N/O/E/W/A is…
In short, N/O/E/W/A is about sonic explorations and free-style electroacoustic improvisations.
My name is Levente Dudas, and the idea of N/O/E/W/A was born while I was organizing and promoting contemporary free form jazz and improvised music in Szekesfehervar, a town about 45 km (~30 miles) southwest from Budapest, Hungary. This was all happenning during 2008 – 2009 period. Then, I was more focusing on being successful as a music promoter, I was not aspiring towards sound art or sonic explorations or making any sort of experimental electroacoustic music.
So it all happened in early 2019, guided by a sudden idea and musical experience at a gig, that I have decided to try myself out as a sonic explorer and adventurer. I still did not know what it would be, where to start or how I would do it. At that time I have listened and followed works of several electroacoutstic composers, musicians and performers – see few under Influences. With no experience and limited knowledge, I had bought my very first hardware synth: Moog SubSequent 37, and I had started turning the knobs, while conjuring some extremely exciting sounds and sonic textures out of that machine. I was thrilled when I have made my first arpeggiated rhythm pattern.
Ever since, I am seeking my unique voice as a sonic artist, sound designer, noisemaker and performer.
My Story
I was born in Backa Topola, a small town in former Yugoslavia, now northern Serbia, some 50km (35 miles) from Hungarian border.
As a young teenager I was dragged into the world of rock ‘n’ roll, mostly listened to local bands such as Leb i Sol, Bijelo Dugme, Riblja Corba, to name few bands from Yugoslavia; and then later I have expanded my listening adding bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, Dead Can Dance, The Cure, Bauhaus, Front242, Einsturzende Neubauten and so forth…
The qualitative breakthrough in how I understand and perceive music and sounds, what I was seeking in music and what I would eventually like to create and get involved with, came from several other and quite independent sources and authors: Arnold Schoenberg’s orchestral music, “2001: Space Oddisey” soundtrack, Tangerine Dream’s Zeit and Jan Garbarek Group’s Aftric Pepperbird, Iannis Xenakis’ Persepolis – all stunningly interesting and misterious and exciting in their own ways.
My Mission
Finding the right combination of instruments and sounds is an art form, and takes the same creative energy as choosing the right chord, creating a beautiful melody or writing engaging lyrics. People have been experimenting with combining instruments for centuries – or even millennia. Some combinations of instruments that we are familiar with today evolved over hundreds of years. Others were the result of necessity, or an accident, or a crazy idea on the spur of the moment.
Since 2019, when I began this sonic adventure, my goal is to learn as much as possible about the sounds and how sounds are created. I am constantly seeking my unique voice, the unique sonic signature, through experimenting and learning and combining various instruments, and listening to and recording surrounding noise and sonic textures.
Open to collaborations and commissions!
If you listened to my music, sonic explorations and sound design, and you liked it, then please do not hesitate to send me a note to my electronic mailbox.
I am open to and I welcome collaborations and commissions. Thanks!