Disquiet Junto Project 0725: Rack It
Dear Members of the Disquiet Junto,
The days, at least in these parts of the world, are getting shorter. Hibernation mode is kicking in. I hope this note finds you well, or best you can be, whichever way — and whenever — your version of the sun is currently setting.
Speaking of which, I’m on a bit of an end-of-year social media break, if not an outright digital retreat. So, if you’re on Bluesky, Mastodon, or Threads, and so forth, and wouldn’t mind spreading the word about the projects each week, I’d appreciate the assistance. It’s unfortunate that my annual hiatus overlaps with the anniversary of the 1996 founding of Disquiet.com, which comes around on December 13, but at least by the time of the anniversary of the Junto, which started the first week of January 2012, I’ll be back in the public swing of things.
This week’s project takes a concept from film and applies it to sound. As always, it’ll be exciting to hear what you make of it.
Speaking of what one makes of something, I recommend taking a look at the videos posted recently by Jason Richardson, best know among Junto participants as Bassling. On his YouTube channel, he’s been posting some thoughtful reflections on the Junto and his activities in it. The most recent of these — which touches on the variety of responses a given weekly project results in — went up about a week and a half ago.
And that covers things. Thanks, as always, for your generosity with your time, creativity, and curiosity.
And best from San Francisco, where it’s almost properly cold,
Marc Weidenbaum
marc@disquiet.com
. . .
Disquiet Junto Project 0725: Rack It
The Assignment: Change the “focus” of a track as it plays.
Step 1: There is a concept in photography and filmmaking called “rack focus,” which can be understood as the process of altering depth of field so as to draw attention to one or another element.
Step 2: Record a track in which you apply the concept of “rack focus” to sound.
Approach: You might, for example, take a preexisting track for which you already have the various layers separated, and then at any given moment, put all but one through a low-pass filter. That’s just a suggestion.
Tasks Upon Completion:
Label: Include “disquiet0725” (no spaces/quotes) in the name of your track.
Upload: A person participating in the Disquiet Junto should post only one track per weekly project (SoundCloud account preferred but not required). If on occasion you feel inspired to post more than one track (whether to a single account or across multiple accounts), you should clarify which is the “main” rendition for consideration by fellow members and (if on SoundCloud) for inclusion in the SoundCloud playlist.
Share: Post your track and a description/explanation at https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0725-rack-it/
Discuss: Listen to and comment on the other tracks.
Additional Details:
Length: The length is up to you.
Deadline: Monday, November 24, 2025, 11:59pm (that is: just before midnight) wherever you are.
About: https://disquiet.com/junto/
Newsletter: https://juntoletter.disquiet.com/
License: It’s preferred (but not required) to set your track as downloadable and allowing for attributed remixing (i.e., an attribution Creative Commons license).
Please Include When Posting Your Track:
More on the 725th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Rack It — The Assignment: Change the “focus” of a track as it plays — at https://disquiet.com/0725/.