Caves, Dwellings & Vibration: Divine Resonance by Maxwell Sterling
This is an edited recording of Divine Resonance by Maxwell Sterling. This performance took place during day 1 of Caves, Dwellings & Vibration, a two-day programme deepening and complexifying our relationship with caves through talks, music, film and performances.
Written around 111hz, known as the divine frequency, this composition invites the listener to switch off their prefrontal cortex, tap into their intuition and creativity, and allow for healing from within.
Utilising the innate resonance and frequency build-up in subterranean spaces, Divine Resonance exploits the depth and low register of the double bass as well as voltage-controlled oscillators. By tuning the double bass to around 111hz, open strings can be struck, bowed and hit to create a feedback network, which when excited by the sound of the oscillators creates a sonic continuum, traversing from the primal to the post-apocalyptic.
Maxwell Sterling is a composer, producer, musician and artist, originally from Manchester. Maxwell’s debut record Hollywood Medieval (Death of Rave, 2016) set out his fascination with the glitches between the traditions of acoustic and synthesized music. His album Turn of Phrase (AD93, 2021) takes inspiration from both Gregorian chants and hyper- modern digital processing and synthesis. Most recently in early 2022, his EP with Martha Skye Murphy, Distance on Ground (American Dreams, 2022) was released; a tape comprised of two long tracks focusing on the immediacy of musical communication.