Four Bars of Fury

Limitations are such a great catalyst for creativity! Last December, Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music ran a wacky contest to celebrate the “leap second” leading into 2006. More than 30 people submitted one-second compositions ranging from sound effects to micro-riffs. Then Peter strung them together into an amazing time-lapse paean to the Earth’s slowing spin.

Now, Chris Randall of Audio Damage has extended the concept into a contest he calls Four Measures of Fury. On the first Saturday of every month, Chris promises to upload a four-bar audio file for visitors to deconstruct, damage, and transform into something even “more poignant.” The cool limitation is that the resulting file has to be the same length and tempo as the original and use no additional sounds. Here was the fuel for this month, a six-second drum break with a single bass note at the end:

With the comparative wealth of material, the 30-odd contestants turned in some outstandingly twisted remixes.

Chris notes, “The amazing thing you’ll immediately notice is that they all blend together quite well. Using the common source material is the cause of that, I suppose.” That’s a good tip for all composers in this age of omnipotent music software: Set yourself a limit, and you’ll probably find it makes your own personality shine through.

I’m looking forward to testing that theory on Saturday, March 4, when the next contest begins. Submissions will be due the following Saturday.