The Styrous® Viewfinder: Pamela Z ~ A Secret Code: A Concert of Music for Voice and Electronics

Pamela Z ~ A Secret Code

screenshot by Styrous®

What would be the result if you rolled up Meredith Monk, Joan La Barbara, Leontyne Price, Moondog, Yma Sumac, Nina Hagen, John Cage, Pauline Oliveros and Nico then threw in a touch of the humor of Whoopie Goldberg? I would imagine a performance artist by the name of Pamela Z!

To watch her in action is to hear and see a sonic/visual wonder. I've seen her a few times, the first was about twenty years ago (YIKES!) at Project Artaud, and I had that pleasure again a few days ago in the privacy of my very own studio when she performed on line with her production of A Secret Code. I could have watched in my PJs but opted instead for a t-shirt, sweat pants and slippers; how much more comfortable can you get? I took some photos of my computer screen during her performance.

Pamela Z ~ A Secret Code

photo by Styrous®

She has an exquisite voice of operatic quality and uses it to the best advantage along with electronic augmentation and manipulations as demonstrated in her work Badagada (YouTube link below). The electronics she uses are quite fascinating as well, right out of 50's Sci-Fi.

She is not just a sound artist, however, she has a keen sense of the visual aspects of what she is doing. This was demonstrated quite nicely in the piece she calls, Blink. When she started Blink I thought she was holding a mirror which was reflecting someone in the studio there with her then realized she was holding an iPad or tablet which was set in selfie mode and I was actually seeing parts of her face; a terrific mind bending shift of perception.

Pamela Z ~ Blink above & below

photos by Styrous®

After the performance Pamela talked about her processes and the electronic devices she uses and answered question from members of the "audience". The devices operated in a manner similar to the theremin in that movement is involved without actually touching them, however, the similarity ends there. They are far more sophisticated in that it is not only movement but the shape of her hands and other elements that determine the sound, pitch, key and tone emitted. She has an amazing array of sound generating gadgets. Two of them were on plastic bands that fit around the palms of her hands.

Pamela Z ~ A Secret Code

photo by Styrous®

She processes/samples multiple versions of her voice on the spot and loops/modifies each version then sings, vocalizes or reads in harmony with them using a computer modular program, MAX MSP, the same program Tom White used in his Butohdrawing performances on Cyprus in 2000, with Betty Jo Costanzo.

She uses blocks of prefabricated sound blocks she creates but then ad libs as the occasion requires; sometimes one work may sound the same at times, sometimes not. This happened during the show when one of the apparatus did not work. She explained that the programming is sensitive to the lighting; there was some kind of light in the studio that blocked it. She had to substitute with another work.

She doesn't just sing/vocalize she also does her magic while reading. She spoke words, processed them then, when she had what she wanted, she began reading while they played. I found this totally amazing as I cannot read anything if there is someone talking or something going on. To be able to focus like that was fascinating.

Pamela Z ~ A Secret Code

photo by Styrous®

She did a piece with one of her electronics where she was dictating while typing a letter to a pen pal with total ancient typewriter sounds and movements. It as well as some of the works she did for this performance are parts of the solo voice & electronics piece on YouTube (link below).

Pamela Z ~ Typewriter above & below

photos by Styrous®

At one point she walked off camera and returned with her hair messed up! I figured something must be up so I just decided to wait before passing judgment. I was focusing on the sounds she was making but after a few seconds it dawned on me she had put sensors in her hair and they were lighting up. That was a great surprise!

Pamela Z ~ Hairlight

photo by Styrous®

She ended the program with a sparse yet intricate work entitled Other Rooms that sent shivers down my spine and made the hair on my arms stand up!

Pamela Z ~ Other Rooms

photo by Styrous®

All in all it was a pretty wonderful experience that I will remember for many years to come. Well done, Pamela!!!!!

She was kind enough to sent the Set List for the evening to me:

Flare Stains
Typewriter
Declaratives
Broom
Syrinx
Blink
Quatre Couches
Badagada
Pop Titles ‘You’
Breathing (from Carbon Song Cycle)
Unknown Person (from Baggage Allowance)
Hairlight
Other Rooms

The event was Sponsored by Douglass Residential College, a part of Rutgers University, and the Music Department of Mason Gross.

Viewfinder links:

Robert Ashley

John Cage

Betty Jo Costanzo

Whoopi Goldberg

Nina Hagen

Joan La Barbara

Alvin Lucier

Meredith Monk

Leontyne Price

Morton Subotnick