A few shots of the almost-completed Buchla 200e clone synthesizer cabinet I’ve been working on (they are clickable to enlarge). It still needs some internal wiring done, and I have definitely discovered that painting metal evenly is not my forté, but it looks pretty damned good all the same. Now to make more modules to stick in it…

Updates on sommercampworkstation (Berlin, Germany)[Flickr pics] and AVAMAA (Mooste, Estonia) forthcoming. But tonight I’ve got curry to cook and single malts to sip with los amigos Scandinavios Lars, Iben & Halldor!

Now Playing

theodore kaczynski–industrial society and its future[1995 ny times][wikimedia]
twowho–kesämaalla/talvikaupungissa cs[2990 ikuisuus]
lightning bolt–earthly delights[2009 load]
merzbow–kokuchou(13 japanese birds vol 8)[2009 important]
velvet cacoon–atropine[2009 full moon productions]
(v.e.g.a.)–far from you[2009 vega korperation]

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

With:

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

Synth-pr0n from my trip to London during March 2009.

Somehow, no matter what machine I sit down in front of, I always try
out the same patch–a big VCO feedback system, with a little
sample-and-hold noise thrown in for good measure.

Thanks to Mick Grierson and Ian Stonehouse at Goldsmiths University for access to this fantastic piece of gear!

[Sound is from built in camera mic and is pretty low, anybody know some simple tool to normalize volume of a Quicktime clip?]

Now Playing

black flag–live ’84[1985 sst]
burial hex–blood between her lakes[2008 turgid animal]
ellen fullman–body music[1997]
filth–live the chaos[1990 lookout]
invernomuto–quiet village mixtape[2009 infernomuto.blogspot.com]
kevin drumm–alku tape[2009 alku]
z’ev–schoenste muziek lp[1986]

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]

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]

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]