Here is a great little video of Mouse On Mars discussing their live set approach and tools. Of course, relying heavily on Ableton Live (Max For Live) to keep everyone and every beat in sync. Jan St. Werner also briefly talks about software synthesizers and their virtues when it comes to live modulation and control. Great excerpts from their live sets too. Maybe I’ll be able to catch them if they make their way over to this side on one of their North American tours. Enjoy!
From Youtube
For the tour supporting their latest album Parastrophics, Mouse on Mars’ three live members designed an interactive performance system around three laptops running Ableton Live. Learn more about their set-up in a new video feature.
Welcome to TWEAKERS! In our first episode, we would like to introduce you another side of Jay Montonn who has deep knowledges in music production and electronic music gears. Aside from being a famous actor, he’s also a remarkable artist in Thailand’s electronic music scene.
Montonn (Jay) Jira : is best known for his multi-genre crossing productions and forward thinking performances. Having studied music composition and production abroad, he has also expanded his knowledge into sound design for music and film, and has returned to Thailand as “The Producer” to watch out for.
I have no idea what “Filter House” is. Except that maybe it’s House music with an emphasis on the filter?! Doesn’t really matter to me though. I was enjoyed listening to his Hand Cranked and Ambivalence Avenue LP’s. Which by the way, are 2 great albums worth a listen if you haven’t done so already. Also, having gotten rid of my EMU Sp-1200 sampler some years back, I got a bit nostalgic when watching these videos. My favorite is the “Sampling in the Garden” video. Behind me is a beautiful sunny day probably wondering why I’m indoors instead of outside basking in the Sun. Enjoy!
1.Bibio – Sunday Evening Filter House
From Youtube:
Sequencing the SP1200 via MIDI and jamming on the mixing desk. Great fun. All the samples & beat are coming from the SP. FX: Akai MFC42 analogue filter, Boss DD7 delay and Moog phaser.
2.Bibio – Saturday Evening Choppage
3.Bibio – Sampling in the Garden…
From Youtube
Sunshine in England is precious, so when the weather is fine it feels sinful to be cooped up in a studio, I’m very lucky to have the choice, so why not choose?
When the weather is fine, I like to take a few bits of gear outside and enjoy being creative in a different environment, plus there are all sorts of other sounds to explore outdoors, and in this case, sample.
A quick video of me making beats entirely out of recordings of objects found in the garden. No previously recorded samples were used.
Capturing sounds with a vintage Sennheiser MD-21 microphone, then using the EMU SP1200 for its inimitable fidelity, then resampled and sequenced on an Akai MPC 5000.
Videoed by Bibio on a Canon 5D mkii.
Bibio’s second album for Warp ‘Mind Bokeh’ is out now. Click here for a free download track from the LP entitled-Lovers’ Carving.
Check out Jason Amm dishing the goods on his EP-RDJCS5, which we’ve talked about before here and here. Which, by the way, also just happens to feature nothing more than a Yamaha CS5 monophonic synthesizer. What enhances the story a little more, is that RDJCS5 also happens to features “the synth”…CS5 Richard D. James used on his now legendary LP, Ambient Works. If this was an inspiration for Solvent aka Jason Amm, it works. I still play RDJCS5 on vinyl often.
Make sure to check it out in HD format if you can.
Still waiting for my FM 251 to arrive, but I really liked this teaser and thought you might too. Enjoy!
From Youtube (Future Music)
Here is an exclusive teaser for the forthcoming Lifelike ‘In The Studio With’ Future Music. The full interview is on sale in Future Music magazine on the 15/3/12
Here is the latest clip from the upcoming I Dream of Wires documentary. The documentary that will explore the modular synthesizer.
Looks like the interview was recorded by Jason Amm with the aid of some alcoholic beverages. Good times!
The video features a performance by Jeremy Greenspan, Christie Sealey, and Jessica Lanza. Two of the musicians are tweaking away and patching modules on 2 separate modular synthesizers and one of the musicians is playing monophonic lines on 2 Roland SH-101 synthesizers.
The notion of Bach performed on synthesizers is not a new concept. That distinction goes to legendary composer, Wendy Carlos (Hooked On Bach). Remember that she used her Moog Modular to show us that classical music could be done on synthesizers. Perhaps she set the way forward by highlighting just how far we could all go with the synthesizer.
Still, this more raw approach on this performance is quite appealing and I’m glad the makers of I Dream of Wires have decided to share it with us. Enjoy!
Greenspan / Sealey / Lanza — J.S. Bach Two Part Inventions, For Modular Synthesizers
For more on I Dream of Wires, Jason Amm and Robert Fantinatto check out their Facebook page here.
Check out this great quick little video of Benge using his newly acquired Teenage Engineering OP-1. He mentions purchasing it from Alessandro, and by this I gather he means Alessandro Cortini!? Using his laptop as an interface he demonstrates the quirky and fun Tambola sequencer in the OP-1 to control his Buchla 225e modular synthesizer. And, yes, I agree the OP-1 is definitely not a toy!
From his blog:
Just prior to packing all my stuff up ready for my return to London I wanted to try controlling the Buchla from my new Teenage Engineering OP-1 which I bought off Alessandro the other day. Its a beautiful little workstation, and even though it looks like a toy it most certainly is not. I hooked it up to my laptop with the USB cable, then from the laptop out to the Buchla 225e. I’ll post more on the OP-1 I’m sure, but for now heres a very abstract ‘proof of concept’ video.
For more on Benge(one of my heros), and his delicious collection of synthesizers galore, make sure to check out his blog here.
