ListN Up is a series of weekly artist-curated playlists. Born from a desire to keep artists sharing and connected during times of isolation, ListN Up offers an intimate sonic portrait of contemporary artists by showcasing the diverse and stylistically varied music that influences their creative practice.
“[inti’s] music feels sprouted between structures, liberated from certainty and wrought from a language we’d do well to learn” writes the Washington Post. Originally from Washington D.C. and now residing in New York City, inti figgis-vizueta (b. 1993) focuses on close collaborative relationships with a wide range of ensembles and soloists. Her musical practice is physical and visceral, attempting to reconcile historical aesthetics and experimental practices with trans & indigenous futures.
*coffee sip* Oh hello, I didn’t see you there! So glad you could make it. Here at inti composes, we care if you listen. I am so happy to introduce this playlist of amazing composers, improvisers, and makers. Happy listening!
peak chroma by claire rousay
I’ve adored claire’s work since catching the final show of her residency at Rhizome in DC — her new record, a softer focus, is a gorgeous and tender reflection on the intimacies of the day-to-day. In peak chroma, I find delight and wonder in the care of long tones. A duet of strings and processed voice flickers and flits of familiar yet unidentified objects, and the joy of hearing my friend speaking in conversation. I feel proximity and love and that’s all I look for these days — it’s also a kickass record.
Esteemed Dougie by Charmaine Lee
Charmaine’s new LP KNVF is rich and fleeting in all the best ways, with vibrant detail in its organic constructions and simultaneous processes. In Esteemed Dougie, the expressive, joyous contours of extreme highs and dense lows feel revelatory. The vocal qualities of sine tones and rippling distortions are foregrounded as more material is revealed, added, and then taken away in spontaneous and dazzling manners.
Neutral Objects by Yaz Lancaster, performed by JACK Quartet
It’s a skill to write short pieces, especially for string quartet. In this recent work written as part of National Sawdust’s New Works Commission, Yaz showcases an expertise in pacing and material through the contemplation of the everyday. Harmonies build themselves, warp, transform, and fade. I could listen to Neutral Objects for 3 minutes or 3 hours.
Chorale by Raven Chacon
Talk about a piece that transports you to another dimension—Chorale, written for Four Fog Horns, is awe-inspiring and earthshaking. The harmonies, slowly constructing, feel organic yet utterly musical and the call-and-response joyous, like the lovesongs of giants.
divisio spiralis by Catherine Lamb
I had the absolute pleasure of seeing the premiere of this work at the New School and its resonances have been stuck in my head ever since. The hour-long epic slowly descends from extremely high, with an enormous index of distinct tones derived from the fundamental of 10hz (a very low note). The work’s inexorable downwards movement explores vivid sonorous spaces, with wonderfully distinct combinations of overtones and accompanying timbres. Pop it on your TV, grab some popcorn, and settle in.
koʻu inoa by Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, performed by Chris Chorney
A beautiful solo piece based on the anthem “Hawai‘i Aloha” (dedicated to Nāwahineokalaʻi). I love its breathiness, worldbuilding, and gentle pulsing. Listen for all the voices.
music for transitions by inti figgis-vizueta, performed by Andrew Yee
I wrote this for Andrew Yee in the summer of 2020—we had been speaking for a while pre-pandemic about a new work, often meeting and sharing creative space together. Andrew translated our conversations into music, taking essential materials and visual frameworks I provided and weaving them into a layered, four-part work. The energy and embodiment of their musicmaking is a joy to witness.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially-independent program of the American Composers Forum, funded with generous donor and institutional support. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and may not represent the views of ICIYL or ACF.
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