Music / Luminescence and the Machine. At The Street Theatre, April 30. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

The human voice has created some of the most sublime sounds ever, but when extended through today’s electronic possibilities, it can make a voice sound like it comes from another realm.

Luminescence and the Machine, developed in collaboration with Grammy Award winners William Brittelle and Cameron Beauchamp, and Véronique Benett doing lighting and stage design, explored the fuzzy line between people and bionics. The ensemble’s vocal sound was transformed by an electronic architecture that let each singer modify their voice instantly, producing a complex sound-world of interdependent effects.

With ten works performed over 75 minutes, the six amplified singers were artistic director AJ America, Josephine Brereton, Lucien Fischer, Rachel Mink, Alasdair Stretch, and Dan Walker. They created sounds that at times crossed what seemed like Balkan folk music to the first sounds heard in electronic film scores, like Forbidden Planet of 1956. But honestly, there was no genre or sound construction to compare these pieces to, which is astounding.

The pieces were by William Brittelle (US), Tilman Robinson, Damien Ricketson, Jess Green, Dan Walker, Jessica O’Donoghue, Olivia Bettina Davies, Sam Weiss, and Marcus Whale, all with suitable out-of-this-world titles.

Composer and sound artist Tilman Robinson requires a singular mention for his group effort with sound, instrument design and compositional collaboration.

On stage with the singers was what looked like some sort of alien life form composed of a metal skeleton with hoses, wires, and lights. The six singers stood in front of these towering machine-like constructions that oozed mist, light and added a spooky feel to the overall visual concept. The total lighting and visual design added great depth to the whole, giving it a film-like quality.

The visual and aural effects at times saturated a listener with an intensity and dynamic that became all consuming. This was new territory that pushed the singers and the audience, but when immersed in the sounds, it felt like a warm blanket covering the entire space.

With midi-controllers, vocoders and an electronic keyboard behind what the singers were doing, it was the virtuosic voices of the group that added things no electronic gear ever could. Their subtle intonations and forceful dynamics made this performance something seldom heard in any musical sphere.

One of the most revealing aspects of the performance was watching the singers move to an unannounced rhythm in the music. Each singer found a way of visually expressing the sound.

Several pieces had such complexity to them that they defied logic. One with breath sounds that moved within an intricate syncopation, even without the electronics adding what it did, just amazed. I was hoping to hear a few more driving, upbeat electronic pieces, but it worked as an experience, which will hang in this reviewer’s brain for some time.

There is one final performance on May 3 at The Street Theatre.