APOCANYMPHO: WNYU.ORG TODAY: DENMOZA FEVER

Full playlist: wnyu.org

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CACTUS MUSIC is jams played on a cactus that has been furbished with a contact mic and amplified. Cacti of the globulous Denmoza or Geohintonia varieties are preferable, for the acoustic properties latent in their long spines.

Although the repertoire of original compositions for the cactus to date is humble, there are two worth noting in particular, both authored by modern composer and amateur mycologist John Cage. It is said that while on tour in Arizona with the Cunningham Dance Company in 1975, Cage was introduced to the cactus as instrument by a dancer named Charles Moulton, who for reasons unguessed, plucked the spines of a dried cactus melodically next to Cage's ear. Cage was thus moved to compose Child of Tree (1975) and Branches (1976) for an orchestra of amplified cacti and other plant materials.

The score to Child of Tree is merely a set of instructions concerning the selection of ten instruments comprised of plant materials, employing certain I-Ching chance operations. It is advised that at least one of the instruments be a pod from the Poinciana tree, native to Mexico. This pod produces a distinctive rattle. The soloist who endeavors to perform Child of Tree improvises, indicating time structure through her use of the instruments at hand.

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DENMOZA FEVER: Best-of-cactus-music collage f/ original vids from Youtube::

Denmoza fever Pt. I: Shooting A Cactus With A 12 Gauge