The Bagua is a custom built midi-interface, designed to spatialize instrument groups and spatial trajectories in SØSTR performances, used with Ableton and Xp4l. It is inspired by the Bagua (Chinese: 八卦; pinyin: bāguà; lit. 'eight trigrams') which is a set of symbols from Chinese culture, intended to illustrate the nature of reality as being composed of mutually opposing forces reinforcing one another.
"Death of the Sweet Spot" is an attempt of working with spatial strategies as a core element of the songwriting. We asked ourselves if the higher resolution sound field can contain more information, and experimented with the multiplicity of melodic narratives and questioning the hierarchies of a supposed main and supporting vocal. Foreground/background.
Thematically it is inspired by the expansion of the universe and orbiting celestial bodies. What emerges when we let go of a fixed center? Whether in love, in sound, or in our understanding of the universe, what new possibilities emerge when we embrace the unknown, the decentralized, the ever-moving?
We have composed two primary melodies for the two voices, intending to explore their interplay through spatialization specifically for our Space Halo interfaces. This allowed us to dynamically shape and question the hierarchy and spatial relationship between them. In the chorus, the two melodies converge into a deliberately monotonous center, unmoving, repetitive, and in unison, while the harmony remains static, with chords that don’t progress but instead hover, unresolved. This sonic stasis mirrors the lyric: “You and I, you and I were in the center of it all”.
Brainstorming Lyric-based spatial songwriting
"Psychoacoustic Narrative Composition" – highlights how sound placement influences perception and meaning.
"3D Audio Lyricism" – emphasizes the three-dimensional aspect of sonic choices.
"Spatial Poetry in Sound" – combines poetic lyricism with the spatial movement of sound.
"Sonic Choreography" – implies an intentional movement of sound in space.
"3D Audio Lyricism" – emphasizes the three-dimensional aspect of sonic choices.
Ghostly Voice
The world is tilting to the right
There’s an empty space on the left
We grasp it when we close our eyes
how we're longing for depth
The world is running out of time
radiation, infrared
a ghostly voice sings lullabies
while they’re stuck on the web
The ground is trembling under us
rumbling a whisper loud
dopamine gives us a rush
sense is lost in the cloud
The stars are fading one by one
Like coral reefs in the sea
I hold my breath, afraid to hum
could a sigh set us free?
The world is fading into rain
A shadow cast on the spot
where silence will replace your name
as we drown in the mud
Ghostly Voice Spatial Instructions / Imaginaries
music is slowly panning from left to only right side leaving only white noise on the left
noise stops abruptly
multi-voice sings “close our eyes” from all angles
voice is leaving a long tail in the “depth” beat loosing its timing and we’re having a break until the sound with a very long reverb has ringed out
ticking clock
multi-voice: “Radiation, infrared” from all angels
arpeggios circulating to spatially draw out a web of sorts while multiple ghostly lullabies sound from different angels
Thunder / noise / low end rumble from underneathmany asmr whispers appear together end up being loud
rush is emphasized with a chaotic swirl of low (rumble ) and high end (asmr) sounds that switch position
Voice dissolves into a particle cloud
"one by one” fades in a decaying echo, and randomly jumps around
"coral reefs in the sea” fades in a decaying echo and randomly jumps around
make space for "hummmmmmmmmm"
water drop sounds randomly jump around
water drop sounds stop abruptly
multi-voice from many angles: as we slide in the mud)
SØSTR: What is this song about?
ChatGbt:
about the chaotic state of the modern world, touching on themes of political imbalance, environmental decay, digital isolation, and existential uncertainty. The first verse suggests a world that is both physically and ideologically off-balance, with a missing presence ("an empty space on the left") and a hidden depth we can only grasp when we close our eyes—perhaps alluding to things we choose to ignore. The second verse introduces urgency with time running out, radiation (possibly referencing climate change or technological overreach), and a "ghostly voice" singing lullabies, which could symbolize manipulation or passive resignation in the digital age. The third verse captures the anxiety and overstimulation of modern life, where whispers become shouts, dopamine (a reference to social media addiction) provides fleeting pleasure, and rationality gets lost in the "cloud"—both literally (cloud computing) and metaphorically. The fourth verse draws a parallel between the fading stars and dying coral reefs, suggesting a loss of beauty, connection, or hope. The fear of even making a sound reflects deep existential dread. The final verse portrays a world dissolving into rain, with silence replacing a name—perhaps signifying loss, erasure, or forgotten identities as society sinks further into chaos ("sliding in the mud"). Overall, the song feels like a poetic meditation on a world unraveling due to environmental destruction, digital dependence, and a loss of meaning.
Performative Score for eight imaginary voices / four vocal timbres;
(female, male, androgynous, mouse-like)
A live audio-visual composition exploring the tension between mathematical harmony and human imperfection.
A harmonic series is generated using sine waves, each frequency assigned to separate speaker. One live voice per speaker attempts to match the corresponding harmonic. The harmonic structure is visualized in real-time (e.g., oscilloscopes, speaker movements or digitally). Distortions emerge as voices diverge from the mathematical ideal.
Singers strive to align with their assigned sine waves, seeking harmony. The imperfection of human pitch, breath, and texture introduces deviation and interference. The attempt and inevitable failure shape the piece, creating shifting tensions between order and chaos.
voice 1 (speaker 1) vs voice 2 (speaker 5) female = fundamental
voice 3 (speaker 2) vs voice 4 (speaker 6) androgynous = octave
voice 5 (speaker 3) vs voice 6 (speaker 7) male = perfect fifth
voice 7 (speaker 2) vs voice 8 (speaker 6) mouse-like = octave
voice 1 (speaker 1) vs voice 2 (speaker 5) female = Major Third
voice 3 (speaker 2) vs voice 4 (speaker 6) androgynous = Perfect Fifth
voice 5 (speaker 3) vs voice 6 (speaker 7) male = Minor Seventh
voice 7 (speaker 2) vs voice 8 (speaker 6) mouse-like = Octave
voice 1 (speaker 1) vs voice 2 (speaker 5) female = fundamental
voice 3 (speaker 2) vs voice 4 (speaker 6) androgynous = octave
voice 5 (speaker 3) vs voice 6 (speaker 7) male = perfect fifth
voice 7 (speaker 2) vs voice 8 (speaker 6) mouse-like = octave
voice 1 (speaker 1) vs voice 2 (speaker 5) female = Major Ninth
voice 3 (speaker 2) vs voice 4 (speaker 6) androgynous = Major Third
voice 5 (speaker 3) vs voice 6 (speaker 7) male = Sharp Forth
voice 7 (speaker 2) vs voice 8 (speaker 6) mouse-like = Perfect Fifth
voice 1 (speaker 1) vs voice 2 (speaker 5) female = Major Sixth
voice 3 (speaker 2) vs voice 4 (speaker 6) androgynous = Minor Seventh
voice 5 (speaker 3) vs voice 6 (speaker 7) male = Major Seventh
voice 7 (speaker 2) vs voice 8 (speaker 6) mouse-like = Octave
