The story of maverick, revolutionary or pragmatic
instrument building winds back through the history of 20th century
experimental sound and music to limn digital processing and
analogue synthesis, intermedia and installation art, live
electronics and AV systems, free improvisation and indeterminacy,
robotics and automata, aleatory and environmental processes, Just
Intonation and other militant tuning systems, before arriving at
the ground zero of Russolo's noise makers, the intonarumori.
This edition of The Wire Salon brings
together a panel of contemporary experimental musicians and
instrument builders including Leafcutter John, Tom Bugs, Sam
Underwood and Kirsten Reynolds to discuss the philosophy and
practice of designing and building new audio interfaces and systems
in the 21st century soundworld, whether from scratch or in order to
modify existing analogue and digital hardware or software.
The discussion, which will be moderated by The
Wire's Deputy Editor Frances Morgan, will examine the
aesthetic, political, economic and technological potentiality (and
limits) of building or rewiring new sonic tools, as well as
exploring the current scene's links with hacker and DIY culture. As
part of the discussion each panelist will demonstrate examples of
their own custom built gear.
The Wire Salon: The Ways Of The Hacker takes
place at London Cafe Oto, 7 February, 8pm, £4 (tickets on the door
only, no pre-sales).
Tom
Bugs has been designing and building a wide variety of
electronic audio instruments as BugBrand since 2005. His
low-tech/circuit bending roots are still apparent in the circuitry
of the Weevil family of devices, but the refined power and
aesthetics of his Modular System is the focus of his current work,
which mixes artistic and technical approaches in a highly
distinctive manner.
Sam Underwood,
aka MrUnderwood, is a musician, sound artist and instrument
designer. With the sensibility of a hacker, his work is geared
towards developing new ways of creating music, sounds and
interfaces with instruments and technology. He is currently artist
in residence at the iShed in Bristol and guest composer at the
legendary EMS in Stockholm. His activities include MortonUnderwood,
a musical instrument design company co-run with David Morton; ORE,
a doom tuba duo; and the Sonic Graffiti project.
Leafcutter John is
a London-based musician, instrument builder, software designer and
installation artist. His work combines vanguard electronics and
processing with improvisation and traditional folk forms.
Kirsten
Reynolds is a UK artist whose work encompasses
painting, sculpture, collage and print-making as well as the use of
customised sound, light, electronics and found objects. She is a
former member of Bow Gamelan Ensemble and Headbutt, currently works
as part of the experimental turntablist duo Project Dark, and is a
member of Music Hackspace.
