Nuk(넋)
Live performance with designed software Nuk live system of Nuk for Contrabass and Live Electronics.
Nuk as a composition
The title Nuk means soul, or soul, in Korean, and represents a non-material and supernatural being that is considered to dominate the body and mind. This piece is for contrabass and live electronics and was premiered at the 2022 International Csound Conference. It was also selected for the Instruments, Interfaces, Infrastructures: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Musical Media 2023, hosted by the Harvard University Music Department. Additionally, it is archived in the EPD Compilation 2023 Album as one of the best works of the year by the Electronic Production and Design Department at Berklee College of Music. Based on the concept of collective unconsciousness revealed in Cal Jung's study, it explores the archetypes that exist in common at the ethnic level. It set Korea as an object of inquiry because it has a specialty in long ethnic unity. As a method of exploring the archetypes that are difficult to reveal clearly, this piece allows the Korean performer to improvise in the process of creation and performance. In the creative process, melodies are composed based on repeated motives and rhythmic aspects during improvisation, and electronic sound transformation is possible as a device to amplify the aspect of personal unconsciousness beyond the materiality of the contrabass. In the performance process, the path of inquiry is guided through the score, and through the process, the performer continues to explore the original by adding improvisation. This process sets the performer as an ego with a persona as a subject of negotiation for the external world and establishes an identity as a unique human being in the process of transforming and growing through dynamic movements through psychological energy.
Nuk Live System
Nuk breaks the limitations of the contrabass through its meaning and delivery method. All sounds originate from the contrabass and are processed using Nuk Live System, a custom Csound Plugin specifically designed for this piece. This system serves as a live-performance interactive platform, enabling comprehensive sound transformation through various audio processing functions such as delay with cross synthesis, modulation, multi-reverb, and spectral effects. The system is tailored to explore the contrabass's acoustic boundaries and expand its expressive potential.
Built upon six main functions, the Nuk Live System facilitates the creative manipulation of sound during the performance. Features like crossed delay, bounce delay, and shredulator emphasize the percussive characteristics of the contrabass, while real-time spectral processing transforms its tonal textures. These transformations allow the contrabass to surpass its physical limitations, creating layered and dynamic soundscapes. By integrating these advanced techniques, the Nuk Live System enables the performer to interactively shape the sound in real-time, enriching the immersive quality of the live performance.
*Nuk is Hyunkyung Shin's sole project, integrating the process of composition and live processing software for live electronics performances.