We're in need of change. While we figure it all out, please refer to our labels and links to your left. Many, many thanks for all the continued support and interest! If you would like to stay informed on our whereabouts online and off, feel free to visit John's Delicious or my Multiply page for, if not frequent, general updates. In the meantime this blog will remain up and will eventually redirect to our future projects.
Until then...
Regards, Connie & John
Italian brothers, and independent audio-visual mavens, Clorinde have just released their limited edition companion DVD to the 2009 album, The Creative Listener.
As expected, this DVD is an emotional and visually stunning homage. Representing their work since 2007, this handmade packaged offering includes gritty imagery and animation, vintage film and live performance. It's no secret that I admire these two tremendously, they are humble and appreciative of their growing fanbase, and are creating a body of work that is interesting, engaging and thoughtful.
"One year after the release of "The Creative Listener" we decided to create a visual version of the album putting together the videos originally made for our live concerts from 2007 up to today. This dvd is the result of years of working, learning and experimenting with images and sound to engage, amuse and inspire a receptive audience."
Clorinde - 100 Women from Etruscan Records on Vimeo.
It is a moving and essential addition to anyone's music collection. Help support them by either picking up their DVD (PAL) for only £8 or buy both CD & DVD for a mere £12, all including postage. It'd make a great gift for yourself or your friends. There are free music and video samples to explore, so please visit the sites below.We just came back from a grueling but extraordinary trip from S. Korea. In 6 weeks, we discovered much about ourselves as much as we did about Korean culture while away. Before I post on some interesting things we found and experienced there, I'll start with this great video from the recent Handmade Music event in Brooklyn to kickstart some new blog posts for 2010. It's strange to head into the new year so late, but reassuring to find the rhythm of DIY again.
I will have more exciting events/projects to share very soon. It's almost Spring!
- C
We'll be hosting an afternoon ring mod workshop next Saturday, December 12, in Zurich. The venue is just outside of town at Rote Fabrik / Dock 18. Thanks to the kind SGMK crew for organising this event. Other workshops will include music production methods, theremin building and a PureData / Arduino how-to. We're looking forward to checking these out as well as helping others build their own ring modulators, levels will be beginner to advanced and we will set up some instruments for testing and play.
DIY Night 2009
- C
Great sounds, I really like this.
"Tom Nunn demonstrates the "skatchbox" a simple percussion box outfitted with contacts mics and a plethora of objects for scraping, tapping, swiping, etc. The shuffling and raspy textures the boxes make are pretty unique, certainly warranting further investigation by audio experimentalists out there."
More about Tom Nunn,
"Tom Nunn has designed, built and performed with original musical instruments since 1976, having received a B.Mus. and M.A. in music composition from the University of Texas at Austin and S.U.N.Y. Stony 
Brook, and post-graduate work at U.C. San Diego. His instruments typically utilize commonly available materials, are sculptural in appearance, utilize contact microphones for amplification, and are designed specifically for improvisation with elements of ambiguity, unpredictability and nonlinearity.
In addition to the nearly 100 instruments he has made, Tom has performed extensively throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years, as well as in other parts of the U.S., Canada and Europe, both as soloist and with other musicians. "
( Source, Photo by Tim Nunn, Tom Nunn Official)
- C
It's a very nice feeling when you see someone playing something you've made. John had a big smile last night when he watched this video...
More about John's guitar can be found in our archives here.
Thanks for all Mister Theau!
- C
Just posted on my mog some new adventures we had in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland, at the end of August. Again with the SGMK organised DIY events, we had a great time. Below some excerpts,
"Back in May, one of the organisers of the event told me about being nestled in the Italian-Swiss countryside - a DIY get together in summer, intimate and relaxed. Our busy estival plans happened to slow down at the right moment and here we were, undaunted by the new introductions needed to meet this group of 40+ diverse individuals who had worked hard to finally 
present their projects to local media and friends/family at the end of the week BBQ."
"We were so privileged to attend, even if only for two nights. We 
were welcomed by kindest of electronic enthusiasts, artists, friends, DIY orchestras, tupperware techno raving, terrifying microscopy specimens, arduino micro-controlled LED creations, a mega amp built with a modest microchip, ominous black scorpions used for visual display, late night playlist battles, tent camping in a storm..."
More here. Photos are all here.
- C
I recently attended a presentation and demonstration from one of my favourite living artists, Theo Jansen. I was thrilled to see him in person and was impressed with his bare bones engineering, his thoughtful creation 
process and his use of everyday materials (pvc tubes, cable ties..) to create such beautiful, moving creatures.
Each Strandbeest follows an organic evolution, a natural process that makes Jansen's creatures 
come alive elegantly and poetically. They roam the beaches in Holland and the world now. We were treated to a live demonstration of the Animarus Umerus after two consecutive presentations, the spectators gasped with delight, applauding until the end.
The best part, he signed my latest issue of MAKE magazine.
MORE ABOUT THEO JANSEN & STRANDBEEST HERE.
Via CDM,
"Through the power of skin-safe conductive ink, Scottish electronic artist Calvin Harris has collaborated with a team to make a synthesizer out of himself and a group of models in bikinis."
"Johnson programmed the interface and music: two Arduinos provide the analog-to-digital connection between the ink-human circuitry and a computer. Patching environment Max/MSP then deals with the data and translates to MIDI, and musical materials are sequenced live and "performed" into Ableton Live."
Pretty cheesy with the ladies but I am sure it will help boost the youtube pageviews. Nonetheless, I really like the use of humans and body parts, fun interactivity to make music - alot of promise for artists & musicians alike. Something great for DIY festivals and surely, Burning Man or something.
More on the making-of here. More on Calvn Harris here.
- C
Just did a write up on the Poolloop festival that was held a little while back in Zurich.
"I was having a late dinner Friday evening. The location was a government subsidised, graffiti covered venue in greater Zurich. Called Rote Fabrik (Red Fabric), this alternative enclave was fitted with several function rooms, restaurant/bar and a lovely view of Lake Zurich.
It was early evening, I was feeling a little lonely, the night before became morning too soon and I was physically drained (a recovering sprained arm and a tense 10km late night bike ride). My usual social tendencies were fragile on this 2nd day, intimidated even. I thought about the nature of traveling alone, about making conversations with new people for need, for the feeling of being part of a whole; when in fact you were a stranger, strange to all around you. As I pondered the ups and down of attending a festival by myself (which I have done numerous times before) a smile arrived at my table. He was the physicist guy that caught my eye earlier among the late afternoon crowd already soldering despite hangovers and the humid summer heat. Hooded in bright green, he had meticulously twisted and turned the knobs of a DIY tupperware housed noisemaker."
"The setting was the SGMK (Mechatronicart Society) workshop table that I have come to know quite well this past year. As he continued to 
make beautiful noise, calculated and seemingly comprehensive, I sidled beside him and opened my bag. In hand I had my homemade ring modulator, my recently gifted Gakken SX-150, and some homemade cables made for all required uses. We discussed for some time before I wandered through the event organisation as they prepared for another long festival night to come. Alone, I navigated to the table of where I sat now, a view of the lake and the many groups of which I did not belong. So, here he was again prepared to join me, a welcome sight and wonderful company for the downtime one has in making friends in a foreign city. We ate spaghetti, the popular reasonably priced dish of the day, and walked together to the opening subversive film screening afterwards. It began with two gay pixels in love."
Some new music I'd like to share here on fotosis by Clorinde, the brothers Simone and Andrea Salvatici. Their sound is electro-acoustic with electronic textures. Here is the info from my other blog,
"Been holding onto this album for a couple of weeks anxious to get the word out. The multi-instrumental performers Simone and Andrea Salvatici have always been generous in providing me insight into their work and their personal trials in pursuing a passion that can be a heartbreaking process. Music making is inspired, often the battle for survival, a battle of time and constraint. What I found in The Creative Listener were 11 emotive and powerful hymms of triumph and truth.
You feel the frustration and the beauty that encapsulates a year's worth of work, the magic of fantasy and the melancholy of reality. It's instrumental folklore that evokes a gritty and sensational voyage. The result as a listener is exalting and pure. The challenge of being "The Creative Listener" is the seduction, you delve further into their universe and immerse yourself in the highs and lows of this two man orchestra; a bond that is something akin to soul searching, a journey we all need from time to time."
LISTEN / PURCHASE THE ALBUM HERE.
Here is one of their older works in audio/visual form,
- C
Charlie Cooper from Telefon Tel aviv has passed away at the young age of 31.
"The cause of his death is still unknown, but bandmate and friend Joshua Eustis left the following message on the band's MySpace page.
"It breaks my heart to inform you all that Charlie Cooper, my better half in Telefon Tel Aviv, passed away on January 22.
We have been friends since high school, and began making records together a decade ago. We have been so fortunate to tour the world together, while at the same time having a massive amount of laughs at one another's expense.
Aside from Charlie's singular genius and musical gifts, I can tell you that he was a total sweetheart of a guy, and a loving friend and confidant to people everywhere. His musicianship was surpassed only by his greater gift to the world—his warmth, his generosity, his unquenchable humor, and his undying loyalty to those he loved. In the spirit of honorable mention, however, I should mention that he had a shoe collection that was marvelous, knowledge of hip-hop that was profound, and knowledge of wine that was subtle."
The latest information reports that Cooper went missing prior to his death last week and was found dead afterwards. More here at xlr8r and additional coverage at CDM.
Sincere condolences to all.
- C
I've been telling everyone about Tim and Puma Mimi since the DIY Festival and was lucky enough to have Tim invite me to watch them tape a live TV program this past weekend at a local club, MAD.
Tim has been performing for a year onstage with Puma Mimi streamed into the venues via Skype in Japan. The cast and crew of Musicomax were really into the performance, as was I, despite minor technical difficulties and the almost inaudible interview because of where I sat off stage.
There's more about the taping on my mog here. It was a great weekend.
Here's a video from their YouTube channel,
-C
We attended the DIY Festival in Zurich a while back. It was the fourth year it's been held and I have to say they really did a good job and I look forward to returning. I'll have to brush up on my German for next year.
For more about our trip, visit my other blog.
- C
Max does it again! Beautiful little mini synths...
"the last drones built for my friends, playing with me in Elisha Gray band.
on the left FESTER, the optical theremin.
on the top Ag0 LOLLOSO, the weird sound generator.
on the right WHAT A MESS(INA), the atari punk console."
(Photo by Max Farnea, Source: MAKE magazine)The old link was too much of a hassle for most of our readers/friends so I have our EP up on *archive.org.
*We had to upload again as it missed one of our songs (Chimes) due to file corruption, the new link should be ok.
- C
The saw theremin still remains one of our most asked about instruments.
Musician & Sound designer Alexandre Baranger hails from Lyon, France and so kindly created this composition for me with my baby, the very first theremin that I've ever made. Alex's inventive combination of the theremin sound, the jazz vibe and the experimental thumpin' pace creates a truly unique and engaging track. This instrument now resides permanently in his studio, I am glad it is in good hands.
-C
Just saw these guys again, would love to get our instruments into their hands.
I wrote a bit about them and some other events I've attended since Spring on my other blog here.
-C
This summer has been filled with travel and relocation for both John & I, and living and working apart resulted in the recent absence from the blog. But, rest assured we are still very much here and looking forward to returning back to instrument making.
In the meantime, I am updating my music blog over the next weeks, you can find my latest post and future ones here. Related, I have also been looking into audio/visual projects and have two in particular that I would like to mention.
The first project is the Advanced Beauty series of videos using Processing and inspired by the condition synesthesia. This is a condition where people perceive music through colours according to the tonal qualities of music. I've always been fascinated by this phenomenon and this project is aesthetically beautiful, as it is musically entrancing. You can view the first 6 parts out of 18 here at the Color + Design Blog. (Source)
The other audio/visual project that impressed me recently was the Glastonbury 2008 Pi Installation. This project allowed people to not only interact and play sounds with motion, but it also fully utilised the body as an instrument, syncing quite brilliantly both the audio and visual elements of the participants' movements and collaborations. You have to see it to get what I mean.
Glastonbury 2008 - Pi Interactive Installation from evan on Vimeo.
It truly feels like a fully thought out and cohesive art installation that I would love to know more about and try firsthand. Detailed info about the project can be found at memo.tv. Great, great job! (Source)
- C
