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I am a pianist, composer, and sound collage artist whose work falls between the cracks of several musical genres. My approach is to combine original music with found sound samples, both processed and arranged electronically, to explore subconscious states such as dreams, trances, auditory hallucinations, involuntary memories, etc. The found sounds are appropriated from a variety of prerecorded media and include voices, sound effects, or musical samples, as well as original field recordings. I particularly enjoy recontextualizing speech samples (a favorite source being public radio interviews) and recombining them with other sounds to create new meanings. At the same time, I aim to place the spoken word on equal footing with music, thereby calling attention to the musical qualities of speech, also taking advantage of the mood or tone the words evoke to augment the musical effect. As I continue to work, I draw increasingly from the female voice: I believe it is the most beautiful instrument in the world. I am fascinated and moved by the tone of female speech, singing, pre-vocal aspiration, sighs, laughter, and the wide variety of wordless vocal expressions for which there are no names. Due to the prevalence of spoken word samples, the resulting work tends to suggest a narrative, however I try not to impose a particular story upon the listener, preferring instead the individual and subjective interpretations of imaginative minds. Other interests include creating and photographing found object assemblages, and experimenting with video montage (still image/video gallery).
Frawley blurs traditional distinctions between music and sound art. Like his mysterious hypnotist, he plays with the power of suggestion, layering fragments of speech and story on top of a recurring piano phrase. Meanwhile the voices break through the melodic surface, but no real ‘character’ emerges, and I’m unsure who is being hypnotised. Is it me?"
-- Stacey Sewell, furthernoise.org
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