now, 2001)

Richard Maxwell - “Pastoral Symphony” (An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music Volume 5, 2008)

Cruel Diagonals - “Live in Los Angeles - March 2023 pt.2”

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Sound Propositions produced by ⁠⁠Joseph Sannicandro⁠⁠.

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