Click on the image to hear Phonexus.

I did not choose an object that was sentimental or emotional for me in any special way. I chose a telephone because I feel that this object has an incredible foundation for sound associations. The approach that I took was straightforward: I wanted to trace the progression of a phone call from the time you dial the numbers until the time you hang up. But along the way I attempted to structurally match other "noises" that would correspond to the phase of the call. The fundamental theme of the soundscape is the portrayal of the phone as a dichotomy. On one hand, it is a singular unit that taps into a global system of cables and electricity. And on the other it is a communication device used - most frequently - between people on the most intimate level: one on one. All sorts of emotions get wrapped up in phone conversations, but I wanted to concentrate on a more loving and nostalgic tone. This type of mood provides the strongest contradiction to the initial, mechanical feel.

So the call starts with the numbers being dialed. After the rings end, the call begins traveling through an intense path of "sound circuitry." I went for a very mechanical feel here by using the Aphex Twin track and looping the crazy cell phone noise. Both of these sounds were mixed with the noise that is produced by logging on to AOL. The cell phone noise and the AOL noise were both recorded on a Nagra. The computer was plugged into a mixing console in order to hear it over a loudspeaker. This is the only way I could get sound to be detected through the Sennheiser shotgun mic. The next phase of the soundscape is supposed to mimic the moment that a phone receiver is picked up. Unfortunately I didn't get a real phone conversation. So I used the answering machine to portray a couple just trying to touch base with each other. The intimacy of the messages is accentuated by the other Apex Twin song. (Do you see a pattern emerging?) This particular track sounds more organic and sentimental, thus propelling the listener out of the previous mood. The soundscape ends abruptly and almost leaves the listener with a sense of longing. The end is the part I was critiqued on the most.