American electro-acoustic and computer musician Carl Stone works primarily in sampler-based composition, emphasizing the slow evolution of sound through thematic variation and recurrence. A Los Angeles native, Stone currently lives in San Francisco, a base of sorts for his ongoing involvement in the international avant-garde scene. A student of computer music innovators Morton Subotnick and James Tenney, Stone studied composition formally at the California Institute of the Arts. Focusing strictly on electro-acoustic composition since the early '70s, Stone's commissioned works have been performed in the U.S. (under such auspices as the National Endowment for the Arts and the LA Museum of Modern Art), as well as in Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and, most often, Japan, where he's collaborated with dance companies and composed for film, video, radio broadcast, and multimedia installation. More recent works have included 1992's "Kamiya Bar," an evening-length composition for Tokyo-FM based on the city's urban soundscape, as well as the 1993 piece "Ruen Pair," commissioned by the Paul Dresher Ensemble. Although his recorded output represents only a small percentage of his total compositional work, Stone has released a number of albums through similarly eclectic means -- from self-distributed cassettes and independent labels such as New Albion and Em:t, to larger, more recognizable names like Sony and EMI. Stone's passion for food usually works its way into his music in titular fashion -- "Nayala," "Mom's," "Sukothai," and "Kamiya Bar" are all named for favorite restaurants. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide