Come On, Smell The Noise

Scratch ‘n sniff music? Why not, say the organizers of this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in the UK. “An electronic chamber opera that breaks new ground in the field of concert-going by combining sounds and smells” is the headline-grabbing phenomenon of the season. “Scent diffusers that look like spotlights are mounted on a heavy steel frame, controlled by a converted light mixer. There are 120 of these diffusers ranked above the audience’s heads, ready to produce bursts of specific aromas during the performance. Yet the audience is unaware of them, as this is a performance that takes place in pitch darkness.”