Podcasts about monome

For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them. Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4 Under the alias Daedelus, Alfred Darlington has been an instigator of electronic music culture for the past 20+ years. A fore-figure of Los Angeles' Beat Scene they have released over 20+ LPs, countless EPs, remixes, and additional productions on labels such as Ninja Tune, WARP, Brainfeeder, and more. As a performer they're synonymous with controllers, from the Monome to computer-free modular, and have played over 1,000+ shows on 6 continents at venues ranging from the underground Low End Theory to festival mainstages such as Coachella. A founding dj at Dublab, founding faculty member for the Berklee College of Music's EDI (Electronic Digital Instrument) program, and S.E.T.I. artist in residence. Explore more of this conversation and others: www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr035-alfred-darlington-daedelus --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/greymatterfm/message

In this episode: Dan, Andy, and special guest Matt Lowery join together for Episode 4 of Object Worship. Starting the episode with some odd calls from the HOG-LINE HOTLINE*, move on to discuss Synth-O-1K, fiscal spaghetti, and really drive home that OBNE is not responsible for the views of hosts, cohosts, and guests of Object Worship. After that, we dive deep with Matt about the Norns and Grid from Monome, and how they interact and inform his creative workflow and creative output. Check out Matt Lowery's music here: https://mattlowery.bandcamp.com/Check out the Chase Bliss Mood MKii Video Instruction Manual to see Matt Lowery's video work: https://youtu.be/O87_xgGxJgIhttps://youtu.be/9UzYim0o_Wo* (505) 633-4647  call for a weird time and leave a voice memo.

Rylee (@aalanzaa) is a brilliant mathematician, teacher, speaker, developer, musician, and facilitator of community. She's a moderator at lines, a constant and encouraging presence in the norns discord, and in the last weeks of December last year she released an incredible collection of hyperpop and electronica songs as Alanza called 'Learning to Run'. An episode with Rylee has long been on my wishlist — like, since 2018. In every track she shared as part of the Disquiet (@disquiet) Junto that year, Rylee always uncovered the most hypnotic and miraculous timbres — and her virtuosity as a synthesist has only become more evident in the years since. In this episode, Rylee shares insights into her pursuits as a mathematician, her strategies for synthesizer orchestration inside and out of a pop music context, and some background into the production of 'Learning to Run'. Rylee approached our conversation with so much generosity and openness of heart — I'm very thankful we finally got to make this happen. All featured tracks are from 'Learning to Run' (https://alanza.bandcamp.com/album/learning-to-run): - Breaking Philip - Your Way Through Mine - It's Not Him - Me - They Gave You Bones - Nowhere - You - Push It Through

In July of 2020, Tyler Etters (@tyleretters) put out a request for contributions to start a project for norns named dronecaster (https://llllllll.co/t/dronecaster/34737). He found his first collaborator in Ryan Laws ('license' on lines), who helped build a SuperCollider template which not only deployed Tyler's initial vision, but made it easy for others to contribute as well. among those was Zack Scholl (@infinitedigits), whose norns scripts 'blndr' (https://llllllll.co/t/blndr/35106) and 'barcode' (https://llllllll.co/t/barcode/35297) were already instant classics within the community. This episode is comprised of separate but dovetailing conversations with these three artists, each recorded almost two years ago. Their perspectives remain incredibly energizing + inspiring, and I'm so humbled to be able to share them as the 23rd episode of this podcast. Featured tracks: - Sidereal Lobby: Mental Dub (Lisbon) // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/fciv - Northern Information: powerlines // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations - Tyler Etters: dronecaster demo // https://youtu.be/sYnHYDg3rhg - Tyler Etters: 'What Is Love?' cover with Yggdrasil // https://youtu.be/8ac2qw9gmaw - infinite digits: tock // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/be-the-light-be-the-void - Northern Information: one is opposite six // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations - infinite digits: worthying scattergoods // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/generations - Northern Information: The Arecibo Lamentations // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations - infinite digits: lonlat // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/be-the-light-be-the-void - Sidereal Lobby: bottles // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/beaches - Sidereal Lobby: Mental Dub (Null Lake) // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/fciv

About a month ago, I stumbled on a treasure trove of recordings in a web repository at https://zbs.fm. These uniquely playful and far-reaching captures come from Z, a non-binary musician and athlete at Nonotuck on the Connecticut River. The recordings are bursting with exploratory energy + I was just so compelled to learn more about the processes and experiences that led to such a warm and open collection of music. For more of Z's music: https://zbs.fm/audio

Nueva Onda Ep 17 - Bebe Barron | Lm Drum | Paul McCartney | Digitatk OS1.3 | Nuevo Monome Podcast de tecnología musical. Sintetizadores e historia de la música. Música electrónica.

Hank Yates reached out to me in early 2020 after navigating the loss of his daughter, Ida, whose stillbirth occurred only ten months after his mother Kathy's passing. To focus his grief, he wrote each a requiem -- dual tributes which span the extreme edges of loss. 'Life of a Leaf' for Kathy memorializes a life well-lived, while 'The Mockingbird' for Ida mourns unrealized potential of a life not given its full chance. What strikes me most about Hank is that he found not only reason but strength to create in the wake of such personal tragedy. These albums demonstrate a spiritual resilience that I admire *so much*. A big part of the support network for Hank and Ali, his wife, is Saul's Light -- a non-profit which provides community and resources to families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Shining a light on this organization was a big motivator for Hank to share Ida's story with us, so if you're able please consider supporting them: https://www.saulslight.org Thank you to Matt Lowery for his remarkable and empathetic edit of this episode. And thank you to Hank, for his generosity and perseverance. Life of a Leaf: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/life-of-a-leaf The Mockingbird: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/the-mockingbird

About: Pauk (Pau Cabruja) is a lover of knobs and buttons and is a self confessed controller addict. He has always tried to reflect personal experiences in his music, researching new ways of creation, experimenting with analog and digital hardware and software, and always communicating through his Monome so that his works come alive on stage. A statement of intents in his sound, where strength and emotion go hand in hand like life itself, a language of emotional melodies and super-edited twisted rhythms crushed with his digital blades. Links: http://www.pauk.org/ https://discontinurecords.bandcamp.com/album/melancholic-anger https://discontinurecords.bandcamp.com/album/electric-jazzmine https://discontinurecords.bandcamp.com/album/pauk-remixed https://discontinurecords.bandcamp.com/album/insekt https://discontinurecords.bandcamp.com/album/oda-a-m

Nick Angeloni is a composer, audio engineer, pianist and synthesist who releases work under the name n-So. One of the hallmarks of Nick's fantastic 2018 album 'A Stroke of Blue' is its careful balance of felted piano and electronics — it's an album that's full of accessible moments that twist in just the right way. Depending on the listener, the album's x-factor could be the unexpected textures, or it could be a chord that perfectly roots an ambient soundscape. Speaking with Nick, I was reminded how tense the balance is between will + self-care. Nick is an incredibly talented and driven artist, and it was staggering to hear him talk openly about the challenges he faced while trying to finish this work. And to confirm that coming out of the valley isn't a momentous break of clarity — it's small moments of grace, of the universe wanting to heal what's hurting. I am grateful for Nick's honesty, artistry, and perseverance. Episode 20 was lovingly assembled and edited by Matt Lowery (@mattlowerymusic). I'm so grateful for his willingness to give his energy and expertise toward this project and toward the lines community. sound and process is an exploration of lines, so, come join the conversation at https://llllllll.co Out of the Valley: https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-the-valley A Stroke of Blue: http://n-so.bandcamp.com/album/a-stroke-of-blue Nick's website: http://n-so.online

Alfred and I talk coffee on the East Coast, a potential coffee origin themed album, the centrality of "wonder" in Alfred's practice, his new album "What Wands Won't Break", transient inflation, spectral music, Chicago footwork, narrative depth vs. hedonic immediacy, the degree to which traditional instruments are relevant, modular synthesis, Max/MSP, the Monome, the legacy of Ras G, Ethiopian food, 12 years of Low End Theory, and LA's management of COVID-19. Find Alfred on Twitter: @daedelus Check out Alfred's newest album:https://daedelusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/what-wands-wont-break

Dr. Obi Monome-Ohio Health Neurologist and Medical Chief of Telehealth-Discusses video visits becoming commonplace in the future.

Orca is a visual programming environment for making music. Except it's not graphical, it's just text arranged in a grid. Except it doesn't actually make music, it just silently emits digital events across time. When you first see it, it's utterly alien. When you start to learn how it works and why, the logic of it all snaps into place, and it becomes a thrilling case study for authors of live programming environments and interactive media tools. Devine Lu Linvega, Orca's creator, struck a wonderful balance between flashy style and significant utility. Orca is typically encountered as an inky black and seafoam green alphabet soup, pulsating to some species of broody electronic industrial throb. But it is also a forgiving learning environment that doesn't crash, puts code and data together in the same space, lets you directly manipulate code and data interchangeably, allows generous recovery from mistakes, and supports discovery through freeform play. I invited Devine to come on the show specifically to brain dump about the design process of Orca, how he started the project and built it up to what it is today. During our three-hour conversation we wound up talking a lot about all the other tools he's created, and you can hear that discussion on last month's episode. This time it's all Orca — inspirations, execution model, operators, interface, system design, ports & reimplementations, interactions with other tools, and the community. This episode contains many snippets of music, as examples of what you can make using Orca. All of it was created by Devine, and is available on his Youtube channel. If you like a particular piece and want to hear the full thing — and see exactly how Devine made it — they are all linked in the transcript at the point that they appear in the show. So just scroll and skim, or search the transcript for some phrase that neighbours the song you want to find. Quote of the show: "It's for children. The documentation fits in a tweet, basically." Links Devine Lu Linvega is our guest. He and his partner Rekka funnel their lives and creativity into Hundred Rabbits. Devine has created countless tools, but Orca is the focus of today's episode. He also appeared on the previous episode. Support them on Patreon, so they can keep making amazing things like Orca. At the dawn of time, Devine was inspired to make a game by misunderstanding an Autechre music video. I don't know which one he meant, but here's a classic. And, why not, here's my favourite song of theirs. Yes, that's one song. Put on some big headphones and play it loud while you read, debug, sleep, drive, trip, what have you. In the theme of creation through misunderstanding, Orca was inspired by a misunderstanding of Tidal. It's not mentioned in the episode, but I wanted to link to this Tidal remix (By Lil Data, aka FoC community member Jack Armitage) of a song by Charli XCX. This remix slaps, but... you can't really feel what the music is going to do based on the code, hey? Rami Ismail hosted a year long game jam, for which Devine and a friend created a little block-based puzzle game named Pico, which would eventually become Orca. Sam Aaron created the music coding tool Sonic Pi, which is included by default with Raspbian. It reminded Devine a little bit of Processing without the compile time, and seemed similar to Xcode's Playgrounds. Dwarf Fortress, ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery), and other Roguelike games are precursors to the 2D character grid of Orca. The code structures you create resemble the patterns in Game of Life. Learning how to read Orca code is like learning to read the code in The Matrix. Orca's traveling N E S W operators are likened to Rube Goldberg machines, rolling ball sculptures, and the Incredible Machine. Orca is a language that uses "bangs", a concept borrowed from Max/MSP and Pure Data. Devine also made a similar looking flow-based web framework called Riven. Generative music arguably went mainstream with In C by Terry Riley. Here is the definitive recording, and here is one of my favourite renditions. While you can make generative music with Max/MSP, or Ableton Live, Orca offers a much richer, easier approach. The Chrome version of Orca is easy to get up and running with no dependencies, thanks to web platform features like WebMIDI and WebAudio— much easier than tools like Tidal or Extempore, especially if you use Orca's companion synthesizer app Pilot. Orca is so simple that it's been ported to Lua and C. The C version runs nicely on the Norns, which is a little sound computer by Monome. Ivan recently listened to a fantastic interview with Miller Puckette (creator of Max and Pure Data), which sparked curiosity about realtime scheduling for live-coded music tools. Orca's Euclid operator U was inspired by the Euclidean Circles synth module. The community around Orca largely grew out of the "lines" community, a forum started by Monome. They make a lot of pieces you can use as part of a modular synthesizer rig — you know, one of those giant cabled monsters used by the likes of Tangerine Dream in the 70s. People still do that, and it's better than ever. It seems like all node-and-wire visual programming languages, like Origamiand Node-RED, are perpetuating certain conventions borrowed from modular synthesis without any awareness of that history and the limitations it imposes. This makes your humble host a touch grumpy. The THX deep note was an early example of the wild polyphony afforded by computer-synthesized audio, as opposed to the limited polyphony or even monophony of analog synthesizers. You can use Orca to control Unity, which is neat. You can use it to play QWOP, which is nuts. Speaking of QWOP, it's part of a whole genre of hard-to-control games like Surgeon Simulator, Octodad, I Am Bread. Devine has used Kdenlive and Blender to edit videos, since they're both really good (for an open source programs). Better than editing just with FFmpeg. Remember when Jack Rusher said "Orcal"? Yeah, good times. The transcript for this episode was sponsored by Repl.it. They're amazing, and seeing stories like this just melts my heart. Email jobs@repl.it if you'd like to work on the future of coding and, hey, help kids discover the joy of computing. For the full transcript go to https://futureofcoding.org/episodes/045#full-transcript

You know how there are some people that just make you feel better for having had a talk, email or forum exchange with them? Dan Derks is one of those people. He has such a great way of viewing the world - and of sharing it with others. He also is energy-filled, carrying on multiple simultaneous projects - and all of them are fantastic. In our chat, we talk about his background, his work within in the lines community and his supporting efforts for the new monome crow device. We also talk about his releases (available on Bandcamp), and how he developed the vision for those creations. I'm a fan of the work, and I think you might be too! Enjoy!

About: Dudadius is the electronic project of scoring composer, Bryan Rheude. He calls it Electro Humanism, even if we’re not entirely sure what the hell that means. There’s an undercurrent of cinematic vibes to his music, probably owing to Rheude’s day job creating scores for film, tv, and adverts. The Dudadius releases under the Collisions Minimal series are one-off modular performances, the others are traditional productions using a combination of modular synths and vintage poly synths; bringing it all together in Ableton. During the last couple years he has focused on performing live with his modular—driven by some of the Monome devices—including a real hoot at Moogfest this last spring. Dudadius also maintains an active Youtube channel, including a new series called Circuits with Feelings that features a combination of interviews and technical deep dives. Links: https://dudadius.bandcamp.com https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOrNss1QKPXC-ZFpm_YFIiTRU8gAnXL3x https://open.spotify.com/artist/476BOCuCceYJUmKCETcEtYsi=J7F1tUJfQUWaqD3ThtgPbA http://www.beekermusic.com https://www.instagram.com/dudadius/

Joseph Branciforte is a multi-instrumentalist, recording and mixing engineer, composer, sound artist, and programmer based out of New York City. This episode was edited by Joseph himself, which has allowed me to approach it primarily as a listener. And I've been must struck by Joseph's balance between conviction and query. Though much is covered in this half hour, Joseph's reflections inspired so many questions for me. What happens when you shake the dust of the day-to-day a little? When you inject a new choice into the established theme? What happens when we dive in head and heart first? More about Joseph's work: https://josephbranciforte.com His label, Greyfade: https://greyfade.com lines: https://llllllll.co Featured music: - 4.19 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1 - example 6.1 realtime generative voice-leading max patch for yamaha disklavier piano (video/explanation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-E78AHmHM) - 90 structures, a generative work with realtime notation for live chamber ensemble - 3.4.26 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1 (https://greyfade-label.bandcamp.com) - july 6, 2016 from 2016 sound journal - 6.15 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1 - april 20, 2015 an electronic composition by kenneth kirschner transcribed for piano + 2 cellos by joseph branciforte. - 0123 for low string quartet MIDI rendering of a forthcoming algorithmically composed string quartet. - july 24, 2016 from 2016 sound journal - 5.5.9 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1

Dan Derks opens doors. When I asked Dan about someone that I should interview for the show, he immediately said "Oh, you've got to talk to Andrew C. S." - someone he knows from the Chicago scene, and an active person on the Lines community. So I did a little searching, some Bandcamp listening, web reading and such - and I was entranced. Reached out, got a positive response, interview bagged! This was a great chat because Andrew we open to talk about his process, and his vision for working with computers, monome grids and cheap hardware interfaces. By combining music creation, field recording, visual art creation and other work, he's developed a body of work that belies the fact that he's just kicking things off. I ended up spending a lot of time listening to his music, and it's actually stimulated me into exploring some new ways of making work. You need to check out this podcast! You should also check out some of his online contect, which you can find at http://andrewcs.info/, https://andrewcs.bandcamp.com/music and https://github.com/AndrewShike. See if you don't find something interesting in that stack! Enjoy!

Named after the famous Philip K. Dick novel, Scanner Darkly is one of the most dedicated coders in the monome community. He got his start creating the Orca firmware for the monome modular devices, but really caught his stride working on updates to the Teletype - a coding module that features an exposed scripting environment. By adding a lot of new scripting functions (including a complete set of grid support tools), Scanner has made the Teletype a much more exciting for a lot of users. In our chat, Scanner Darkly talks about his background learning coding, his interaction with electronic music and computer, and the variety of opportunities that he is currently pursuing. One of the 'soon-to-release' things includes some VCV rack work, so a lot more people will get to engage with his work. I think we all have something to look forward to enjoying! You can find Scanner's work all over the internet - if you search for Scanner Darkly, you'll see that he must have been one of the early people to get access to the name on the net; if a link isn't about Philip K. Dick, it's probably about him. Enjoy our talk, and if you get a chance, check out his work, or keep a close eye out for his upcoming releases on VCV rack and other platforms. Cheers!

Josh Mason's music is an alcove you've never noticed, in a park you've walked through a hundred times. Over the last eight years, he's released 20+ albums of solo and collaborative work. Through guitar, tape loops, digital and analog synthesis, Josh has established an enchanting lexicon. His music is an ever-evolving conversation about personal and philosophical challenges. Its tones and timbres speak with curiosity and humility. Josh keeps his practice approachable and immediate, which defies stagnation. Discover + support his music: https://j-w-m.bandcamp.com https://joshmason.info

On a snowy Chicago afternoon, Carl Testa and Meredith Johnston (Warm Human) joined me for a live discussion about improvising with electronics to explore and expand the bounds of their classical instruments (Carl: string bass, Meredith: voice). It was a joy to learn how software interactions helps each produce distinct and compelling results. After the conversation, we were treated to performances from each artist. Carl performed solo bass with his custom live processing environment, Sway, before Meredith capped off the afternoon with a sneak peak of her developing cowboy series. To learn more about Carl and Sway, please visit: http://carltesta.net/ To hear more of Warm Human, please visit: https://warmhuman.bandcamp.com Many thanks to the Crowd Theater, whose chicken wings are nonpareil.

Izzy Barreiro is an accomplished DJ, producer, composer, synthesist and teacher. They perform as @stud1nt and are part of the deeply necessary collectives Discwoman and KUNQ. They have taught classes everywhere from Moogfest to Ableton Loop. They are also the director of production at Whimsical Raps, a Brooklyn-based musical instrument company. In this episode, Izzy explores some wonderful ideas about the importance of community built on shared experiences, how vulnerability develops an artist, and how their own approach to music-making tools has changed over the years. Izzy's work is a bold exploration of genre, approach and self -- you can hear more of it at: https://soundcloud.com/stud1nt https://stud1nt.nyc

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to watch Meredith Johnston perform in a variety of contexts — improvisational comedy across Chicago, film (2018's Pet Names), and most recently music under the moniker Warm Human — and every project is anchored in emotional exploration. Her upcoming album, Ghastly, tells deeply personal stories through a melange of synths, vocal processing, and brilliant pop arrangements. As a producer, composer, and lyricist, Meredith infuses feeling into each bit of the album’s DNA. She tells her side of the story with a balance of ferocity and compassion that is, at times, both uniquely funny and absolutely heartbreaking. Ghastly will, no pun intended, haunt you well after its last track. Throughout this conversation, Meredith unpacks some complex topics — her insecurities while performing live, navigating her ownership as a storyteller over shared experiences, and her struggles with different forms of addiction. bandcamp: https://warmhuman.bandcamp.com lines: https://llllllll.co

Claire Marie Lim is a music technologist, interdisciplinary artist, and live performance designer. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, Claire is a multi-instrumentalist who produces music as dolltr!ck. Claire has played an important role in planning and developing Berklee’s new Electronic Digital Instrument program, which welcomes modern technologies such as drum pads, MIDI controllers, and laptops as instruments of study. Claire’s work is paving the way for the future of music education. In this episode, Claire discusses her work at Berklee and in the school’s revolutionary Electronic Digital Instrument program. We examine where traditional musical instruments and performances meet modern technologies and genres. Many interesting questions are raised in how new music technologies and tools can find a home in the structure of traditional educational programs, as well as how these technologies challenge the fundamental structure of the programs. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Show Notes: Official Site - The main hub for Claire’s professional work. dolltrick - Claire’s work as the artist dolltr!ck Own Devices - Pieces for motion and electronics Eventuate - Claire’s EDI friend who performs and makes music with his modular rig, Monome grid + arc, and electric guitar BeatMask - instrument that converts beatboxing to drum samples in real-time Shawn Wasabi clip that is often shared by Berklee faculty Toss of a Dice - choreography by Jiri Kylian Jesper Nordin - Creator of Gestrument on the Music Production Podcast Jacob Haq - iOS YouTuber on the Music Production Podcast Let’s Get Physical - Music Production Podcast about the importance of movement while making music. Thank you for listening. Please consider giving the Music Production Podcast a review on your favorite podcast provider. And don’t forget to visit my site AfroDJMac.comfor music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk AfroDJMac

a mix for Free City Radio (@freecityradio) on @radiockut Emily A. Sprague (@mlesprg) — Synth 3 glia (@glia) — cosmophonic phonofunk Joshua Andrew — Modular Sketchbook: Beverly Beach, OR Cool Maritime — Mossage (via @leavingrecords) warm human (@warmhuman) — dog years Nick Turner (@tyrestasounds) — Union Pier Winter Meng Qi (@mengqimusic) — 晚风 wanfeng andrew c.s. / Irving Park (@andrew-shike) — Settling Noises

If you follow my Instagram, Facebook or Twitter feed, you know that I'm a monome fan. Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain have created company that consistently nails both the functionality and the design factors that draw me in - and that seems to be the case with a lot of people. They not make great products, but they tend to drive the industry in new directions. Recently, monome put out a new device that has really captured my attention: the norns. This is a standalone computing device, based off of Raspberry Pi technology, but fine-tuned for music making, creative coding and all-around media art fun. I was very excited to talk to Brian about the development - and actuality - of the norns device. But there's another change in the world since our last discussion (200 episodes ago - podcast #47): the popularity of the lines community. Lines (llllllll.co). It was just starting when we last talked, now it is one of my favorite online hangouts. Whether talking about code, music or books, this community is loaded with interesting, engaged and damned-smart people. All of this is available thanks to the monome team. Thanks to them, and I hope that you enjoy our discussion. Cheers!

Rodrigo Constanzo is a seasoned improviser + performer, which directly influences his approach to designing software interactions. Through careful consideration of the needs of the performer, he builds software that can be easily manipulated through gestures akin to playing acoustic instruments. Since 2011's The Party Van, Rodrigo has built many incredible bits of software, ranging from dynamic varispeed loopers to huge leaps in concat re-synthesis, but at the core of these tools is an aesthetic that can only be described as "lo-fi, broken, digital stuff." Beyond the performance videos and audio artifacts housed on his website (https://rodrigoconstanzo.com), Rodrigo has also written a considerable amount of essays trying to understand the mechanics of how improvisers improvise. His findings are fascinating, annotated with interactive examples and self-reference. Rod's academic + artistic endeavors often play out as a non-linear looping mechanism. (some choice ones: http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/thesis/, http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/2016/03/just-making-things-up/, and http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/2015/04/making-decisions-in-time/) Throughout the episode, Rodrigo shares insights into his performance practice, unpacks the importance of formal training when working within an experimental context, and plants flags in the common ground between comedy + music improvisation. As always, Sound + Process explores the artists of lines (https://llllllll.co). Come join the conversation.

Sound + Process # 13 features musician, designer, programmer and teacher Meng Qi. A pioneering interface theorist, Meng Qi is perhaps best known for opening new dimensions of control and interaction with Peter Blasser’s Ciat-Lonbarde circuits. His earliest module, Voltage Memory, is the first synth module to have ever been both designed and manufactured in China. Over the years, Meng Qi has released a wide spectrum of music with these and other instruments. His experiments with feedback and frequency modulation are only enhanced by explorations of tonality — the resulting songs are uniquely beautiful in both timbre and emotion. Since Meng Qi’s audiences span many countries and languages, I’ve chosen to present his episode in two different formats — one is a transcript annotated with audio at https://soundandprocess.com/ep_13 and the other is a standalone album with a downloadable document on https://soundandprocess.bandcamp.com. Visit one, visit both, but as always feel free to join the conversation on lines — https://llllllll.co. Before we part ways, this track ends with a short live performance that Meng Qi treated me to during our conversation. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for listening.

"Ezra Buchla is from California. He has played in bands." While not inaccurate, Ezra’s official bio belies the depth of their work. From their most well-known bands (Mae Shi and Gowns) to the backlog of live performances and sketches on their rarely updated website, Ezra has an uncanny ability to break your fucking heart in less than 45 seconds. No matter the instrument — viola, oscillators, a laptop or his own voice — they find ways to blend their classical training with an agility in software programming to stunning effect. Over the course of this episode Ezra reflects on composition and the function of scores, the relationship between humans and their instruments, the haute couture of music tech, intentions for the Aleph, and handling other people’s relationships with their father (artist and inventor Don Buchla, 1937 – 2016) while planning the Don Buchla Memorial Concerts. For a listing of the featured music, which includes selections from Ezra's collaborations, bands and solo work, visit https://soundandprocess.com http://catfact.bandcamp.com http://froth.catfact.net As always, Sound + Process explores the artists of lines (https://llllllll.co). Come join the conversation.

At the tail end of last month, Gohan Tapes (https://gohantapes.bandcamp.com) released ‘Spring’ — a new full length album from Joshua Saddler, who records as ioflow. On ‘Spring’, Josh combines field recordings, modular synthesis, and piano improvisations to capture memories like aural photographs. The sparse arrangements interplay with sounds of wildlife from the California landscape. This is an essential album, especially if you live somewhere that's cold right now. Much of his compositional technique is rooted in blind recording, a process he discovered through his participation in Marc Weidenbaum's Disquiet Junto. If you're unfamiliar, the Junto is an incredible project — a weekly assignment which challenges artists to explore new techniques and workflows. https://disquiet.com ‘Spring’ is additionally unique because it was made during the most physically painful phase of Josh’s struggles with congenital hearing loss and neural degradation. Faith is important to him and it's obvious that he shares his work as a celebration of life and in gratitude for his own. This episode is structured a little differently. I’ve removed the interview elements and chosen to focus solely on Josh’s reflections. He’s underscored by selections from ‘Spring’, available on Bandcamp at https://ioflow.bandcamp.com

There’s something about Marcus Fischer’s music that fits this season. Last year, a lot of listeners shared how the snowstorms they were homebound by were the perfect backdrop to Marcus’s reflections. As another year closes, I am so excited to share another conversation with this wonderful artist. This isn’t something I expected, but Marcus has been really giving of his time and it was his suggestion to do a follow-up. In the spirit of the season, I’m very thankful to have gotten to know him better. Since episode 5, Marcus has been for lack of a much better word, busy. He completed the Rauschenberg Residency and released the follow-up to 2010’s 'Monocoastal' — 'Loss', which is absolutely stunning. He established an experimental power trio with Paul Dickow and William Selman called Wild Card, which toured with High Plains at the end of this past summer. He’s been performing with Lisa Schonberg’s Secret Drum Band. He recorded another collaboration with 12k’s Taylor Deupree called 'Lowlands'. And I’m sure I’m missing something. This episode digs beyond his output as an artist to explore the internal processes that inform his approach, especially as an improviser. As always, the music from each of these projects and partnerships weaves throughout the episode, which can all be purchased as digital or characteristically breathtaking physical objects on Bandcamp. Grab a warm cup of tea and dive in. 'Loss' on 12k: https://12kmusic.bandcamp.com/album/loss 'Lowlands' on IIKKI: https://iikki.bandcamp.com/album/lowlands Marcus Fischer's back catalog: https://marcus-fischer.bandcamp.com Secret Drum Band: https://secretdrumband.bandcamp.com Wild Card: https://wildcardofcascadia.bandcamp.com/releases https://llllllll.co

My guest for this episode is Karl Fousek, an improviser who has spent the last five years crafting an incredible archive of live modular performances and studio albums. As a deeply devoted fan of experimental and electronic music and by dedicating himself to the mastery of his tools as a single instrument, Karl has developed a compositional agility which helps him explore new directions of form. His latest release, ‘Two Pieces For a Contemporary Connection’, is an inspiring hybrid of live improvisations and rehearsal recordings. Beyond his work as a solo synthesist, Fousek also plays with Devon Hansen and Roger Tellier-Craig — a partnership which bore the very well-received ‘No Sound Without A Misunderstanding’ and most recently, ‘No Image In Particular’. I’m so excited to share this episode. Through our conversation, Karl covers everything from his approaches to longform performances, building patches that are mutable yet structured, learning a modular system as an instrument, collaborating with others, and how he navigates uncanny sounds. http://karlfousek.bandcamp.com https://llllllll.co

The first time I heard Emily Sprague’s music was on lines. Somebody posted a video of hers, 'Three Sisters + Harmonic Oscillator', that had captured their attention as a high watermark...and it’s easy to understand how. The straightforward and earnest exploration of a beautiful module, through a looped melody you could listen to for hours, seemed the work of a seasoned pro. Somebody else commented, revealing that the synthesist was Emily Sprague from the band Florist. While they brought up that Emily had just started working with modular synths in the last year, digging deeper revealed that the video was actually made in her second week. Beyond the quality of her music, which has only swelled over the last year, what’s fascinating about Emily’s work is how public her process has been. While most whittle away for months, releasing new work only after long incubation, Emily seems to revel in sharing each step of her growth in realtime — a direct response to the trajectory of her own self-education. If you’re new to modular synthesis, this is the episode for you. If you’re deeply settled, this is the episode for you. Emily has retained a beginner’s mind while leveraging her rich decade-long background as a musician, producer and engineer to create music that is playful and emotional, while remaining technically impressive. As you’ll notice, there are more music breaks in this episode than previous ones — due to my own fandom and Emily’s generosity, you’re the first to hear the demos that will make up her much-anticipated modular album. Beyond her talents, Emily is an insightful and passionate addition to the lines community and personally, I hope that her reflections help anyone who feels that their voice is un or under-represented in this field to join the conversation at llllllll.co

Prior to March 2015, lines (https://llllllll.co, the online community this podcast explores) didn’t exist. In its place simply stood the monome forum. As you’ll hear in the episode, it held much of the same energy in those early days as lines does now. One of the hallmarks of this spirit was MCRP, a project rooted in musical collaboration between these original members. A loose process was formed: users would submit samples which formed the only raw material able to be used in the final songs. Over the course of 18 volumes -- including two holiday iterations, an Earthquake Disaster relief compilation and a memorial for user VGAForest who passed away from complications related to leukemia -- the unique care and respect these strangers on the internet had for each other found manifestation. After the lines migration, it took little time before this project was rebranded as LCRP, the lines community remix project. The latest, titled ‘New Noise’, is one of the most packed community remix project albums in a long time — its contributors range from decade-old members to lurkers who joined just to participate. This episode of SOUND + PROCESS features reflections from many of the creators, discussing their unique approaches to working with the same samples. Every piece of music featured is from the resulting album, which can be freely downloaded or affordably purchased at https://lcrp.bandcamp.com Featuring: Simeon Smith (http://www.awonderfulkindofimpossible.co.uk/) Thorsten Vieth ermina Duncan (GoneCaving) Evan Hartzell / abalone (http://sidromusic.net/) Michael Hetrick (http://mhetrick.com/) Anton Hörnquist / jah pauk glia (https://soundcloud.com/zunaito + https://soundcloud.com/sound-and-process/glia-sound-and-process-1) SteveOath Alessandro Bonino (http://soundcloud.com/alessandrobonino) Zedkah

My guest for this episode is Piotr Szyhalski, a Polish-born artist who creates multimedia works under the name Labor Camp. His early pieces, large-scale Internet installations which defy the constraints of late 90’s technology, captured the attention of the New York Times, MTV, and the National Endowment of the Arts. Soon after, he began composing music with Max/MSP and modular synths, eventually merging his talents for both visual and aural art to create immersive performance environments. Piotr is also a Visual Arts professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he collaborates with students past and present -- most notably, Pramila Vasudevan’s multidisciplinary group Anicca Arts. archive | http://www.laborcamp.org instagram | https://instagram.com/laborcamp facebook | https://www.facebook.com/labor.camp sound cloud | https://soundcloud.com/labor-camp-orchestra monome | http://monome.org lines | http://llllllll.co To download this episode and receive sneak previews of future conversations, tape copies and Field Notes, please consider contributing to the S+P Patron at http://patreon.com/soundandprocess

Marcus Fischer has been a staple figure in modern ambient and experimental music for the better part of the last decade. Characterized by his masterful use of tape loops, Fischer's works also build space and emotion through layers of baritone guitar and modular synths. His solo debut, 'Monocoastal', was released on 12k in 2010 to international acclaim. Over the course of his career, he has partnered with several artists: Matt Jones (as Unrecognizable Now), Ted Laderas/The OO-Ray, Simon Scott, Devin Underwood. His collaborations with Taylor Deupree, with whom Fischer released 'Twine' in 2015, are masterclasses in shared voice and restraint. Fischer is a longstanding member of lines (www.llllllll.co), the online community that surrounds Eurorack module and instrument maker monome. To explore and support Fischer's work, please visit: www.mapmap.ch www.marcus-fischer.bandcamp.com www.12kmusic.bandcamp.com To support future development of SOUND + PROCESS, please consider becoming a contributing listener at: www.patreon.com/soundandprocess Special support for this episode came from: Jason Wehmhoener, Evan Hartzell, Thorsten Vieth, Nick Sanborn, Rodrigo Constanzo, Brian Anderson, Robert Pitts, and Brian Crabtree Photo credit: Brian Young www.instagram.com/losingtoday/

This episode features the brilliant and buoyant Angela Guyton, whose recent work explores the intersection of sound, light and self. Through the use of biofeedback and Max patches, Angela uses her body and breathing to generate and manipulate visually arresting color sequences. Her website, www.angelaguyton.com, showcases her depth of thought and command of curiosity as a writer while housing the majority of her art. As a multidisciplinary artist, Angela has a long list of collaborators -- her longest, perhaps, with her parter Rodrigo Constanzo. Both Angie and Rod are members of the online community 'lines', the forum for instrument and eurorack module-maker monome. Learn more about Angie's work: www.angelaguyton.com www.instagram.com/angieastronaut/ www.takahashisshellfishconcern.com Learn more about 'lines': llllllll.co

This episode features the inimitable and joyful Nick Sanborn. Nick produces solo electroacoustic works under Made of Oak and is one half of Sylvan Esso. He also has spent extensive time touring with Chris Roseneau and is a member of the trio Cedar AV. The works featured are from many of Nick's projects, including a remix for Cedar AV member Erik (He Can Jog). Explore and support Nick's music: http://www.madeofoak.com http://www.sylvanesso.com https://collectionsbees.bandcamp.com/releases https://fullspectrumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nin-o-van llllllll.co

This episode celebrates monome's 10 year anniversary by exploring the work of Sean Hellfritsch (http://seanhellfritsch.com). Sean is an accomplished musician and filmmaker (http://encyclopediapictura.com), having recently released 'Some Sort of Wave Portal' on Leaving Records as Cool Maritime. He is as warm as the California sun. Much of the featured music is from Sean's 2012 self-released 'Tea Time Travel'. Lovingly crafted tapes of both works can be purchased here: https://coolmaritime.bandcamp.com/album/tea-time-travel https://leavingrecords.bandcamp.com/album/some-sort-of-wave-portal

This episode explores GLIA's 'muqarnas'. Over the hour, Dan and Jonathan (GLIA's offline name) discuss the impact the Persian language had on the album, improvising with electronics, creativity in prefab culture, and the depths to which instrumental artists encode themselves in their music. Selections from 'muqarnas' provide framework, excepting the outro track, which is the previously unreleased '318(fesdup)'. 'muqarnas' can be purchased here: http://phinery.bandcamp.com/album/muqarnas

I've told the story before - I first met Brian Crabtree when he was working in LA, and he showed me a button/light combo that was a "" for me. Little did I suspect that the concept would end up being at the heart of the music industry of the future, and that I would be the proud owner of several devices that use exactly that technology. In this chat, Brian and I talk about the past, present and future of monome.org, including the continued development of the grid and the new modular devices they are creating. We also talk about his recent music releases, his design philosophy and how he feels about the state of grids in music technology. A very involved conversation that was also quite revealing. The bumper music for this episode was actually composed (in about five minutes) using a Monome 128, a White Whale module, my portable modular and an Eventide Space. Not exactly a Super Demo, but it does tell you that this combo (Monome/White Whale) has already wedged its way into my rig... Enjoy!

It's always a wonderful thing when you get a chance to work with someone whose company you can enjoy. That's the case with Matthew Davidson, a person I've always admired and whose work I've appreciated, but who is also a person you can just enjoy hanging out with. In this "interview", Matthew and I really just talk smart about controllers, modulars and the composition process. Matthew always has a thoughtful view on almost anything, and is willing to challenge people to push their thought processes beyond the most convenient position. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I had doing it. Matthew forces me to talk about myself a little (gulp!), for which I apologize in advance!

Lucky Me's Joe Shabadu kicks off a frankly crazy show, followed by a live Monome set by Daedelus and rounded off in true Hoya Hoya style by Illum Sphere. Also present was EMN, Hoya visualist and builder of Archimedes, Daedelus' visual platform which received its UK debut this weekend. Recorded at Hoya Towers, Manchester, UK. Presented by Agent J. 320 quality download forthcoming at http://groovement.co.uk

Rod B. & Alvaro Garfunk bring you the Miami Underground MovementKing Unique is Matt Thomas, an all round studio junkie and dj with a taste for tripped-out cosmic techno and rough-edged underground house; in a career spanning nearly a decade KU’s distinctive sound has won an enviable global following. A ceaseless schedule of dj sets and festival gigs backed up by relentless studio sessions resulting in scores of records, remixes and radio broadcasts has made the KU sound an instantly recognizable part of the music-life of millions of the world’s clubbers - and a fixture in the vinyl crates, cd wallets and laptops of the world’s most influential djs. Consistently appealing across genres the tracks have been played by everyone from Sasha to Soulwax, Richie Hawtin to Tiesto, and have turned up everywhere from Hollywood soundtracks to mobile ringtones - not to mention countless compilations and mix albums.Formed in 2001 by Matt Thomas & Matthew Roberts, King Unique hit the floor running, claiming the title of Undisputed Remix Champs by scoring five Essential New Tunes in five months on Pete Tong's "Essential Selection" Radio 1 show. A US Billboard Dance Chart number 1 for the remix of Dirty Vegas’ “Walk Into The Sun”, plus two more solo Essential New Tunes for Matt under his Watkins and Mainframe alter-egos saw KU firmly cement their place amongst the ranks of first-call remixers. The King Unique production touch has been in constant demand since, appearing on more than fifty remixes and yielding some of the biggest dance floor bombs known to man - Underworld's "Two Months Off", The Killers "Somebody Told Me", Planet Funk’s “The Switch”, The Teamsters "Feels Like Love", and Chable and Bonicci’s "Ride".2006 saw the end of the original duo’s studio partnership, as Matt Thomas took on the King Unique role as a solo artist. The two years since have seen the KU sound taken to new heights with a mixture of euphoric acidic melodies, dark brooding techno vibes and old skool beats. Remixes of Tracey Thorn’s “Grand Canyon”, Gabriel & Dresden’s “Tracking Treasure Down” and an ’08 remix of KU’s own “Sugarhigh” have reaffirmed his status as one of the most versatile and consistent producers of the last ten years.Most recently Matt has produced a stunning reworking of “Heaven” for James Lavelle’s UNKLE project, as well as remixes for Junkie XL, Paolo Mojo and Miami art-punk fashionistas Organicarma.The renowned King Unique dj set has made KU a regular addition to the line up of some of the world's most respected clubs and biggest festivals, playing everywhere from ultra-hip blacked-out sweat boxes in Tokyo to euphoric crowds of thousands on the tropical beaches of Madeira. Regular gigs for super-brands such as Renaissance and Ministry Of Sound coupled with an increasingly hectic international schedule has seen Matt racking up enough air-miles for a free trip to the moon, with gigs in Sydney, Osaka, Barcelona, Shanghai, Lima, Bucharest, Auckland, Bogota, Singapore, Chelyabinsk, Malta, Vilnius - just to name a handful from recent months. Since the very first shows Matt has pushed at the cutting edge of the technology revolution that's swept through club culture, taking laptops, new gadgets and studio gear into the booth. 2009 sees the addition of the near mythic Monome controller to the sonic armoury - part track-mangling Ableton controller and part psychedelic light show, lovingly hand built by techno-hippies in the Catskill Mountains.Playlist:01. Ripperton “Random Violence” Green02. Artur Reimer “Unseen Days” Microfreak Records03. Lights Electronika “Sentimental (Einmusik Edit)” Einmusika04. Solomun “Cloud Dancer (Manuel Tur's Instrumental)” Diynamic Music05. Danny Howells “Landing On Planets” Dig Deeper06. Secret Cinema “Glad Chord” GEM Records07. Layo & Bushwacka vs. Shit Robot “Fatale Feeling (King Unique Bootleg)” CDR08. King Roc & Dimitri Nakov “Jardin Nights” Bedrock09. Slam “Room 2 (Pan Pot Rave Tool)” Paragraph10. Tania Vulcano “Teflon (Pig & Dan Remix)” Isgud Records11. Phil Kieran “Dirt (Psycatron Remix)” Cocoon12. King Unique “2000000 Suns (John Digweed & Nick Muir Remix)” Bedrock13. King Unique “Feniksas (Fergie Remix)” Bedrock14. Donnacha Costello “With Me Still” Poker Flat15. Suzanne Cianni “Analogue Revolution – Sound Of The Century Special Thanks to Hugh Bhttp://www.kingunique.com/