While looking for more esoteric instruments, we do stop at all favorites. It’s always very comforting to visit Moog Music, as the sound of Moog instruments and effects is really liquidy and instantly pliable, it feels really easy to play.
Dave Smith Instruments is in some ways the opposite, but I have long used the DSI Evolver in my music for its really intense sound. Today I tried out the Mopho.
It’s a small monophonic synthesizer, and caught me a bit by surprise when I pressed the “press me” button.
UPDATE: Prophet 08 (with Poly Evolver in the background):
I managed to get some great inharmonic (and somewhat unstable) patches in only a few minutes of floor time.
As soon as I arrived in the hall at NAMM I immediately faced the bright red instruments from Nord. The Wave synthesizer (featured below with Zip) was interesting in terms of programming features though the use of external waves was a but limited. I did like the new filter models including the multi.
My friends had recommended the Nord Stage. I tried out the electric piano models and now I want one for my live shows! its too bad the stage and programming products arent in a single package.
We at CatSynth are delighted to be attending the NAMM 2010 Show!
It is the first time I have been to the big music gear show since 2006. While Orange County, California may not be quite as exciting as some of the other locales I have written from, there is certainly going to be a lot of fun gear to look at, to play with, and to photograph with gratuitously posed stuffed cats.
Look to this site and our @catsynth twitter feed for our rather eccentric and eclectic coverage.
Originally titled “Analog and digital Synths work together…Mini Moog, Synthesizers.com.” From Synthiefrau on YouTube, via matrixsynth:
Hi Folks, the night is cold and grey and I play Synthesizers. Sorry for the mistakes, I play live. My siamese cat Cleo listening, she love Synths also. Mini moog leadsound, Synton Syrinx leadsound, the sequenz is from the Modularsystem, My left Hand played the Roland V-Synth. Effects comes from the Roland Juno 60 and my little “kloiner Racker” Doepfer Dark Energie.
Synthesizers are my life!!1
Watch Cleo during the video. Like Luna, she sits quietly and puts up with her human’s weird sounds, but will make it very clear when she wants some attention for herself.
Last Monday, I performed again the experimental improv “Hootenanny” at the Ivy Room in Albany, CA. This is always a fun series to participate in or attend. It starts a little later at 9PM, and is set in a rather plush bar that makes a great setting for drinks and experimental music.
Free Rein. Photo by Michael Zelner
The evening opened with Free Rein, consisting of Andrew Joron (percussion, theremin), Joseph Noble (woodwinds) and Brian Lucas (guitar). They began with Joron playing a bowed metal percussion instrument and Noble on flute. The bowed instrument had discrete pitches and the music was quite tonal and repetitive, almost hypnotic. They were joined after a while by Lucas on guitar, and together weaved between pentatonic and chromic sounds that were sometimes quite lush, and other times sparse. Joron switched the theremin at some point during the set, and there was a particularly interesting duo of theremin and pennywhistle.
Free Rein gave way to The Lords of Outland with CJ “Reaven” Borosque (electronics), Philip Everett (drums), Ray Scheaffer (bass), and Rent Romus (alto saxophone). There sound was loud, fast, dramatic, with many of the standard idioms from free jazz, run of fast notes (particularly from Romus on sax), squeaks, and loud hits. It was interesting to have the electronic noises set against the jazz sounds.
Lords of Outland. Photo by Michael Zelner.
The set was very energetic and seemed to go by fast, and I had to keep track of time lest I miss the start for the set that I was curating. On cue, as they faded out, we began to fade in.
Photo by Michael Zelner
The set I curated included myself on electronics, Brandan Landis on prepared guitar, Beau Casey on violin and David Slusser on saxophone and the Slussomatic. As usual, I began by ringing one of my prayer bowls, which was answered by the metallic sounds of the prepared guitar and the violin, followed by the Kaos Pad and Evolver, and then the Slussomatic. None of us have played together as a group before, but I was happy with the way we able to play off one another. There were a couple of moments that particularly stood out for me, such as a rhythmic ostinato that emerged organically and I then reinforced; we went on with that pattern for a while, adding accents and syncopations; towards the end, the full ensemble played a series of loud and dramatic swells (anchored by a noise patch on the Evolver) that brought the set to a close…
Elizabeth Torres with Cansafis Foote. Photo by CatSynth.
…which segued to the next set featuring Elizabeth Torres on tenor sax, with Cansafis Foote on baritone sax and Mario Silva on trumpet. The set began with Torres and Foote as a duo, moving between very synchronous playing in which the two saxophones acted as one instrument, and Torres’ improvising freely against a driving but ever-changing rhythm provided by Foote. The duo was then joined by Silva, again moving back and forth between more free improvisation and rhythmic sections.
Thanks again to Lucio Menegon for hosting the series and Suki O’kane for being “virtual Lucio” on this particular night.
