This listing is out of date, please check this one for the latest information: http://macumbista.net/?p=1416

It’s a bit painful doing this, but I have some urgent bills to pay in the next 4 weeks. I’m selling my mixed Cwejman/Analog Systems/Doepfer A-100 modular synthesizer system as well as one Sennheiser MKH40 microphone. Selling the synth isn’t as bad as it seems, since I’m currently more than halfway finished building the DIY modular of my dreams…

Click photos to enlarge, of course.

This A-100 system of mixed modules from Cwejman, Analog Systems and Doepfer is about two and a half years old, is in very good condition and is located in Berlin, Germany.

I’d prefer to sell the whole system together, but I can sell individual
modules if needed. Base price is now 75% of retail.

Still available as of 16 July 2010:

Doepfer A-100 Suitcase 220V    EUR 370 /75% = EUR 277.50
Doepfer A-175 Voltage Inverter    EUR 45 / 75% = EUR 33.75
Doepfer A-135 Voltage Controlled Mixer    EUR 120 / 75% = EUR 90
Doepfer A-138 Mixer (exp)    EUR 45 / 75% = EUR 33.75

Added 16 July 2010 (photos soon):

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb  (module only without tank, RCA jacks added to faceplate of module to allow tank to be kept outside case)
EUR 60 / 75% = EUR 45
Doepfer A-174-1 Joy-Stick (spring removed, still very stiff)
EUR 75 / 75% = EUR 56.25
Doepfer A-136 Distortion/Waveshaper (broken trace on PCB repaired by hand)
EUR 60 / 50% = EUR 30
Analogue Systems RS-40 Noise / Sample & Hold / Clock
EUR 139 / 75% = EUR 104.25
Analogue Systems RS-30 Frequency To Voltage Converter
EUR 115 / 75% = EUR 86.25

Sold as of 16 July 2010:

Analogue Systems RS-180 VCA   SOLD
Analogue Systems RS-110 Multimode Filter   SOLD
Analogue Systems RS-80 VC-LFO    SOLD
Analogue Systems RS-95 VCO    SOLD
Cwejman VCO-2RM Dual Oscillator    SOLD
Doepfer A-105 VCF SSM 24dB Low Pass    SOLD
Doepfer A-140 ADSR     SOLD
Doepfer A-147 VCLFO     SOLD
Doepfer A-180 Multiples     SOLD
Doepfer A-180 Multiples     SOLD

Sennheiser MK40 Cardioid Condensor Microphone + mic clip + nice wooden case
Retail = EUR 1200
SOLD

Contact: macumbista AT THE DOMAIN gmail.com

Brief updates are in order… last Thursday I was lucky enough to get a two years extension to my German residence permit with relatively little hassle. I’m sure the Marfa Texas Country Club will be disappointed that they won’t be having me as their golf caddy next season, but them’s the breaks.

As you can see above, my old buddy Tore “Origami” Boe is visiting Berlin again from the Canary Islands, and we’ll be playing with electricity together as BOE DEREK at the next Salon Bruit. Not sure if I’ll bring the TONEWHEELS setup, or construct something suitably primitive to match his fantastic “acoustic laptops”, but it should be a fun night all the same.

The TONEWHEELS workshop and performance in Belfast went very well. I didn’t shoot any workshops videos myself, but hopefully the Oscillations Festival will edit together some nice cuts of the gig some day.

For the workshop, I tried a new light-to-sound converter circuit from www.5volt.eu, and it worked so well I designed a board for it. Cute little thing, ain’t it?

Eric Archer (ericarcher.net) also just sent me one of his
fantastic light-to-sound converters, although I haven’t been able to
pick it up from the office where it was shipped to yet!!!

There were several updates to the TONEWHEELS website (umatic.nl/tonewheels.html), including some further historical info as well as the Vimeo videos finally added to the front page. Next step is to update the Technical section with better workshop info.

In the update, I included some photos of Daphne Oram’s Oramics machine, an amazing optophonic synthesizer from 1959, which Rob Mullender in London was kind enough to let me have a peek at. Some of the photos are posted below.

And Rob sent me a great scan of a 1970’s Optigan disc that I couldn’t resist putting up as well!

I’ll be taking the TONEWHEELS project to the following places very soon:

?? Nov – MS Stubnitz, Amsterdam, NL (date to be confirmed!)
31 Oct – Whatnight #3, Tilburg, NL
25-27 Oct – DA Festival, Sofia, BG
15-18 Oct – Tiny Noise/Kunstwerk, Cologne, DE

Final news item is that Polish noise-god Zbigniew Karkowski will give a two day composition workshop at NK here in Berlin 9-10 November, and yes my ass will be sitting in that workshop.

colin wilson–the outsider book (1956)

ryokuchi–shinsho[2006 smd]

various artists–psychedelic phinland_finnish hippie & underground music 1967-1974[2006 love records]

ben frost–by the throat[2009 bedroom community]

orthodox–sentencia[2009 alone]

om–god is good[2009 southern lord]

sleep–live at ATP 9 may 09[bootleg]

yoga–megafauna[2009 holy mountain]

pietro grossi–musicautomatica[2003 die schactel]

antoine chessex & arnaud riviere–split 7″ [2009 le petit mignon](amazing printed cover by mounir jatoum!!!!)

09.08.2009 – 21 uhr – ausland – Lychener Str. 60 – 10437 Berlin

http://www.ausland-berlin.de/

This evening starts the sommercamp
workshop marathon (workshops take place 10-16 August at Haus der Kulturen der Welt). Artists
and workshop leaders will introduce themselves with short performances.

With:

Jessica Rylan (US)
– complex/chaotic systems in analogue circuits –
http://www.irfp.net/

Ciat Lonbarde/Peter Blasser (US)
– deerhorns –
http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/

Hildur Gudnadóttir (IS)
Halldor Ulfarsson (IS/F)
– halldorophones –
http://www.hildurness.com/
http://www.myspace.com/halldorophone

Tore Honoré Boe (N/E)
– acoustic laptops –
http://kunst.no/origami/boe/2.3-010.html

Dave Griffiths (B)
– live coding –
http://www.slub.org/

Martin Howse (UK/D)
– EM interventions –
http://1010.co.uk/org/

Derek Holzer (US/D)
– TONEWHEELS –
http://www.umatic.nl/tonewheels.html

WORKSHOP INFO
http://www.sommercampworkstation.de/?page_id=10

…I’ll be here:

With no internet. See you again after 3 August.

Now Playing

aluk todolo–finsternis[2009 v2]
aporea–na rekah vavilonskih cs [1988 self released]
bee mask–hyperborean trenchtown lp[2009 weird forest]
cluster–cluster 71[1971]
henrietta collins and the wifebeating childhaters–drive by shooting[1987]
kinit her–glyms or beame of radicall truthes[2009 hinterzimmer]
moondog–moondog on the streets of new york[1953]

Rokolectiv Soundcamp
Star Dome, Rucar, Romania
27.07 – 02.08.2009

Artists:
Suzana Dan, Sergiu Doroftei, Camil Dumitrescu, Ion Dumitrescu, Derek Holzer, Catalin Matei, Eric Minkkinen, Paul Popescu, Daniel Stanciu

With support from AFCN – Romanian Ministry of Culture

Partners: MNAC Lab, Ableton Live, Collectif Mu, CTM Berlin, Star Dome s.r.l.

Rokolectiv Soundcamp is a seven days artistic residency for sound experiments and field recording. Ten artists will work out of the urban context in a studio hosted by the prototype of the Star Dome in Rucar, an innovative house turned into a space for artistic residency. Star Dome is a modular dwelling, one of the few sustainable architecture structures in Romania.

Rokolectiv Soundcamp promotes an artistic and cultural research, an investigation of the natural landscape with its acoustic and language peculiarities. The project consists of individual field recording sessions, as well as workshops, panels and debates for and with the artists involved. The works realized during the residency will be gathered on a promotional CD.

Rokolectiv Soundcamp is the follow up of European Sound Delta, a broader sound art project co-organized by Rokolectiv in summer 2008, when international artists took part in a mobile residency navigating upstream on the Rhine and Danube.

If you wish to say hi you are invited to join us at Rucar between July 27th and August 2nd. The access to the Romanian mountain resort can be done by public buses which leave daily from Bucharest or by train to Brasov, and then by local shuttles to Rucar.

For further info feel free to contact us at: info@rokolectiv.ro

Significant Other

An Estonian friend joked with me once that while some people carry around photos of their girlfriends, I have photos of my synthesizers. In keeping with that thought…after my almost completely disastrous weekend in Copenhagen (even the moon let me down), I decided to focus on something real this week. So this is a preview of a new case I’m working on–a clone of the Buchla 200e. Still some things left to do, as you can see, before I start putting the modules in. Big thanks to Ingo Fröhlich for help with the woodwork!

Now Playing

cabaret voltaire–2×45[1982 rough trade]
emeralds–allegory of allergies[2007 gods of tundra]
hive mind–a feast within cs[2009 gods of tundra]
jarboe–mahakali[2008 the end]
mircea eliade–shamanism: archaic techniques of ecstasy book[1964]
mrtyu!–ornate shroud[2009 fauna sabbatha]
nadja & black boned angel–nadja & black boned angel[2009 20 buck spin]
neurosis & jarboe–neurosis & jarboe[2003 neurot]
swans–children of god+world of skin[1997 young god]
swans–filth+body to body, job to job[2000 young god]
yellow swans–mort aux vaches[2009 staalplaat]

I have a new instrument-building workshop coming up 10-16 August 2009 at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. See details below. Co-conspirators in the Sommercamp Workstation project include Martin Howse, Carsten Stabenow and Medialab Prado (Madrid).

Please also check out Martin Howse’s upcoming Breakthrough event, 27 June also here in Berlin.

Sommercamp Workstation workshop cluster B

Re:Discovering Sound — an Instrument-building Workshop

The process of instrument creation sits in direct opposition to the
that of instrument virtuosity. Rather than bend one’s artistic
expression around the rigid, predefined form of a traditional music
instrument, imagination takes flight and new possibilities are created.
Like Neanderthals or small children, we are astounded that the sounds
we have invented are actually our own.

This collection of three simultaneous workshop nodes-DEERHORNS, HALLDOROPHONES and ACOUSTIC LAPTOPS-explores
the use of radio waves, the electromagnetism of the human body, strings
under tension, the resonance of hollow structures and various found
objects to invent new types of sound instruments. Each of these deeply
personal creations is free to live in ignorance of any musical
theories, thus having the potential for both sonic and visual
excitement.

Participants may choose which node of the workshop they would like
to start with, however cross-talk and collaboration between these nodes
is encouraged. The workshop will end with a presentation/performance on
the final Saturday of the summercamp, and an “open day” on the Sunday
where the general public is invited to hands-on exploration of the
instruments which have been created.

Each workshop node is limited to 10 places, so please pre-register! (see below)

Workshop nodes:

1] DEERHORNS with Ciat Lonbarde/Peter Blasser

Without musical intention, there is still your body intention, and how
you place it in space. Firmness reflects, and so do all your other
movements. The Deerhorn project, created by electro-mystic Ciat
Lonbarde/Peter Blasser, is aimed at creating new instruments out of the
original radio Theremin concept. Participants will collaborate in the
construction of a playable, site-specific installation in the large
hall of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt.

http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/

http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/deerhorn/index.html

http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/deerhornprovidence.mov

2] HALLDOROPHONES with Halldor Ulfarsson

Halldorophones are electro-acoustic string instruments which send the
sound from their pickups back into it’s body. When the sound has
traveled full-circle, it vibrates the strings again and creates an
infinite sustain which the player can affect in different ways.
Participants in this workshop will use found or constructed hollow
forms along with simple pickups, amps and loudspeakers to create their
own resonant instruments.

http://www.myspace.com/halldorophone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKMkTSENTIU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPfGKaqCwRs

3] ACOUSTIC LAPTOPS with Tore Honoré Bøe

For many years, Tore “Origami Boe” has been creating, playing and
passing on his “acoustic laptops”: a selection of wood boxes with
various tiny objects attached; springs, stones, metal, rubber, string,
needles, memorabilia – amplified by old-school contact mikes and
pick-ups. Participants with & without musical interests will be
invited to create their own unique acoustic laptop to start touching
the sounds and drawing pictures in free air.

http://kunst.no/origami/boe/2.3-010.html

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011575&id=1591068802&l=c8e56f53b0

Facilitation by Derek Holzer

Derek Holzer’s interest in new forms of sound creation and performance
have led him from computer programming in Pure Data to Theremins,
“Neanderthal electronics”, long-string instruments and the
possibilities of visual or drawn opto-electronic sound. For this
workshop, his main concern will be the synthesis of the different
approaches to instrument creation being presented.

http://www.myspace.com/macumbista

http://www.umatic.nl/tonewheels.html

http://www.vimeo.com/album/64426

Each workshop node is limited to 10 places, so please pre-register!
This registration is a first indication or preference, cross-talk and
collaboration between these nodes is encouraged.

The workshop fee is 50 Euro for the week.

Registration Form >>>>

Now Playing

l’Acephale – Malefeasance [2009 Aurora Borealis]
Ash Ra Temple – New Age of Earth [1976]
Burmese – Burmese is Dead [1998 Death Wish]
Burmese & Cadaver Eyes – Split [2008 Heart & Crossbone]
Carlos Reygadas – Silent Light [2007](film)
C.G. Jung – The Portable Jung (edited by Joseph Campbell)(book)
Drudkh – Microcosmos [2009 Season of Mist]
Gnaw Their Tongues & Lunar Miasma & Mrtyu! & Xela – Split CDR [2009 Insult]
Group Doueh – live at Sublime Frequencies tour (Rotterdam & Berlin)
Hail/l’Acephale & Fauna – live recordings from Northwest Folklife Festival
Herman Hesse – Narcissus and Goldmund [1930](book)
Hildur Gudnadottir – Without Sinking [2009 Touch]
Kevin Drumm – Sheer Hellish Miasma [2007 reissue Editions Mego]
Mircea Eliade – Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy [1964](book)
Mudboy – Music for Any Speed 7″ [2009 Lexi]
Stephen Hawking – A Brief History of Time [1988](book)

Midnight Sun?

At 6am this morning, with about two hours sleep the night before, I left Malmö and the Art of the Overhead event and flew to Bergen, Norway. After a quick nap and yet again the price shock (EUR 8 for a beer!), I realized that it was 11 at night and the sun hadn’t really gone down yet. Crazy…

I will post some videos and reviews of the Overheads event later on, but first I must repeat the mantra I learned–quite painfully–during my time in Sweden:

I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again. I will not tour without my own mixer ever again.

Three days lost and a one performance ended after 5 minutes due to stupid technical problems with borrowed mixers. Luckily I borrowed yet another mixer and managed to make it up to the very patient audience on the second night of the festival.

Up and Coming!

Next Life
Snöras
Derek Holzer and John Hegre
21.00, 30 May 2009
Landmark
Bergen Norway

Can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this one. John Hegre (of Jazkammer) has been one of my favorite people and favorite experimental musicians for years now, so playing a duo with him could end up being the highlight of this tour! Thanks again to Piksel & Ny Musikk for organizing both this and the Neanderthal Electronics workshop I’m doing here this week.

fOO_bar!
w/ macumbista (us/de)
column one (de)
‘Systems Crash’
NEANDERTHAL ELECTRONICS PARTY!!!
21.00, 5 June 2009
WORM
Rotterdam, the Netherlands

‘fOO_bar’ is the public interface of WORM’s medialab moddr_ >> a combination of presentation, installation and performance of digital art and music, showing current interests from the lab without excessive 2.0_fluff – enjoy true interactivity and have a drink while you’re at it…

This night we host the closing event of our ‘Neanderthal Electronics’ workshop by Derek Holzer, with a presentation of the projects created during the week and a Stone-Age style group noise performance.
Live on stage we have COLUMN_ONE and Macumbista, and we start the evening with “Systems Crash” – a new series of public lectures jointly organized by Piet Zwart Institute Media Design and WORM.

Plus earlier in the week I get to see Mudboy open for Lightning Bolt, and on the weekend I go play with the analog synths at the WORM studio. Who says life on the road is all that rough?

Now Playing

Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers – The Power of Myth (TV)
Emeralds – What Happened [2009 No Fun]
Jana Winderen – Heated [2009 Touch]
Jana Winderen – Surface Runoff 7″ [2009 Touch]
Jason Crumer – Ottoman Black [2008 Hospital Productions]
Mika Vainio & Lucio Capece – Trahnie [2009 Editions Mego]
Minsk – With Echoes in the Movement of Stone [2009 Relapse]
Nate Young – Regression [2009 Ideal Recordings]
Natural Snow Buildings – Daughter of Darkness 5XCS [2009 Blackest Rainbow]
Nicholas Szczepanik – The Chiasmus [2009 Basses Frequences]
Our Love Will Destroy the World – Stillborn Plague Angels vinyl [2009 Dekorder]
Pärson Sound – Pärson Sound [1968]
Peter Wright – Snow Blind [2009 Install]
Prurient – And Still, Wanting [2008 Hospital Productions]
Prurient – The Black Post Society [2008 Cold Spring]
Stephan Mathieu – The Key to the Kingdom 7″ [2009 Dekorder]
Stephen O’Malley – Keep an Eye Out [2009 Table of Elements]
Sunn O))) – Monoliths & Dimensions [2009 Southern Lord] (bit of a dud, really…they are overcome by their own artiness…)
Swans – Omniscience [1992 Young God]
Unknown 1970s Thai psychedelic orchestra
Wolf Eyes – Always Wrong [2009 Hospital Productions]