CATSYNTH

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Tag: moog

  • Idris Ackamoor Quartet, Amanda Chaudhary, IMA, Voicehandler. Second Act SF

    Idris Ackamoor Quartet, Amanda Chaudhary, IMA, Voicehandler. Second Act SF

    Today we look back at a memorable show I played in a couple of weeks ago at Second Act here in San Francisco. Four acts each brought a different style of performance, instrumentation and experimentation to the stage.

    First up was IMA, an electro-acoustic duo featuring Nava Dunkelman and Jeanie-Aprille Tang.  Their sound blends the noisier edges of percussion with a range of electronic sources, including loops, samples, and percussive hits that complement the acoustic sources. It was a loud and intense affair, but with quiet sections. Dunkelman also used her voice during the performance as another instrument.

    Then it was time to take the stage. This was another set featuring Moog Theremini and analog modular synthesizer. The color theme for this performance was blue.

    Amanda Chaudhary with Moog Theremini
    [Photo by Tom Djll]

    As with many of these electronic improvisation sets, it starts off very structured and then moves in different directions based on the audience, room, instrument behavior and inspiration. You can see the full performance in this video.

    Amanda Chaudhary at Second Act from CatSynth on Vimeo.

    Overall I was quite pleased with the performance and the audience reaction.

    Next up was Voicehandler, a duo of Danishta Rivero and Jacob Felix Heule.

    Voicehandler

    Their sound was a bit more subtle than the previous acts. It featured Rivero on extended vocal techniques with a water-based electro-acoustic instrument of her own invention, the Hydrophonium; and Heule on extended percussion techniques that were often subtle and precise before veering into more energetic territory.

    The final act was a quartet led by Idris Ackamoor featuring Mark Heshima Williams on bass, Bob Marshall in drums, and David Molina on guitar and laptop with Ableton Live!

    Idris Ackamoor Quartet

    Several of the musicians and musical pieces were familiar from Ackamoor’s renowned “afro-futurist” group The Pyramids. Indeed, the performance followed a similar structure with both a rhythmic entry and recessional. The rhythm section of Williams and Marshall was solid and perfect for some of the funkier grooves; and Ackamoor managed to move effortlessly between roles as horn-player and solo tap-dancing. It was interesting to hear David Molina and his guitar+electronic work, which I have heard before as a solo project, blended into this context.

    Idris Ackamoor

    All together it was a good show from all four groups, a diverse range of music. The large audience seem drawn to all the acts even if they initially came following one. And it’s great to see spaces like Second Act continuing to host shows like this in San Francisco. I hope to play there again sometime soon.

  • CatSynth pic: Chilling on Prodigy case

    Cat with Moog Prodigy box and synths

    From arpodyssey on Instagram.

    In addition to the case for the Moog Prodigy, can you name all the synths that appear in this picture? 🙂

  • CatSynth video: Tom the Cat Playing a Moog Theremini

    CatSynth video: Tom the Cat Playing a Moog Theremini

    By timbolature on YouTube, via matrixsynth.

    “A Moog Theremini comes to visit, and finds a fan in the form of Tom the Cat. Recorded by Offspring #2.”

    Tom is playing the Theremini in way that only a cat can play 🙂

  • CatSynth pic: Vincent and Moog

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    Submitted by AnalogKeys via Twitter.

    “Vincent the cat keeping me company in the studio #cats #StudioLife”

  • CatSynth pic: Miles and his Custom Painted Moog EatherWave Plus Theremin

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    Via matrixsynth. (PS: thanks for the shoutout for the app 🙂 ).

    This one in via L.T.

    “After my beloved orange four legged companion ‘Charlotte the Cat’ passed on and ascended high into SynthCat heaven, I have realized that Charlotte was always annoyed with my collection of electronic keyboards and audio gadgets, (see the old Charlotte the cat photos at Matrixsynth)

    I have since adopted a wonderful. large 4 yr old, 4 legged orange companion – Miles the Cool SynthCat.

    See attached photo of Miles the cool SynthCat, chillin’ and relaxin’ with the Moog EatherWave Plus Theremin… looks like Miles has a much better attitude when it comes to sharing his space with Electronic Music Keyboards ,Gadgets and Gizmos.

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    What do you think…. anyone have a caption for these SynthCat photos?”

    The theremin is painted with green marine enamel for boats.

    The late Charlotte has appeared on CatSynth many times. You can see one of her photos here.

  • NAMM: Moog Modular and More

    Moog Music seems to have a bigger presence and NAMM every year. This time they had a large enclosed space complete with retro neon signs.

    Moog neon sign

    But that merely prepared the way for what was inside. The centerpiece and main attraction was the reintroduced Moog Modular.

    Moog modular

    There was quite a bit of excitement with the news about the modular. Besides being huge and impressive, it also boasts simple and easy to control modules with distinctively Moog sound.

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    While some sounds that one could get out of the demo system reminded me of the Minimoog, it was a different instrument. It is a modular, so the combinations can go quite distant from the classic Minimoog subtractive sound. Since the modules are fairly basic in terms of function compared to the recent Eurorack modular releases, it does take quite a few to make a patch. The larger size of the modules and knobs does make it easy to handle and play. But it is probably more of a studio instrument than a live instruments (especially with the high price tag).

    More down-to-earth but perhaps odder was the Moog Werkstatt, a tiny patchable synth with Moog sound that interoperates nicely with Eurorack systems.

    Moog werkstatt

    This one is indeed something for live use. I’d love to see how it works together with the Theremini. It does make some weird crunchy sounds, and would make a great first stage of a modular in between the Theremini as controller and various Eurorack modules as post processing.

    In between, Moog does continue to provide its “Phatty” line, including the Moog Sub 37. These are quite practical to get a Moog sound for live-stage situations.

    Moog Sub 37

    Of course there was quite a crowd to see the Modular. We at CatSynth certainly wish them well with the new instruments and exposure.

  • CatSynth pic: Cat Who

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    New year, new pictures and posts! From the Facebook group of Cats on Synthesizers in Space. There are at least four levels of awesome in this image 🙂

  • 2014: Transition and Turbulence

    CatSynth 2014 in Review
    [Click to enlarge.]

    Once again, it’s time for our traditional end-of-the-year image at CatSynth. 2014 was a year like no other for us: transition, turbulence, complexity, controversy, beauty. Luna turned 10, and is enjoying the life of a mature but very spoiled house cat. And for me, the year began with a profound change that is still reverberating. Some things stayed remarkably constant, as one can see from themes in the words and images here. But others changed in ways I was not prepared for. Changes in my music, my personality and identity, my friendships and relationships, and my professional life. But in the end I learned the importance of speaking one’s truth. It comes with tremendous risks, but with potential great rewards. So what this means is that even more big changes are likely in store for 2015, especially in music, work, and the pages of this website.

    The blog did suffer a bit amidst all the tumult of this past year, but we are reinvigorating it for 2015. There is the new look and feel – one of our truths – and more posts and channels coming. Thank you for being part of this year with us, and looking forward to the next!

  • CatSynth pic: Tuxedo cat and Moog

    tuxedo cat and moog

    From brusbruss on Instagram.

  • CatSynth in the Window, Artists’ Television Access

    I participated in quite a few performances in 2014, with a lot of challenges and memorable experiences along the way. But there was perhaps none quite as unique or purely fun as my solo set in the window gallery of Artists’ Television Access (ATA). It was part of a month-long program called Almost Public/Semi-Exposed, a “series of installed performances ranging from movement to musical, ritual to reenactment, interactive to endurance.”

    20141117-IMG_8878
    [Photo by David Samas]

    My performance, entitled “CatSynth in the Window”, was a solo with Moog theremini, analog modular, full cat-print costume and body movement. The theremin was a controller for various sound-generated modules, including the Metasonix R54 and Benjolin by Rob Hordjik. And at three hours with just one break, it was among the longest continuous performances I have done.

    20141117-IMG_8780
    [Photo by David Samas]

    Immediately I know this was going to be a great experience. The window was my stage, and the city bustling by on Valencia Street was my audience. Many walked by with just a curious glance. Some stopped to listen for a few minutes. Others stayed a while, contacting friends to come check it out. One little girl called me a witch.

    20141117-IMG_8849
    [Photo by David Samas. Click to enlarge.]

    Sonically, the performance was relatively sparse, with usually no more than two sound sources at once. Motion and gesture were an central part of the performance, as was interacting with the people on the street. Here is a video excerpt.


    [Video by Claire Bain]

    Although I was inside the window, the sound was being broadcast through a speaker in the entryway of ATA to the outside so that people could clearly hear as they walked by. One unexpected challenge was the jazz band practicing inside the main ATA space. But I made the most of it using my skills as a jazz pianist and riffing off the standards they were playing. The audience interaction was among the most rewarding parts of the event, matching the gestures and motions suggested by people outside. For an extended period of time, one of the neighborhood’s icons Diamond Dave was completely enthralled by the performance and interacting with me.

    In this next video, you can see a bit of our impromptu “duo”, as well as some of my attempts to play against the jazz ensemble.


    [Video by David Samas]

    The performance was an endurance test, physically and mentally, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience and I hope to be able to do it again, perhaps bringing to different venues and cities. It was interesting to see how a diverse flow of people choose to observe or interact. Indeed it was a mutual coming together at times, quite democratic and independent compared to a traditional concert setting. I would also like to think it was a positive contribution to the ATA site itself and to life along Valencia Street. I like how vibrant the street and neighborhood is, but providing a little weirdness and unusual performance brings back a bit of San Francisco’s long history of unique culture back.

    A big thank you to Ariel Zaccheo and Tessa Siddle for curating this event, and to the folks at Artists’ Television Access for providing us the time, space and support.