Subterranean Changes is a curatorial project by Gilles Aubry that investigates the histories and practices of electroacoustic music outside of the Western canon. The project seeks out alternative sonic modernities, moving beyond mere technical experimentation to treat electroacoustics as a tool for “rewriting” the world through spatial and sensory listening.
The project manifests through a diverse range of public activations, including concerts, immersive installations, listening sessions, and critical discussions developed in dialogue with hosting institutions. At its core, the musical program features the electroacoustic works of Ahmed Essyad and Gilles Aubry, alongside contributions from guest artists such as Tuce Alba, Hexorcismos, and Leila Bencharnia. Complementing the live events is a dedicated podcast series featuring in-depth artist interviews and original commissioned sound works.
Ahmed Essyad’s Electroacoustic Compositions (1972-74)
Ahmed Essyad is a composer born in 1938 in Salé, Morocco. After studying music at the Rabat Conservatory in Morocco, he moved to Paris in 1962, where he became a pupil and then assistant to Max Deutsch. Trained in the avant-garde processes of Western musical composition, he also claims the Amazigh folk music of Morocco as a fundamental source of inspiration for his work. Working in the studio enabled him to become the interpreter of his own music, offering a form of continuity with traditional oral music.
The compositions Toubkal and Sultanes were produced between 1972 and 1974 in the electroacoustic music studio (S.M.E.C.A) of the Music Workshop founded by Jorge Arriagada in Paris. The studio was equipped with EMS and Minimoog synthesizers, a piano, a marimba, a xylophone, as well as various percussion instruments and a magnetic tape reverb.
L’Makina by Gilles Aubry (2023)
L’Makina is a haunting composition that combines AI-generated sound textures with modular synths. Structured in two parts, the piece explores the spectral possibilities of a virtual sound model developed using a machine learning algorithm, in collaboration with Moroccan musicians Ali Faiq and Idr Basrou.
The title references a 1930s song about the phonograph by Amazigh musician L’Haj Belaid. In the original song, Belaid marvels at the machine’s ability to replicate human speech with uncanny precision, prompting the poet to question whether he should continue composing verses. This reflection resonates with current debates surrounding artificial intelligence and the interplay between humans and machines.
Past Events
SoC Exhibition, Casablanca (Nov 2023), https://earpolitics.net/november-10-2023-school-of-casablanca-exhibition-opening/
Le 18, Marrakech (April 2025), https://parastatal.art/news/subterranean-changes-marrakech-2025
Ultima festival, Oslo (Sept 2025) https://parastatal.art/news/sept-20-2025-ultima-festival
Bar Neun, Berlin (Sept 2025) https://parastatal.art/news/subterranean-changes-live-vol-2
Festival Korsonor, Genève (Nov 2025), https://artasperto.ch/en/evenement/subterranean-changes-2/
Links
Live excerpt, Ahmed Essyad : https://youtu.be/BF5uvtsFlGQ?si=FDUyVSlNG3QVoLeJ
Live excerpt, Gilles Aubry : https://youtu.be/-eq_SKLiTkI?si=zed3GR6Q1HzcLgVG
Podcast : https://parastatal.art/sound-series/@subterranean
Interview with Essyad : https://parastatal.art/episodes/@subterranean/interview-with-ahmed-essyad
Albums