Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Bestia Centauri Chronology

1999-2000:


The Bestia Centauri project begins. Initial works are composed using music hardware, and recorded in a professional recording studio. Although these efforts provide a worthwhile learning experience, the results do not meet the artist's standards, and therefore they have never seen release (nor shall they).




2000-2001


    •    Discovery of computer software tools for sound design and music composition. Initial experiments take place using Audio Mulch and ChaoSynth, in particular. The Virtual Waves program, which Bestia Centauri dubs "IRCAM Lite", offers tremendous inspiration, and serves as the primary source for Bestia Centauri's first proper composition, The Night Land, in mid-2001.


    •    The pieces entitled The Catacombs of Ptolemais, Ubbo-Sathla, Transition X, and The Measureless From Caverns Rise follow in quick succession. Some music material that was later to appear in the pieces Caligula and Teratogenesis is composed during this time, as well.


    •    Andrea Marutti of the Italian label Afe Records offers to release The Night Land on a compilation CD-R, to be entitled No Abiding Places. Though originally projected for release in late 2001 or early 2002, this compilation does not actually appear until mid-2006.


2002


    •    A steep software learning curve ensues. Considerable study and experimentation with music software. The Composers Desktop Project proves a particular revelation, and inspires the composition The Night Land II in January.


    •    C. Donovan founds the Somnambulant Corpse Recordings label, and offers to release a CD-R by Bestia Centauri. C. Donovan will also provide all of the artwork for this and future Bestia Centauri releases, with the exception of the Self-Immolation Rite "gates" artwork.


    •    Release of Ubbo-Sathla—EP CD-R (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, March 2002; SC002)


    •    Following the release of Ubbo-Sathla, there is another flurry of composition: Colours Out of Space, Nyarlathotep, The Antediluvian Earth, Ambulant Shadows, and Beneath Exsanguinated Suns all take shape during this time.


            (Bestia Centauri belatedly apologizes to its listeners for the clunky title of Beneath Exsanguinated Suns, which reflects far too much reading of the tales of Clark Ashton Smith at the time!).


    •    C. Donovan approaches several artists, including Bestia Centauri, and asks them to contribute to an H. P. Lovecraft-themed compilation on Somnambulant Corpse Recordings.


    •    Spring: Interview with the Swedish Web site/'zine Ortus Obscurum appears.


    •    Release of The Outsider: An Aural Channeling of H.P. Lovecraft—CD-R compilation by various artists (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, May 2002; SC004)


           Bestia Centauri tracks:


    1. Colours Out of Space
    2. Nyarlathotep


    •    The University of Toronto Electronic Music Studio requests a copy of Ubbo-Sathla for its music library.


     •    Afe Records offers to release Bestia Centauri's first full-length work, to be titled The Antediluvian Earth, the following year.




2003


    •    First half of the year: Composition begins on the most of the works that are eventually to appear on Bestia Centauri's final CD, Teratogenesis.


    •    Release of The Antediluvian Earth—CD-R (Afe Recordings, February 2003; AFE048LCD--limited to 150 copies)
    •   
            Bestia Centauri wryly notes that it takes several years for this limited edition of 150 copies to sell out completely.


    •    Mid-year: The Bestia Centauri Web site (now offline) is launched.


    •    In July, KUNM-FM, a National Public Radio station affiliated with the University of New Mexico, plays The Antediluvian Earth on its "Other Voices, Other Sounds" program alongside a piece by Steve Reich and computer music works from the CDCM/Centaur label.


    •    C. Donovan approaches several artists, including Bestia Centauri, and asks them to contribute to a themed compilation on the newly re-christened Somnambulant Records label. The concept is inspired by Suetonius's Twelve Caesars. Each artist will musically depict one of the twelve Roman Emperors of the House of Caesar. Bestia Centauri is asked to depict the Emperor Caligula (12-41 CE).


    •    In October, a representative of a so-called "Satanic" group  contacts Bestia Centauri and suggests that Bestia Centauri undertake a re-mix of a work of one of its members, called The Self Immolation Rite. Bestia Centauri counter-proposes an entirely new work based upon this concept (which will include a tacit critique of it, and which few will ever notice). Composition of the new Self Immolation Rite begins; the Teratogenesis material is put on hold, for the moment.



2004


    •    Composition of The Self Immolation Rite continues. C. Donovan plans to release it as the first glass-mastered, Red Book-standard CD on Somnambulant Records.


    •    Spring/Summer: Interview with the French 'zine Necrophonie appears.


    •    Release of XII Caesars: A Psychoacoustic Investigation of "The Twelve Caesars" As Immortalized by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus—CD-R compilation by various artists (Somnambulant Records, April 2004; Somnambulant SOM001)


           Bestia Centauri track:


              Caligula


    •    Release of The Self Immolation Rite—CD (Somnambulant Records, August 2004; SOMCD001--limited to 500 copies. "Gates" artwork by Von Sanngetall)




2005


    •    Mundane affairs, such as the completion of graduate school, job-searching, and geographic relocation occupy most of this year, and Bestia Centauri-related activities are minimal during this time.


    •    Spring: Interview with the German Web site Neo-Form appears.




2006


    •    Further work on the pieces to be included on the next Bestia Centauri CD, Teratogenesis, continues, as does the search for a label on which to release it. Justin of Cold Spring Records in the UK is among those who refuse it, in this case because it is not "ambient" music.


            Justin is also one of the few listeners who are perceptive enough to observe that Bestia Centauri's music is indeed not ambient music of any kind, "dark" or otherwise.


    •    April: Teratogenesis is completed.


    •    Release of No Abiding Places--CD-R compilation by various artists (Afe Records, April 2006; AFE030lcd--limited to 200 copies)


            Bestia Centauri tracks:


           1. The Night Land
           2. Transition X


    •    Andrea Marutti of Afe Recordings graciously consents to release Teratogenesis. He approaches Mauro Berchi of Eibon Records, also in Italy, who agrees jointly to release the CD with Afe.


2007


    •    Release of Teratogenesis—CD (Eibon Records/Afe Records, May 2007; BES073/AFE093CD)




                                                                            2008


  • The Bestia Centauri project and experiment conclude.