Hunsmire Polypoppi
John Miles works in acoustic, electroacoustic and computer-assisted music composition as well as computer-assisted interactive performance. He has a master’s in Music Composition/Theory from Miami University. He is also "ABD" at the University of Illinois, where he majored in Music Composition and minored in Music Theory. John has taught music theory at the University of Illinois, where he was a Visiting Lecturer as well as electronic music at Miami University where he also assisted in directed the electronic music studios. From 1991-95 Miles developed a MAX-based program for interactive performance and composition called HUNSMIRE, used with an Akai EWI or MIDI controller. John has studied composition with Salvatore Martirano, C. James Sheppard, Paul Steinberg, G. Roger Davis, John Melby, Paul Zonn, Morgan Powell, and Elliott DelBorgo.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
John has performed within numerous genres and ensembles throughout his performing career. John has performed as an instrumentalist (saxophone, bassoon, clarinet and keyboards) in the US Navy Band in Guam, South America, and the Caribbean as well as with the Crane Saxophone Quartet.
Your musical influences
Hmm, I have a wide variety of musical influences. I was trained classically whilst simultaneously gaining performing experience at an early age. Regarding my musical philosophy, I'd have to list the music of Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage and Milton Babbitt as being significantly influential. Dada and Eastern philosophy has also been significant in my approach, especially recently. Not to sleight any of my many excellent teachers in years past, but the two people that stand out as continuing to influence what I do now are Salvatore Martirano and C. James Sheppard.
While the idea of crashing guitars is still quite appealing, these days I'm digesting various flavors of techno. Of these, I enjoy jungle/drum 'n bass the most. I still enjoy listening to Bird, Coltrane, and Miles, though. Finally, I enjoy new music, and by that, I'm not referring to that which is promoted by corporate media.
In general, I don't like being pigeonholed into a particular genre. Each composition I create comes out of the ether, and until it's completed, takes on its own energy and life. Why should I try to categorize what I'm doing into some sort of label? I'll leave all that to the so-called 'experts'...
What equipment do you use?
In the olden days I used to use analog technology to create works on magnetic tape.
Nowadays I use several vintages of Macintosh computers in order to accomplish various sound production tasks and to create musical compositions: Centris 650 w/ 2 Digidesign SampleCell and 1 Audiomedia II cards; Powercomputing TowerPower Pro 225; Macintosh G4.
Amongst the software I use to create music include: Vision DSP, ProTools, SampleCell, Sound Designer II, Max, M, Sound and Logic, and numerous VST plug-ins.
Finally, I play an AKAI EWI 1000, and have various synthesizers in my rack: AKAI EWV 2000, Yamaha TG33, TX7, FB-01, Proteus 2 XR.
