fotosis / we like to make stuff

Taking a break...

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:13:00 +0000

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

New Clorinde / The Creative Listener / Limited Edition DVD

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:59:00 +0000

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the release of "The Creative Listener" we decided to create a visual version of the album putting together the videos originally made for our live concerts from 2007 up to today.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.

BUY THE CREATIVE LISTENER DVD HERE

MY REVIEW OF THE CREATIVE LISTENER

MY INTERVIEW WITH CLORINDE

- C

New DIY Oscillator Based on the XR2206 Function Generator Chip

noreply@blogger.com (wedidit) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:10:00 +0000

Since I had five days off this weekend and a whole load of random parts lying around I decided to recycle some bits and pieces and design and build a function generator for my electronics bench that would double as a noise synth. After a few hours looking at the datasheet for the chip I arrived at this design.

The finished unit has a headphone out jack for audio (Mono, sorry).

Two green banana jacks which are the sine / triangle and square outputs.

Two black banana jacks which make the units ground reference available to other equipment.

Two red jacks which allow access to the FSK (Frequency switch key) and amplitude modulation pins on the chip.

Two frequency setting pots and a symmetry adjust knob.

One power indication LED.

Power on off toggle switch.

Sine / Tri select toggle.

The FSK and AM inputs allow the unit to be connected to other signal sources that can then modulate the various elements of the circuit to create weird 60's style science fiction sounds and also some nice drone noises.

I modified some banana leads and put crocodile clips on the ends to make it easy to hook the generator up to other circuits for experimentation.

A sound clip can be found here (or heard on the embed above) with modulation signals being taken from a WSG.

Schematics can be downloaded here.

-J

New Series on vbs.tv, Soundbuilders, Peaking Lights, Experimental Music With a Homemade Approach

noreply@blogger.com (wedidit) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:34:00 +0000

Came across this yesterday while browsing vbs.tv, a new series dedicated to exploring the world of experimental music and sound art.

You can watch the first episode here.

Peaking lights, the couple featured in this episode also have a myspace where you can listen to some more of their tracks.

Also of note the website motherboard who are presenting the documentary series are also hosting a competition where you can send in pictures or video of your own creations and stand to win some cash.

-J

Settling Back In / Handmade Music Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:45:00 +0000

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

DIY Night Zurich / Ring Mod Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:48:00 +0000

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

"Tom Nunn demonstrates Skatchboxes" via MAKE

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:22:00 +0000

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

Handmade Electric Guitar Found A Good Home

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:42:00 +0000

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

DIY / Home Made Ticino / Vico Morcote, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:17:00 +0000

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

DIY Kinetic Sculptures / Theo Jansen "Strandbeest" / Zurich, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:36:00 +0000

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.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT HERE.

- C

DIY Music / Humanthesizer / Forget The Bikini's, This Is Cool!

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:27:00 +0000

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

Poolloop Festival @ ROTE FABRIK, Zurich, Switzerland / Bit Tuner, Sonic Wargames & Musical Ping Pong

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:17:00 +0000

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."

You can read the rest of the entry here on my mog blog.

PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND HERE.

POOLLOOP 09 OFFICIAL SITE.

- C

New Music / Clorinde / The Creative Listener (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:25:00 +0000

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

New Experimental Noise/Drone Track By Fotosis

noreply@blogger.com (wedidit) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

We are trying to get back into the swing of things again in terms of this blog by buying one or two bits of musical equipment and engaging in some creative exploits, namely making some new tracks for our next album.

Last weekend we took it easy and stayed in both to take a rest and to play with our new Gakken analog synths. We started by messing around with some effects pedals and did a sort of late night improvisational wig out that resulted in this track which you can listen to below.

We are going to try to get a few more pieces down in the next few weeks and hopefully soon there will be something approaching a listenable album.

Till Laterz, J.

The Vagus Nerve Noise Performance @ Dependance, Baden Switzerland, April 2009

noreply@blogger.com (wedidit) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:47:00 +0000

A few weeks ago my partner in crime dropped the fact that I would be performing a noise set at a party in Baden. I had two weeks to write a piece of music that I could perform live which meant building a bank of electronic bits and pieces and a chain of guitar effects that would reproduce live whatever I came up with.

The result of a Saturday messing around with Pure Data and a birds nest of wires can be downloaded here.

I understand that this sort of experimental noise music is not for everyone and it is also argued by some that this is not music, but what is music? This has been part of an exploration I have been engaged in on and off since I started to play guitar 13 years ago. At the time I was listening to groups like the Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, then I discovered Sonic Youth. It was then that I realized I liked to make interesting sounds and noise as opposed to what most people would consider typical songs or music. I enjoyed the freedom the genre afforded me to simply experiment without any musical confines but it was not until the internet really took off that I was able to find more artists and groups doing similar things.

I didn't record anything in these early days because of a lack a method of recording and because the equipment I had did not let me articulate the sounds I wanted to make.

It was a few years before I had a laptop and a good knowledge of electronics before I finally built my first oscillator and from there started to experiment with ring modulation and feedback. It took me another couple of years to really start to pull things together before I was confident enough and satisfied enough to put my work out on the web.

Looking around the net you find website and forums dedicated to defunct noise bands like C.C.C.C and Incapacitants and you get the feeling that this genre has come and gone as fresh art form but artists like Merzbow and Astro defy this perception and continue to innovate. Sonic Youth are still making interesting records. I feel artists like Yuri Landsman the circuit bending community and DIY audio movement have taken the scene to a new physically interesting and more financially accessible (and to a certain degree FUN) level. I recently found this short documentary on Youtube that I feel perfectly demonstrates how I feel about this art form:-)

I believe we are on the cusp of a renaissance in user generated sonic art, it has been on the rise for several years now since the advent of myspace and youtube put publishing in the hands of everyday people. A search of either of these two sites and not to mention archive.org throws up a mass of truly innovative experimental pieces that demonstrate peoples need to create and among the works you will find raw innovative creativity and emotion. It may not always be what you like musically but it is fresh and very fun.

Enjoy...

And my little friend was kind enough to record two videos of the piece.

Part 1...

Part 2...

All for now, J.

Gakken SX-150 Demonstration

noreply@blogger.com (wedidit) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Its been a while since I posted here so firstly I have to say sorry to anybody who has been checking our blog and not seen any updates but I have been taking care of the boring life stuff lately and it seems to consume all my time.

Anyway to try to get back into the whole music thing I decided to order some weird noise making thing from the internet so we could have some new sounds to play with. I spent some time looking around the net before I remembered that Maker SHED store (Make magazines store) had this weird little Japanese synthesizer that was part of a kit that came with a magazine.

Its called the Gakken SX-150, on the face of its it seems like the crappiest, cheapest little noise theremin like thingy available but I was willing to give it a chance as there are many people that seem to be interested in it.

I looked around the web and found some demonstrations and lots of people were hacking and circuit bending the thing to improve it and sometimes to just make it produce crazy noise. It seemed to have some potential as a noise maker or a signal generator before my EH Micro Synth and delay pedal, so I was sold.

One weeks later our kits arrived. They only take a few minutes to build and the first thing you have to do is to plug them into an amp because the built in speaker is quite frankly pants. Then simply play around with the settings till you find a setting you like.

I was genuinely surprised by the quality and range sounds this thing can make, I mean its no Moog but it could be a useful tool for any noise artists, or people exploring experimental music out there. Stick a few guitar effects pedals after it and there is alot that you can play with.

What I noticed was that the Youtube videos I found didn't properly demonstrate the units full potential so we decided to post two clips of us messing with these cute little guys.

They can be viewed here and here.

The first video is of Connie wigging out with her synth.

And here is me doing my thing.

Enjoy, J.

Sad News / Telefon Tel Aviv Charlie Cooper No Longer...

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:30:00 +0000

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

Tim & Puma Mimi / Live Taping 'Musicomax' Television Show @ MAD, Lausanne, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:25:00 +0000

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

Do It Yourself / DIY Festival, Dynamo / Zurich, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:01:00 +0000

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

Elegant Design / 'Last Drones'

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:53:00 +0000

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)

- C

Fotosis EP / Revisited & New Download Link

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:08:00 +0000

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

Acid Machine - Interesting Visual Synth

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:17:00 +0000

I really love this. Here is the link for more info.

(Source)

- C

Music / Saw Theremin Composition

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:17:00 +0000

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

Music: Cheveu / Punk, Rock & Electro

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:57:00 +0000

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

'Advanced Beauty' Video Sound Sculptures & Processing & Etc.

noreply@blogger.com (fotosis) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:35:00 +0000

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