SETI (band)
Encyclopedia
Seti is an ambient electronic band, which is a collaboration of Savvas Ysatis
and Taylor Deupree
(also credited as Taylor808). The duo formed in 1993 in New York
.
The term S.E.T.I. stands for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. This topic is the inspiration for and the central theme of the band's music.
Seti’s music is ambient
, with few songs containing readily apparent rhythms (those with rhythm tend toward the trip-hop–ambient-IDM
genres). The mood of the music is pervasively mysterious, grandiose and occasionally spooky; the sounds used are expansive, even alien in nature. Some songs could be considered noise music
, as they include white noise and samples from radio telescopes scanning deep space (such as pulsar
s, radiation
, supernovae, and other astronomical phenomena). Many other sounds give the impressions of quiet computers, signals travelling immense distances, garbled radio transmissions, and electrical energies. The net effect of the music is that the listener feels transported to the deep recesses of space, or feels s/he is listening to sounds, transmissions, or events in deep space. Also heard on the album Pharos is a speech given by Frank Drake
, one-time president of the SETI Institute
and creator of the Drake Equation
, who describes the S.E.T.I. project.
Andrew Lagowski also recorded music under the moniker S.E.T.I. (with periods), with albums including The Geometry of Night and POD.
The liner notes
of the group's albums often feature reprints of material from the various SETI
projects around the world or short essays by prominent SETI personnel.
Savvas Ysatis
-Early life:Ysatis was born in Athens, Greece, and developed an interest in the synthesizer through exposure to electronic music by artists such as Kraftwerk and Jean Michel Jarre in the late 1970s. At age 15, he left Greece to move to New York City, where he acquired some musical equipment and...
and Taylor Deupree
Taylor Deupree
Taylor Deupree , is an American electronic musician, photographer and graphic designer. He is most known for the founding of the 12k record label, along with his work as a member of Prototype 909, and his collaborations with Savvas Ysatis and Christopher Willits...
(also credited as Taylor808). The duo formed in 1993 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The term S.E.T.I. stands for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. This topic is the inspiration for and the central theme of the band's music.
Seti’s music is ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, with few songs containing readily apparent rhythms (those with rhythm tend toward the trip-hop–ambient-IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
genres). The mood of the music is pervasively mysterious, grandiose and occasionally spooky; the sounds used are expansive, even alien in nature. Some songs could be considered noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
, as they include white noise and samples from radio telescopes scanning deep space (such as pulsar
Pulsar
A pulsar is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation can only be observed when the beam of emission is pointing towards the Earth. This is called the lighthouse effect and gives rise to the pulsed nature that gives pulsars their name...
s, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, supernovae, and other astronomical phenomena). Many other sounds give the impressions of quiet computers, signals travelling immense distances, garbled radio transmissions, and electrical energies. The net effect of the music is that the listener feels transported to the deep recesses of space, or feels s/he is listening to sounds, transmissions, or events in deep space. Also heard on the album Pharos is a speech given by Frank Drake
Frank Drake
Frank Donald Drake PhD is an American astronomer and astrophysicist. He is most notable as one of the pioneers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the founding of SETI, mounting the first observational attempts at detecting extraterrestrial communications in 1961 in Project...
, one-time president of the SETI Institute
SETI Institute
The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe”. SETI stands for the "search for extraterrestrial intelligence". One program is the use of both radio and optical telescopes to search...
and creator of the Drake Equation
Drake equation
The Drake equation is an equation used to estimate the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. It is used in the fields of exobiology and the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence...
, who describes the S.E.T.I. project.
Andrew Lagowski also recorded music under the moniker S.E.T.I. (with periods), with albums including The Geometry of Night and POD.
The liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
of the group's albums often feature reprints of material from the various SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
projects around the world or short essays by prominent SETI personnel.
Discography
- Seti (1994)
- PharosPharos (album)Pharos is an album by the experimental ambient group Seti, which was released in 1995.-Disc 1: "Arecibo":# ".beacon01" – 18:53# ".beacon02" – 6:17# ".beacon03" – 6:20# ".beacon04" – 4:34# ".beacon05" – 6:07# ".beacon06" – 6:54...
(1995) - CiphersCiphers (album)Ciphers is an ambient music album by SETI which was released in 1996. It is Ysatis and Deupree's last release under the SETI moniker. This album also features trip-hop and jazz influences, as found in their contemporary Futique releases.-Track listing:...
(1996)