I’m really enjoying this Benge - Harmuna album this afternoon.
Harmuna - Exploring the Inner Reaches
Harmuna is intended as a companion piece to the previous work by Benge entitled Abstraxa. The five compositions featured on Harmuna were similarly realised on the Buchla modular synthesiser. For more information on the specific system and modules used please refer to the notes accompanying Abstraxa which can be found here: zackdagoba.bandcamp.com/album/abstraxa
If Abstraxa was an exploration of the distant reaches of the sound universe, Harmuna is a journey in the opposite direction, inverting the mind’s eye and exploring the infinite space within
The Synthesiser was set up in such a way that harmonious tone-waves were layered upon themselves and rhythmic patterns built up to form the various pieces. The resulting tone poems can be experienced in various ways, for example as meditative deep-listening (i.e. with headphones) or in the background to serve as an ambient aural setting
released 05 May 2012 Recorded at Benge Studios, London, April 2012 All Music and Design by Benge (c)2012 Ben Edwards (Benge) All Rights Reserved Cover picture adapted from Cyclotron Scan of a human brain, 1976 EMI Medical www.bengestudios.com www.expandingrecords.com Released 29th April 2012
Henrik N Björkk aka Nordvargr is a very prolific composer that has explored Industrial, Noise, Black Metal, and some very awesome experimental modular synth compositions.
is a very experimental album (online release only at the moment on Vicmod Records/Australia) recorded on the Buchla 200e modular system exclusively. It contains elements of my ”classic” style, but it goes beyond that in terms of experimentation, methodology and goals. It is not an album about drugs. To actually say that this is music for something like DMT is ironic – you will most probably not be taking notice of music at all when taking DMT. It does make you high, but not in the traditional sense of the word. It separates your consciousness from your body. It makes you leave your body. It raises serious questions about what we really are. Or more specifically, how the human mind works – that was my inspiration.
This future primitive masterpiece of a drum machines was designed by evil genius synth scientist Eric Barbour.
“The first drum machine made with vacuum tubes since the Wurlitzer Sideman of 1959.
Unlike the Sideman, it’s a “modern” primitive device—with plenty of inputs, outputs, and flexibility.
Even though it has only four drum sounds — two tunable drums, a tunable “snare” drum (harder sounding than the others), and a cymbal — control voltage inputs give great flexibility.
Each of the tunable drums is made from a vacuum tube ringing bandpass filter, and can be tuned to sound from below 20 Hz to over 2 kHz. They are also tunable with external control voltages, allowing complex patterns to be built up with external CV or pulse sources. Resonance of each filter circuit is set by internal trimpots. The cymbal sound is an extremely primitive circuit, with white noise gated by a pentode tube. The cymbal’s attack is knob-variable and CV variable, from a sharp click to a soft “whoosh”. The four outputs mix to a single tube preamp that allows for overdriving via the mix-level controls.”
This is a collection of auditory sketches I performed with the infamous Metasonix R-54 vacuum-tube driven synth module designed by mastermind Eric Barbour.
About the R-54 in Eric Barbour’s words…
“Welcome to the strange new world. The R-54 is the most radical, revolutionary module we’ve ever made. It will change the way you do music synthesis. There has never been an electronic-music product like this before. Even the oddest things that Buchla And Associates or Serge Modular ever made are prosaic and dull compared to the R-54.”
Now that’s setting the bar high!
This collections of improvised analog modular synth compositions feature the unruly tube driven R-54 module that refuses to be tamed. The compositions on this ep were recorded live in one take with me tweaking the dials, controls and sometimes live patching. The R-54 is a really deep module that will keep you busy for years.
Very amazing design, thanks Eric.
The proceeds of this auditory sketchbook will all go towards me getting the VCA modifacation for my R-54 module. Thanks for supporting my synth module addiction… I’ll keep feeding your ears.
- Shiro (((Aum)))
Hidden R-54 composition included in album download.
Being that I grew up in the inner city of Los Angeles Carl Craig has been an inspiration to me because he has always creatively colored outside the lines of what’s expected from a musician from the inner city. I have to admit I got a little geeked to see this interview.
In April 2012, the I Dream of Wires team met with legendary Detroit techno producer Carl Craig, to discuss his electronic music influences and production experiences, including his recent interest in eurorack modular synthesis. Craig’s experiments in modular synthesis are best heard on 2010’s “Modular Pursuits” 12-inch, released under his No Boundaries alias.
I’ve been discovering some really great modular synth artist lately.
System Test by zweitesystem is a really well composed project that I’ve been listening to this morning. Zweitesystem describes this project as “A selection of semi-automatic and self-playing patches done on a small Buchla 200e, recorded in 2011 live to two tracks with no editing and too much reverb.”
This is the kind of album you sit and listen to in some really high quality headphones and just close your eyes and absorb the frequencies, sounds and texture of the compositions.
Here’s a video for one of the songs on the project.
Celestial Sonic Boom Bap is an audible journey pertainingtothespiritualorinvisible space contained within us all and up into the endless world we know as the heavens or the universe. The vibrational yantra you see in the picture is a sonic diagram or map to the energy system your hearing. Meditate with the sound yantra and be teleported into a different dimension.
The Piston Honda is a digital wavetable oscillator designed by Scott Jaeger (The Harvestman) with 2-dimensional waveform morphing. Two ROMs are onboard, each containing 256 waveforms in 16 banks. Waves may be smoothly morphed or violently jumped in two dimensions.
Given that this is one of my favorite oscillators in my system I thought I would start conducting some sonic experiments to explore this modules capabilities, quirks and character.
This is a collection of sonic sketches / patches from the mind of VoltageCtrlR were recorded at Akashic Mountain Studios in AZ.
credits
released 06 May 2012 All compositions were recorded live in one take featuring VoltageCtrlR tweaking the dials and controls. Mixed and mastered by Shiro Fujioka at Akashic Mountain Studios.
Piston Honda cover sketch in colored pencil by Shiro Fujioka
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged about one of the amazing modular synth composers in our community. Low-Gain is no stranger to the electronic music scene. Some people know him from his amazing circuit bent creations, others know him for his eurorack module designs, and modular synth compositions. I got in contact with Low-Gain on Muffwiggler, he sold me his Harvestman Zorlon Cannon and Qotile Ultimatum modules.
An Intimate Moment In Time
In Low-Gains own words…
“This record was set up to be a very personal piece with the main purpose of purging a lot of emotional baggage I had at the time. The piece was performed infront of a live audience.”
I highly recommend listening to this in a decent pair of headphones. This live performance exudes a lot of feeling and emotion. The drones and textures generated by the Bug Brand Modular synth really pulls you into this composition.
Be sure to checkout this and other releases from Low-Gain.
