electronic music

The Use and Mountain Vs. Building, Luggage Store Gallery

The Outsound new-music programs at the Luggage Store Gallery often try to pair groups that complement one another geographically and musically. This was the case in late March with a program featuring The Use and Mountain Vs. Building.

The performance opened with Mountain Vs Building, a group featuring Sheila Bosco on drums and keyboard, Michael Lowe-Grandi on guitar, Brian Lucas on bass, and Mark Pino on drums. Given the instrumental lineup, there were two drum sets going at the same time during many parts of the set, including at the start.

Mountain Vs Building

With so much opportunity for rhythmic foundation, it wasn’t surprising that their music included strong and sometimes funky riffs overlaid with guitar and keyboard effects. The two drum sets worked well without being overwhelming. There were more freeform pieces as well that focused and timbral and noise effects via synths and effects boxes; and the final piece featuring vocals was fun. Overall, it was a strong set technically and musically. The visual effect of the lighting was a nice touch as well.

The Use

The second set featured The Use, the latest solo project by Michael Durek who was visiting from the New York area as part of a west-coast tour. I have seen many of his performances before with PAS Musique and the SK Orchestra, but his new project takes things to another level musically and technically. The electronic elements, a combination of Ableton Live and theremin, were more idiomatic, combining dark melodies, harmonies and rhythms. And it was as much a visual performance, with dance movements in time to the music. You can get a good sense of the overall performance in this video.

Outsound Presents: The Use (Michael Durek) at the Luggage Store Gallery from CatSynth; on Vimeo.

As a bonus, I had the opportunity to perform a duet with The Use to close out the evening. You can see our impromptu jam in this video:

The Use with Amar Chaudhary at Luggage Store Gallery from Michael Durek on Vimeo.

I am glad that The Use had the opportunity to perform at our Thursday-night Outsound music series. Indeed both bands performed well that evening to an appreciative audience. And I am happy to see more experimental music groups confidently incorporating popular idioms into their music.

Latest Podcast: World of Wonder with DJ CatSynth

Better late than never, my most recent podcast is now available! The show originally aired on San Francisco Community Radio (KUSF in Exile) on March 28.

This episode features a special intro track composed by Michael Durek of The Use specifically for the show, as well as an exclusive preview of his new album. The intro track fits so well I will probably use it for upcoming shows, too. Full playlist is below.

10:04AM-10:11AM (6:22) The Use “Where Ya Been So Long” from Where Ya Been So Long (Single, 2013)

10:11AM-10:15AM (4:18) The Use “Jersey Ripe” from Jersey Ripe (Single, 2013)

10:15AM-10:20AM (5:39) The Use “Aunt Joanne’s Metaphysics March” from Aunt Joanne’s Metaphysics March (Single, 2013)

10:21AM-10:34AM (13:09) Dewanatron “Night Town” from Irregular Hours, Vol. 1 (2006) on Obedience School Music

10:34AM-10:47AM (12:40) EKG “5” from Object 2 (2003)

10:47AM-10:59AM (11:36) Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra & Wanda Wilkomirska “Capriccio for violin & orchestra” from Matrix 5 – Penderecki: Anaklasis, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (Classical, 1994) on EMI Classics

11:00AM-11:04AM (4:27) The Use “Time Burton” from Time Burton (Single, 2013)

11:04AM-11:09AM (5:10) The Use with Rachel Mason “Bird Song” from Bird Song (Single, 2013)

11:09AM-11:19AM (9:50) Rent Romus “Quest for Reality, Pt. 2” from PKD Vortex Project (Jazz, 2001) on Edgetone Records (USA)

11:20AM-11:32AM (12:59) Markus Hauke & Mainz Percussion Ensemble “Credo In Us” from John Cage – Music for Percussion Quartet (MP3, Album, Classical, 1998) on Digitalpressure/Col Legno Musikproduktion (Germany)

11:32AM-11:37AM (4:02) Xinlisupreme “I.T.D.O.O.M.” from Murder License (Rock, 2002) on FatCat Records (USA)

11:37AM-11:49AM (12:58) Vinny Golia Sextet “Btso (Big Time Secret Organization)” from Abstractions And Retrocausalities (CD, Album, Jazz, 2011) on Nine Winds (USA)

11:49AM-11:59AM (9:17) E.A.R. “Spacestation” from Phenomena 256 (Rock, 1996) on Sympathy For The Record Industry

New Podcast: World of Wonder, Cat Edition

My latest podcast is up. This is an episode I have wanted to do for a while for my show The World of Wonder on San Francisco Community Radio (KUSF in Exile). It features tracks by several friends, and a special guest appearance by “DJ Luna.” Please check it out.


World of Wonder, Cat Edition, March 14, 2013

With DJ CatSynth and guest appearance by DJ Luna

10:00AM-10:04AM (3:44) Ubiquity “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat (The Aristocats)” from Rewind! 5 (2006)

10:04AM-10:10AM (5:58) Cujo “Cat People” from Trip Hop & Jazz 4 (1998)

10:10AM-10:14AM (4:13) Protea “Mau Bast (feat. Retribution Body)” from Going Forth By Night (Rock, 2011) on Protea

10:14AM-10:18AM (4:08) Pram “Track of the Cat” from Dark Island (2003) on Merge Records

10:18AM-10:24AM (6:06) Psychic TV “BLACK CAT” from Trip Reset (Rock, 1995) on Genesis P-Orridge

10:24AM-10:31AM (6:40) cEvin Key “Wind On Small Paws” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records

10:32AM-10:42AM (10:18) cEvin Key “Meteorite” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records

10:42AM-10:44AM (1:30) cEvin Key “Musik fur Cats” from Music For Cats (1998) on Metropolis Records

10:44AM-10:48AM (4:35) The Lions “Jungle Struttin’” from Jungle Struttin’ (CD, Album, Reggae, 2008) on Ubiquity Recordings, Inc. (USA)

10:48AM-10:50AM (1:39) Joseph Keckler “Cat Names” from Cat Names – Single (2011) on Joseph Keckler

10:50AM-10:55AM (4:47) Amar Chaudhary “Octave Cat Improvisation 24 April 2007” from Octave Cat Improvisation 24 April 2007 (Single, 2007)

10:55AM-10:57AM (1:58) The Felines “Daddy Walk” from Daddy Walk – EP (2012) on Dirty Water Records

10:57AM-10:59AM (2:21) The Felines “BOOTS” from Daddy Walk – EP (2012) on Dirty Water Records

11:00PM-11:04PM (3:38) The Cure “The Love Cats” from Staring At The Sea: The Singles 1979-1985 (1983)

11:04PM-11:13PM (9:12) Nommo Ogo “A Call to Cats On the MMoon” from Across Time and Space (2009) on Record Label RecordsLocal

11:13PM-11:18PM (4:52) ISAN “Kittenplan A” from Lucky Cat (2001) on morr music

11:18PM-11:25PM (7:06) ISAN “Caddis” from Lucky Cat (2001) on morr music

11:25PM-11:29PM (3:59) Dale Hoyt “Transgenic Hairshirt” from Transgenic Hairshirt (Single)

11:29PM-11:30PM (1:26) Kristin Miltner “Space Shooter: Girl Avatar” from Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Dreaming and Playing(2010) on Asthmatic Kitty (US)

11:30PM-11:32PM (1:24) Kristin Miltner “Leapster WordChasers (like Pac Man, with kitties)” from Leapfrog Leapster

11:33PM-11:38PM (4:44) Mindaugas Piecaitis with Nora the Piano Playing Cat “CATcerto” from CATcerto (Single, 2009)

11:38PM-11:42PM (3:59) No No Nancy “Metal Squirrel Space Adventure HQ” from Metal Squirrel Space Adventure HQ (Single, 2004)

11:42PM-11:44PM (2:44) Kodek “The Tin Foil Cat Groove” from Offline Synthwave (2012) on UNIVERSAL FUNK RECORDS

11:44PM-11:49PM (4:57) Protea “Sa Sekhem Sahu (feat. tara ntula)” from Going Forth By Night (Rock, 2011) on Protea

11:49PM-11:50PM (0:40) Theresa Wong “Feline Pantomime” from The Unlearning (2011) on Tzadik

11:50PM-11:53PM (3:20) Kitten On the Keys “Mister Deep Blue Sea” from Salty Meat Girl (2007) on Rug Burn SF

11:53PM-11:59PM (5:38) Cat Power “ENOUGH” from Myra Lee (1996) on Smells Like Records

 

Pi Digits Revisted

For Pi Day, we revisit my composition based on the digits of Pi from 2011. Enjoy!

Note that this is based on binary digits, not the familiar 3.14159… in decimal notation. But the number itself is the same regardless of the base one uses to represent it.

Godwaffle Noise Pancakes (March 3, 2013)

Pancakes and noise music may not be the first combination one thinks of for a Sunday brunch. But that is precisely what is offered at Godwaffle Noise Pancakes, a monthly noontime show organized by Grux at The Lab in San Francisco. I had the opportunity to perform at the most recent event on March 3.

I opted for a “purple theme” revolving around the purple Monorocket case I have for my Eurorack modular system. I selected an outfit and hair to match, and even found an old toy keyboard that was purple.


[Photo by Michael Zelner.]

The performance itself was on the subtle side, attempting to dial in on specific sounds and module combinations. It was an exercise in managing unpredictability and finding musical structures and phrases even in the noisiest of situations. You can see the performance in the video below.

Godwaffle Noise Pancakes live performance, March 3, 2013 from CatSynth on Vimeo.

The hall was quite dark during the set and my attempts to lighten the video resulted in a lot of artifacts. But it does complement the sound in a way. One take-a-way for future performances with the instrument is to be mindful of how one adapts the output of the small Eurorack jacks to standard live-sound systems. Investing in some strong audio adapters for the modular itself will cut down on some of those unpredictable pops. But overall I was quite happy with the set, and got a lot of positive feedback (about the visual as well as the aural).

The next performance featured Abyss of Fathomless Light featuring Bert Bergen. His fast moving performance combined vocal recordings on a series of cassette players with analog electronics into a thick and fast moving soundscape. He was followed by fslux, whose performance moved between longer more mellifluous sounds featuring her vocals and harsh electrical output from effects pedals.


[Photo by Michael Zelner.]

The performance by J. Soliday (Jason Soliday) was undoubtedly the loudest and noisiest of this noise-based show. There were long sequences of repeated loud glitches that required a bit of effort to listen to, but also a few gaps and pauses with space for quieter detail.

The final performance featured a collaboration by Wobbly and Thomas Dimuzio. I have seen them perform together before, but this was the first time with the technological combo of Dimuzio on analog modular and Wobbly on iPad and other digital synths.


[Photo by Michael Zelner.]

This was the longest performance of the afternoon (all the others including mine were quite short), but also the most captivating. They were able to create enveloping soundscapes that at times felt otherworldly and at others more meditative. The overall texture was lush, but there were dry moments with more staccato details from both the analog and digital instruments.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon of music. I am glad I was able to participate and hope to do so again soon.

World of Wonder with DJ CatSynth, February 28, 2013

The podcast of my most recent World of Wonder radio show is up!

Follow this link if the embedded version does not work for you.

A noisy electronic edition of the World of Wonder for February 28, 2013

0:00:00) Opening Chimes / Announcements
0:00:43) TaTE, Matador, Ph: 0439544574
0:08:50) Wildflowers, David Dunn, Four Electroacoustic Compositions (2002)
0:23:08) Sleepwalking, Pas/Hati Present: P.H.A.S.T.I., The Stage Of Sleep: A Metaphor For Torun (2011)
0:30:14) Announcements
0:31:10) Craterellus Cornucopioides, Horaflora, Craterellus Cornucopioides (2010)
0:49:50) epirex motor, Signal, robotron (2007)
0:54:07) Concert For Excalators Part 1, Thom Poe, Project>Soundwave (2004)
1:01:04) Station ID / Announcements
1:01:42) Ciat Demo As Rhapsodized SIDE A, Headboggle, Ciat Demo As Rhapsodized (2010)
1:18:16) Scene 21, Jurica Jelic, Jurica Jelic – Distant Memories (2012)
1:23:23) Universal, Kosma, Trip Hop & Jazz 4 (1998)
1:30:01) Sakae, Xinlisupreme, Murder Licence (2002)
1:32:43) Announcements
1:33:06) Night Town, Dewanatron, Irregular Hours, Vol. 1 (Live at Pierogi) (2010)
1:46:14) Okay Okay, Damero, Happy In Grey (2007)
1:51:13) Delta 6 (Hydrophonic), Experimental Audio Research, Phenomena 256 (1996)
1:59:36) Closing announcements

Matt Davignon/Hugh Behm-Steinberg duo and Bill Walker, Luggage Store Gallery

Today we review the February 8 concert at the Luggage Store Gallery, featuring poetry, music and virtuosic guitar. The evening opened with the music-and-poetry duo of Matt Davignon and Hugh Behm-Steinberg.


[Photo: PeterBKaars.com.]

I had seen them perform together before, and it was interesting to see how the collaboration has evolved since then. The structure has become more abstract, moving from a poetry reading accompanied by live electronics to an electronic-music duo using Behm-Steinberg’s words and voice as the sound source. Snippets of poetry were transformed through the many pedals, wires and other bits of electronics into percussive loops, slowly undulating sustained sounds, and other elements.

There still were places where the words and phrases remained intelligible amidst the electronic sounds, particularly at the beginnings of pieces. I thought it was good to have this in order to stay connected to the idea that there was poetry involved and that it wasn’t just an electronic improvisation duo. Having just performed there the week before in a poetry-and-music duo, it is quite tempting to compare our respective performances. Pitta of the Mind took a more traditional approach to the use of words, preserving the structure of the poetry and practice of reading alongside a variety of electronic sounds and stage performance, while the Davignon/Behm-Steinberg duo took a more abstract approach blending words and music into a single soundscape.

The next set featured a solo performance by Bill Walker on guitars and electronics. He brought a variety of electric and lap-steel guitars and array of electronics for looping and other effects.


[Photo: PeterBKaars.com.]

His guitar-playing was itself virtuosic, easily moving between different styles and playing and textures ranging from long drones to fast-moving percussive sounds. His use of looping allowed him to build up more complex layers with different textures. The lap-steel guitar sections, which included a visually interesting custom-built instrument, were haunting without resorting to some of the instrument’s cliches. It was an impressive display of both instrument technique and coordination of electronics, and was quite a beautiful performance overall.

During his performance, Walker played compositions in tribute to his father, as well as to Kim Flint, who was very active in the looping and electronic-music communities, and the founder of Loopers Delight. There were also moments of humor in his set, such as a piece based on samples of Mr. T.

Overall, this was another strong performance in the Thursday-night series at the Luggage Store Gallery, and I was glad I braved a downpour to go see it.

Pitta of the Mind and Mezzacappa-Phillips Duo, Luggage Store Gallery

Today we look back at my latest performance with Pitta of the Mind at the Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, a show that also featured a set by the Mezzacappa-Phillips duo.

Pitta of the Mind is my music-and-poetry duo with poet Maw Shein Win. It was our fourth performance as a duo, and probably our most polished to date. As with our previous performance at last year’s Skronkathon, we selected a color as the overarching theme for the set. That time it was silver, this time it was blue, which was reflected in our costumes, props (including a little blue tree), and the content of some of the poems. The selections were a bit darker and melancholy than at the Skronkathon, and overall the set had a more serious feel. There were, however, humorous moments in both words and interpretive dance moves from Maw. For the music behind the poems, I used a variety of iPad apps including Sunrizer, Animoog and Bebot. The challenge was to provide sound that fit with the poems without overpowering them.


[Maw Shein Win. Photo: PeterBKaars.com.]

After the main course of our poetry-and-music set, I played a solo improvisation on the analog modular system as dessert.


[Photo: PeterBKaars.com.]

A subpatch with the E350 Morphing Terrarium from Synthesis Technology, the Make Noise Maths, and the KOMA Eletronik SVF-201 filter formed the foundation, with other modules patched in and out during the course of the performance. I was aiming for noisy rhythmic patterns, and sometimes succeed, while at other times allowed the sound to move in the direction of longer drones or unstable chaos.


[Click to enlarge.]

The set was well received by the small but appreciated audience, and we got quite a few positive comments for both words, music and our coordinated blue outfits.

Lisa Mezzacappa and Noah Phillips opened with with a set of improvised music for upright base and guitar, respectively. Both are virtuosic improvisers, and I expected good things from their set. They explored a wide variety of extended techniques, some percussive and some more drone-like, and moving freely between more structured and free-form rhythms. Overall, the timbres, harmonies and textures were quite beautiful and visually evocative.


[Noah Phillips and Lisa Mezzacappa. Photo: PeterBKaars.com.]

Interestingly, this was not the first time we shared the bill with the Mezzacappa-Phillips duo. We were all together at a show in Oakland in 2011. I’m glad we had the change to perform together again.

New Podcast: World of Wonder with DJ CatSynth, January 30, 2013

Better late than never, here is the podcast for my January 30, show.

World of Wonder with DJ CatSynth, January 30, 2013

12:00AM-12:10AM (10:00) Richard Devine “York Capacitor” from Risp LP (2012) on Detroit Underground

12:10AM-12:17AM (6:55) Signal “Wismut” from Robotron (2007) on Raster-Noton

12:17AM-12:25AM (7:52) Brigit Uhler & Gino Robair “Capacitance Blubber” from Capacitance Blubber (Single)

12:26AM-12:35AM (8:38) Dewanatron “Cooling Period” from Irregular Hours, Vol. 1 (2006) on Obedience School Music

12:35AM-12:40AM (5:36) Mitchell Akiyama “Strategies for Combating Invisibility” from Small Explosions That Are Your’s to Keep (2005) on Sub Rosa (Belgium)

12:40AM-12:59AM (18:12) TaTE “El toque de silencio (The call for silence)” from Ph: 0439544574 (2003)

01:00AM-01:05AM (5:00) Amar Chaudhary “Under the Weather (analog modular improvisation)” from Under the Weather (analog modular improvisation) (Single, 2013)

01:05AM-01:09AM (4:15) Pierre Schaeffer “Cinq Cinq études de bruits /1948 – Etude noire” from Schaeffer : L’Œuvre musicale (CD)

01:09AM-01:30AM (21:33) Iannis Xenakis “Bohor” from Electronic Music (1962)

01:31AM-01:49AM (18:27) Karlheinz Stockhausen “Stockhausen: Kontakte – Part 2” from Stockhausen: Kontakte (CD, 1992) on Wergo

01:49AM-01:57AM (8:06) Richard Devine “Reneanalogueseq” from Risp LP (2012) on Detroit Underground

01:57AM-01:58AM (0:56) Ilkae “Camai” from Pistachio Island (2001) on Merck Records

Tune in tonight at midnight PST on KUSF in Exile (San Francisco Community Radio) to hear co-host Matt Davignon’s program, or look for the podcast here.

NAMM: MIDI at 30

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), the protocol that we use to connect musical instruments together, has officially been around for 30 years now, and the occasion was being marked with an exhibit at NAMM:

There were some of the earliest instruments as well as those demonstrating how it is being used today. The Yamaha Disklavier series was quite prominent, as an instrument that is both acoustic and a MIDI device at the same time. There was also the Prophet 600, a forerunner to the Prophet 12 we reviewed yesterday and the first commercially available instrument to implement MIDI.

In the middle, between “1983” and “2013”, were a few of the devices I remember from the mid-1980s.

I had a Yamaha box (a sequencer) with the same beveled shape as the TX7 pictured here. And I was quite interested in the Atari ST computer, though was never able to get one. Both devices seem quite primitive today. Unlike the analog synthesizers that we have been reviewing, earlier digital devices don’t seem to hold up as well. Nonetheless, the MIDI protocol itself is still vital for much electronic music-making, despite its well-documented limitations in speed and resolution.