Beam Music Sonic Art

Beam Music from Bruno Mathez.

Sound + light installation in the attic of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea, England. Precise beams of light are projected onto the objects in the 3D space, giving the illusion that they are illuminated from within. Each surface has a specific sound associated with it.

Bruno Mathez is collaborating with Mike Blow on a new exhibition entitled "Sonic Art" with light sensors generating sound for the Brighton Fringe at the Blank Gallery from May 2-16, 2009.

Tunecup

Tunecup: search - listen + download over 15 million mainstream + obscure songs now.

via reaktorplayer

Sineowave WMP Visualization

sineowave from long2.

Windows Media Player visualization plugin.

Smashing

Here is the answer to the Califaudio Mystery Sound 002 challenge.

The mystery audio came from the 5th Titmouse Smashing Party in Hollywood on Saturday, April 4, 2009.

What a party! I smashed a 17" CRT computer monitor to bits and pieces with a combo sledgehammer/ax and a crowbar. All kinds of crazy junk was smashed that night in the cage: TVs - computers - obsolete electronics - a heater - a toilet + a whole lot more.

camera: craig ouellette
audio recording: carmen elena mitchell
audio + video mashing - thrashing + smashing: tj milian

The audio was recorded with a Zoom H4 and edited, bit-crushed to 2 bits and overdriven in Logic Pro.

Three people guessed the source of the audio, and the prize goes to...

All Three!

Essylt guessed smashing TVs. Temo guessed drunk people smashing glass at a party. Jack Astro guessed the smashing with an ax part.

Congrats!

Essylt, Temo and Jack: Email me to claim your prize. Thanks for playing!

Bonus points to Essylt for pointing out that I had smashed TVs for a Hypha track back in the day. Ben Reide and I smashed 10 TVs in a musty basement and recorded the audio to DAT in 1997. We reversed and time-expanded the audio for "Storm in the Brain" on the Going Upstairs album. You can listen to a clip here.

Califaudio Mystery Sound 003 coming soon...

Haven

Haven from Blake Whitman on Vimeo.

a memoir of childhood, islands, and art.

Field audio recorded with a shotgun mic into a Canon XL1.

Speculativism: Some Other Sgt Pepper

Speculativism has released Some Other Sgt Pepper, a weirdo "jazz" version of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Peter-David Smith created the music with the Windows program VSTHost using 2 of HG Fortune's plugins [STS-26.dll and Shuniji-free.dll] plus Rhythmsv3.6.dll, Takim.dll, DVS Saxophone.dll and DSK Saxophonez.dll.

Listen to the messed up album and its cut-up bonus track for free at last.fm.

...or don't. It might cause you pain.

Depeche Mode: Hollywood & Vine

Depeche Mode played a free concert at the intersection of Hollywood & Vine last night [4/23/09]. Over 12,000 people showed up to watch the 7-song performance which aired in part on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Depeche Mode Jimmy Kimmel Live Hollywood & Vine setlist 4/23/09:
wrong
personal jesus
walking in my shoes
come back
peace
enjoy the silence
never let me down again

Sidestage gear:

Rolling Stone is reporting that Danny Lohner from NIN was involved in a street fight at the show. New York Mag says he was arrested. Really?

Throbbing Gristle: In the Shadow of the Sun

Throbbing Gristle played a special performance to the Derek Jarman film In the Shadow of the Sun on Tuesday night [4/21/09] at the Ricardo Montalbán Theater in Hollywood.

The concert was very different than TG's Coachella set two nights earlier. The original four members of Throbbing Gristle improvised an atmospheric mix of electronics and stringed instruments to complement the super-8 ambient film of abstract overlapping images fading in and out and into each other.

After the film, they came back out and played Persuasion. Great show.

Update 4/25/09:

TG LA rehearsal video with Christopherson & Cosey by Chris Carter via matrixsynth.

Coachella 2009 Sunday: TG - Cure + MBV

Caught the last few hours of Coachella on Sunday night [4/19/09]. We got there just after My Bloody Valentine started. My Bloody Valentine put on another great show. My ears were still ringing from their concert 3 days before at the El Rey. In some ways, the band seemed more together at Coachella, but the El Rey show was still better. I enjoyed watching people's reactions to the 15-minute-long MBV noise blast near the end of their set at Coachella. So great.

Deciding between the Cure and Throbbing Gristle wasn't easy because I really wanted to see both. Why do all the good bands overlap so much at Coachella? The Cure started first and a bit late due to the bands before them on the main stage so we started there. About half an hour in, we headed past Public Enemy and The Orb over to the Mojave tent for the beginning of Throbbing Gristle's set.


I was surprised to see so few people there were at the start. Throbbing Gristle has only played a handful of concerts in the past 28 years. Didn't know exactly what to expect. Genesis started the set on vocals with Persuasion. Hamburger Lady was great. Never thought I'd get to see that song performed live. A couple times the set dragged a bit, and I could have gone without seeing Genesis whip out a boob - that's for sure. Overall, a cool show. I liked the groovy Christopherson/COIL-vibe added to some of the songs. The crowd went nuts when the beat of Discipline kicked in. Definite highlight.

youtube: valstreit

TG partial gear list:

Peter Christopherson: Persephone - MacBook Pro - Korg nano controllers + bug-style electronics [postcard weevil?]
Chris Carter: MacBook Pro - Chimera bC8 + bC16 - Nintendo DS - Zoom PFX 9003 - Postcard Weevil + Korg Kaossilators + nano controllers
Cosey Fanni Tutti: Steinberger guitar + Korg nanopad
Genesis P-Orridge: electric violin - Steinberger bass - vocals + pedals

Throbbing Gristle Coachella setlist 4/19/09:
persuasion
fed up
live ray
hamburger lady
almost a kiss
springbankistan
endless not
what a day
discipline

We headed back to the main stage for the end of the Cure's set. After multiple encores, the band went into "Boys Don't Cry" and were surprised to find that the PA had been cut because it was after their scheduled ending time of Midnight. Everybody rushed forward to get a better view and hear them play without mics and the PA. You could hear the guitars through the amps and the natural sound of the drums but no vocals. We all started singing the song. It was a great moment.

What a cool way to end the show... giving them the big F-U for cutting the PA. We thought it over at the end of the song, but they kept playing. They went into "Jumping Someone Else's Train" and Coachella turned off the video screens. The Cure didn't seem to care. They just kept playing! Too cool. Then they started to play yet another [appropriate] song, "Grinding Halt," but that's when they completely shut off all the power... and they kept playing! The drummer didn't miss a beat, and Robert Smith ran to the front of the stage, singing and still playing his guitar that nobody could hear. Awesome. Rock 'n Roll.

If anybody finds good youtube links for the Cure's finale, please add them to the comments.

AlloSphere

The AlloSphere is an amazing 3-story-tall spherical instrument/theater. The $10-million immersive multimedia computational interface is a joint effort of the graduate program in Media Arts and Technology [MAT] at the University of California Santa Barbara [UCSB] and the California NanoSystems Institute [CNSI].

The AlloSphere is designed to allow scientists and researchers to understand huge amounts of data by transforming it into 3D audio and video projections which can be explored from within. Up to 30 people stand on a 7-foot-wide bridge and navigate through the virtual environment with a joystick while wearing special 3D glasses.

The structure is one of the largest anechoic chambers in the world. There are currently 16 four-inch speakers and two subwoofers connected to firewire interfaces, and plans are in place for a total installation of 512 speakers for truly immersive surround sound. Inter-host streaming of large numbers of channels of high-resolution (24-bit/96 kHz) audio will likely use both the CSL/RFS and SDIF networked audio protocols. The system will support all popular synthesis and processing techniques and will easily work with MIDI and OSC along with third-party platforms, such as Csound, Max/MSP and SuperCollider.

Composer JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Professor of Music, founder of the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology [CREATE] and Director of the AlloSphere Research Facility, has high hopes for the future of the AlloSphere. It will be used to further studies in nanotechnology and bio-imaging along with many other projects in science, engineering and the arts. Think of the artistic possibilities...

I look forward to experiencing the AlloSphere. I can only dream of performing in it someday.

Links:

Audio in the UCSB CNSI AlloSphere [pdf]

Immersive Audio and Music in the AlloSphere [pdf]

http://www.allosphere.ucsb.edu/

http://www.independent.com/news/2008/nov/06/enter-allosphere/

Photo by Paul Wellman

TJ Milian "The Beginning" Preparation

Gear photos preparing for "The Beginning" concert in Melbourne, Australia on 28 Feb 2009 at Glitch Bar & Cinema.

Thingamagoop + Ohm

Eurorack modular synth in Plan B Model Zero case.

Novation ReMote 25SL keyboard MIDI controller

Thanks to Essylt for these great pics. Visit her flickr set here for more.

More glitch concert links:

http://blog.califaudio.com/2009/03/tj-milian-beginning-glitch-concert.html

http://blog.califaudio.com/2009/02/tj-milian-beginning-debut-live-concert.html

Update: next show: the beginning 2/10/2010 in miami

My Bloody Valentine El Rey

My Bloody Valentine was gold last night [4/16/09] at the El Rey in LA. The whole show was great, but the wall of sound near the end was unreal!

The shoegazers turned their guitars and effects all the way up for the loudest barrage of white noise I've ever experienced. I've been to a lot of noise shows, but this was on another level. Standing about 30 feet in front of the speaker stacks, I could literally feel the air being pushed by the speakers. The bass from the subwoofers was out of control.

For over 10 minutes, My Bloody Valentine subjected us to a hurricane of white noise. I felt like I was being pushed back like the old Maxell guy. I closed my eyes to shield them from the stobe lights and open myself up to the onslaught of noise. Everything was shaking. I felt parts of me that I'd never noticed during a concert before. My eyelashes fluttered. My nostrils were vibrating. My teeth were shaking. My brain was dancing in my skull. It was awesome!

Amanda Palmer Surprise Concert LA

Saw Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls put on a surprise solo concert in LA today [4/15/09]. She announced the show on Twitter and called it a social networking experiment. It worked. The simple message she wrote on Twitter led to 50 fans showing up at the studio space downtown.

Amanda took requests, played her Kurzweil SP2X keyboard and sang her heart out despite being sick and having to stop several times to blow her nose. For the last song, everyone moved over to a cozy area with couches, and Amanda sat on the carpet and played a great song about the old house she grew up in.

YouTube Doubler

YouTube Doubler

YouTube Doubler is a new mash-up tool created by Brian Kane of Emergency Broadcast Network. It auto-plays any 2 videos off of YouTube side by side simultaneously.

For my first YouTube Doubler mash-up, I searched YouTube for William Burroughs and Aphex Twin, and these are the first 2 videos I clicked. Aphex Xtal video upload by wellofff. Burroughs video upload by whiteadderextras. Thanks to Create Digital Music for the heads up.

NIN: Access iPhone App

OK, you've probably already heard or read about NIN: Access, the new iPhone app from Nine Inch Nails... but have you actually checked it out yet?

It's scary awesome.

There's a media section where you can listen to NIN songs and fan remixes. Watch fan-made and official music videos and live concert footage. View and save photos and wallpapers. Stay up-to-date with the latest band news and view the NIN forums in a slick iPhone-style interface...

But the craziest feature is the Nearby chat section. It's like NIN Twitter but with GPS. You can send messages back and forth between fans that are either near you or on the other side of the world.

You can check out the conversations on the web without an iPhone at http://access.nin.com. Just download the Google Earth plug-in and watch the globe spin around to the location of the current message. Users can zoom in on your exact location unless you turn on the Fuzzy Location feature which masks your actual location on the map within a 1 mile radius. I can't decide if it's creepy and Big Brother-stalkerish or just plain cool.

Imagine the possibilities...

Trent Reznor's first message:

"Who will be the first to post a nude photo? It's been live for 5 min. Should happen soon."

A whole new level of voyeurism.

Download NIN: Access for free to your iPhone or iPod Touch through the iTunes Store here.

Links:

Video: NIN: Access iPhone app walkthrough with Trent Reznor, Rob Sheridan, and special guest Kevin Rose

Awesome pic of Trent Reznor's monster modular synth in his studio:

Click the pic for major zoom. Photo: maubrowncow via matrixsynth.

Throbbing Gristle Hollywood

Tickets are now on sale for the Throbbing Gristle concert in Hollywood on Tuesday.

TUESDAY 21st APRIL - LOS ANGELES
Ricardo Montalblan Theatre
1615 North Vine Street, Hollywood

Tickets available via Tickemaster.

TG will perform new live soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s 60min alchemical film 'IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN' (filmwork 1974, TG soundtrack 1980 & 2006).

There will also be for sale special 'TG USA 2009' merchandising (all new TG CD album, TG T-shirt specific to this event, TG Tour Enamel Badge, TG Tour Embroidered Patch).

Tickets $35 - Doors Open 9.30 pm

2001: Meet Dave

2001: Meet Dave from Bastetta.

The power of video and sound editing: turning the trailer of 2001: A Space Odyssey into a comedy.

Face Percussion

For her Beat Research class at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, animation major Kenny Mattozzi created this beat and Face Percussion video.

It reminds me I have to do my taxes.

Califaudio Mystery Sound 002

Happy Easter!

Check out what the Easter Bunny hid for you...

Califaudio Mystery Sound 002

califaudio-mystery-sound-002 by tj milian

Guess the source of the sound. Be as specific as you can be in the details of your guess. Whoever gives the best answer in the comments here wins a mystery prize...

In case you missed it, here is the first Califaudio Mystery Sound.

Update 4/26/09: The answer is here.

Cornstarch Speaker

Another dyed cornstarch speaker video. I've got to set one [or many] of these up someday.

Previously on Califaudio: Cornstarch speakers.

Mr. Meeble: I Fell Through

I Fell Through - Mr. Meeble from mr. meeble.

Black Rain

Black Rain from Semiconductor:

"Black Rain is sourced from images collected by the twin satellite, solar mission, STEREO. Here we see the HI (Heliospheric Imager) visual data as it tracks interplanetary space for solar wind and CME's (coronal mass ejections) heading towards Earth. Data courtesy of courtesy of the Heliospheric Imager on the NASA STEREO mission.

Working with STEREO scientists, Semiconductor collected all the HI image data to date, revealing the journey of the satellites from their initial orientation, to their current tracing of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Solar wind, CME's, passing planets and comets orbiting the sun can be seen as background stars and the milky way pass by.

As in Semiconductors previous work 'Brilliant Noise' which looked into the sun, they work with raw scientific satellite data which has not yet been cleaned and processed for public consumption. By embracing the artifacts, calibration and phenomena of the capturing process we are reminded of the presence of the human observer who endeavors to extend our perceptions and knowledge through technological innovation.

Commissioned by Animasivo Mexico City, 2009"

Soisong xAj3z

Soisong have updated their myspace with 3 preview tracks from their upcoming debut album: xAj3z.

The duo of Peter Christopherson [Coil/Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV] and Ivan Pavlov [COH] announced that the CD will be will be available for order in just a few days.

It will be packaged in an unusual, oddly-shaped origami-like sleeve similar to the first Soisong EP released last year. Go to soisong.com and enter the album's name [xAj3z] as the password to unlock the hidden info section which will be updated over the coming days.

Update 5/2/09: Got it in the mail yesterday. The album is good. Damn good.

Eclectic Ridiculousness

Infinite Complexity presents:

A Night of Eclectic Ridiculousness!

EMU
FIEND
SONIC DEATH RABBIT
DISKORE
BASECK
TED NAVA
W.M.X
HATE PARADE

dusbtep, gameboy, gabber, drum and blood, breakcore, experimentalism

first 50 people receive a new baseck mix cd "by the hr hotel"

friday april 10, 2009

$10. 18/21+
9pm-4am
651 s. anderson st. downtown LA 90023
icomplex.org

Hearing Motion Synesthesia Test

Hearing-motion synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which sights are involuntarily perceived as sounds. Can you hear visual motion?

"Hearing-motion" Demo

Different forms of synesthesia have been studied for years, but it was only last year that synesthetes who perceive sound from visuals were reported:

The Sound of Change: Visually-induced Auditory Synesthesia by Melissa Saenz and Christof Koch [pdf]

Moog Modular Second Life

Moog Modular underwater in Second Life.

Furby Airplane Ban

No Furbys allowed?
Why is it that Qantas Airlines has banned Furbys on all their flights? Is that only circuit bent Furby toys [like this one] or all of them? Is it an Australian thing? Are they really afraid of them? I can't see how a toy would cause any kind of serious risk in the air. Is it just because Furbys are incredibly annoying?