Original title en français: Miss Papée qui prend des cours avec Franco
From francolamuerte·159 on YouTube, via matrixsynth.
“Teaser ! Savoir comment accorder un oscillateur analogique sur toute l’étendue de sa plage d’octave, ça vous intéresse ? En tout cas, moi j’ai connais une que ça intéresse vivement : ma fidèle et unique Miss Papée !”
It looks like Miss Papée wants to touch the MiniBrute 🙂
Luna is inspecting the latest musical acquisition here at CatSynth HQ, a vintage Minimoog synth. She is always curious to check new arrivals out, with some close sniffing along with visual inspections. Then she looses interest. She is, after all, a cat.
The astute (and synth-savvy) observer may also notice a Mixtape Alpha sitting on top of the Minimoog. Both instruments offer interesting possibilities, the the tiny Mixtape Alpha is more practical for live performance.
First CatSynth post of the new year, this one features both Grumpy Cat and Keyboard Cat (in toy form).
Not surprisingly, I have one of those keyboard cat toys. I have used it in performance and it might make an appearance this Saturday at SOMArts’ 100 Performances For the Hole. Stop by between 7-8 to catch my 4-minute feline-themed set!
Today we look at the second of my two performances in New York this past November. This one took place at Harvestworks, a non-profit organization in lower Manhattan that supports musicians and helps them work with technology. It was also a bit of a homecoming for me, as I had interned at Harvestworks in the summer of 1993 – yes, 20 years ago!
The concert was actually part of artist-in-residence Rachel Mason’s ongoing work, and featured a collaborative performance with Michael Durek of The Use that exploited Harvestworks’ surround-sound system. The piece included a mixture of videos, both found online and created specifically by Mason, and live music that featured electronics from Durek and voice by Mason. You can see their full performance in this video.
Rachel Mason and Michael Durek, Harvestworks, November 30, 2013 from CatSynth; on Vimeo.
It opens with a found video of an odd fellow talking about using electro-magnetism to detect ghosts. He explains basic electronics to the video (at one point getting his units wrong), with Durek slowly entering with discrete tones on the theremin. Soon the texture becomes thicker and moves into more beat-based music that I have heard in The Use’s more recent work. Rachel Mason’s vocals were quite expressive and melodic. The videos changed to show Mason in interesting costumes walking around both Brooklyn and Joshua Tree, two particular favorite environments of mine.
Then it was time for me to take the stage. I also used video, a very simple live-processing patch in Jitter that combined generated images with live input. For this piece, I had a set of cat-themed playing cards, which I would draw, show via the video processing, and then interpret for the next section of music, either as a literal specification for a patch on the Dave Smith Evolver, or more abstractly with the analog modular synth and Garrahand drum. You can see the full performance in the following video.
Amar Chaudhary at Harvestworks, November 30, 2013 from CatSynth; on Vimeo.
Overall, it was a great show, and we managed to have a full house, which is always a nice experience as a performer. I certainly hope to be able to work with these artists and with Harvestworks again in the future.
From Jonh Wei-Haas and our friends at Moog Music, Inc., we present Zafo, the Sub Phatty Cat.
By now, we’ve all seen Keyboard Cat. In the original video from 1984, a cat named “Fatso” plays a decade-approriate jam on his electronic keyboard. Nearly 30 years and 30 million views later, we have a successor to the Keyboard Cat throne. Armed with only a Moog synthesizer and plento of gusto, “Zafo” the Sub Phatty Cat treats his audience to 53 seconds of incredibly decade-appropriate jams in the video below.
For more videos by John Wei-Haas, please visit his YouTube page.
Today we look back at the November 26 Ambient-Chaos night at Spectrum in New York. I was happy to once again perform there, and hear some of what the local experimental-music scene has to offer.
The performance itself, the New York debut of my feminine persona, went quite well as was very well received. It was anchored by rhythmic elements on the Dave Smith Evolver, overlaid with iPad synths, the garrahand drum, sketch box, and a miniature subset of my analog modular system.
[Photo by Painter Jung Nam Lee at Spectrum Manhattan, New York Nov 26, 2013]
Performing at Spectrum is always a great experience, sonically as well as visually. Lighting and shading was part of the design of my set and worked perfectly with the ever changing light patterns in the space. I was also happy with the narrative structure within the music. You can see and hear the full set in the following video:
Performance at Spectrum, November 26, 2013 from CatSynth on Vimeo.
I was preceded on the program by Schuyler Tsuda, who performed a set featuring his sonic sculptures. In a space lit only by candles on stage, he struck, bowed and scraped a variety of sonic objects. There were long ambient metallic sounds punctuated by shorter percussive events. The overall effect was eerie and sometimes a bit anxious, but also immersive and inviting. It is difficult to capture in a still photograph, so here is a video clip:
Schuyler Tsuda from CatSynth on Vimeo.
The third set featured John Dunlap on guitar and vocals as part of a duo that also included saxophone and electronics.
John Dunlap from CatSynth on Vimeo.
Their playing was loud and frenetic, and quite a contrast to both my set and Tsuda’s. Dunlap also incorporated throat singing into his performance.
[Photo by Painter Jung Nam Lee at Spectrum Manhattan, New York Nov 26, 2013]
The final set brought together the RMA Trio along with a guest vocalist/actor to read excerpts from an upcoming play.
The text was in German, and if I understood correctly (which is doubtful) it was based on Hamlet. There was a variety in the instrumental pieces, including both percussive and harmonic piano, drums and guitar effects.
Overall, it was a great show, and a decent turnout considering that it took place in the middle of a nasty rainstorm. Thanks as always to Robert L. Pepper (PAS) for hosting this series, and to Glenn Cornett for making Spectrum a destination for musicians and sound artists in New York.
Via matrixsynth. Spot the cats.
“Erica Synths teaser ‘Rocket Science’ by team rider $KODEK.
Gear: MPC1000, Erica Synths DIY modules (hexinverter.net MIDI2CV, TH4046 VCO, Yusynth APR VCF, Erica Synths double VCA, MFOS dual AR generator, Erica Synths mixer, Yusynth Output module with mods), Korg Volca beats (clap and hi-hat).
Staring: LUSIS the Cat
http://www.ericasynths.lv
https://soundcloud.com/girts-ozolins-2
http://4444.debilas.net/”via Imants Dexys on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge
