tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86301519003176001932024-03-08T15:02:01.271+00:00Gordon's Progress Part 7<p align="center">The Beat Frequency Blog <a href="http://www.Thereminworld.com/forum.asp?cmd=p&T=3578&F=808&p=2">continued</a><br><br>
Also on <u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/GordonCharlton">youTube</a></u> & <u><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beat-Frequency/282021976487">Facebook</a></u> & <u><a href="http://www.myspace.com/beatfrequencyuk">mySpace</a></u> ~~ <a href="http://tinyurl.com/beatfreqbook"><u>Book & CD</u></a></p>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-31788740365877122662010-02-03T22:15:00.006+00:002010-02-03T22:33:43.661+00:00Random NewsI have been far too distracted with Facebook to attend to the Beat Frequency blog of late. Mea culpa.<br />
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Here's the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beat-Frequency/282021976487">Beat Frequency</a> Facebook page.<br />
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And here's a bunch of news. Firstly joining Facebook has led to a gig, which will be announced formally once they have a website in place for it. It's a themed charity fund raising party in aid of prostate cancer at <a href="http://www.brixtonjamm.org/">Jamm</a> in Brixton, on Saturday the 20th of March. The theme is "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party.<br />
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But before then, I'm going to another of Lydia Kavina's workshops in Oxford on Saturday. This one is sold out, but keep an eye on <a href="http://theremin.org.uk/">Theremin UK News</a> for announcements of future ones.<br />
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And on Sunday week I'm joining in The Synth-Off, an improvisational synthesizer circle at <a href="http://www.foundry.tv/">The Foundry</a>. Here's the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250745402674">Facebook event page</a>.<br />
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And there's another Sonic Weekend coming up, and some other interesting things in progress, but they're not definite yet - you'll hear about them if and when.<br />
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And my next album is with White Label music and will be coming out on CD soonish.<br />
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Just to tease you, here's the track listing and some album art from the very marvellous Alex Bertram-Powell. A skilled <a href="http://www.myspace.com/alexanderthomasmusic">thereminist</a> and maker of <a href="http://rachisandbarb.blogspot.com/">wonderful drawings</a>.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">CD Title: Psilocyren</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/S2n0pAwBnoI/AAAAAAAAAF0/nvs2ZTATKek/s1600-h/psilocyrenitunes.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/S2n0pAwBnoI/AAAAAAAAAF0/nvs2ZTATKek/s200/psilocyrenitunes.png" width="200" /></a></div>Dance Of The Flower Pot Men<br />
Gently Drowning<br />
Boundary Logic<br />
Chikhai Bardo<br />
Dark Lizard (ft. Another Mystic)<br />
The New Consonance<br />
Point Of Collapse (for Caché Vidja. vox: HK)<br />
Ascension<br />
Night Shift<br />
The Loss Of Small Things<br />
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<div>On a similar theme, Hands Off 2009 was great! The first of THREE! albums recorded during the weekend is also with White Label for physical release. (The other two will probably be free releases, after the first is out.)<br />
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Oh, and I have a big upgrade figured out for the etherwave, with theremin electronics wizard <a href="http://theremin.tfrenkel.com/">Thierry Frenkel</a>, but that's now going to have to wait until I can be sure I don't have any gigs for a while, and until Thierry has done preparatory work so that he can send the theremin back to me quickly. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-82959869654004140012009-11-08T08:33:00.002+00:002009-12-05T22:00:04.408+00:00The Panic Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SvaATY3O9aI/AAAAAAAAAE0/JOkvU3hE3s4/s1600-h/2632804169_e12133e027_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SvaATY3O9aI/AAAAAAAAAE0/JOkvU3hE3s4/s400/2632804169_e12133e027_o.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>The Configuration</b><br />
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The audio signal moves from the theremin to the amplifier from right to left, starting with a delay pedal in ping-pong configuration. The delay is, for the sake of argument, 1 second. A sound appears at both outputs (A and B) instantaneously, and is then repeated at A one second later, then again at B one second after that.<br />
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Both the signals from the delay are fed into the ring-mod where one amplitude modulates the other, and the resulting signal (C) exits the box at the centre of the right side. The knob at the centre on the left side controls its volume.<br />
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Signal C then passes through a low pass filter. The knob at the top in the centre controls the operating frequency of the filter, and the knob on the left side controls the filter's resonance. <br />
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Meanwhile copies of the signals from the delay pedal A and B exit the ring-modulator unaffected on the sides, and are mixed with the ring-modulated and low-passed signal C. The knobs at the sides of the top of the box control the volume of A and B. <br />
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The combined signals then pass through a reverb pedal.<br />
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<b>The Ring Modulator</b><br />
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It is sufficient to consider the simple case of two sine waves being fed into the ring modulator. <br />
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A signal of frequency X amplitude modulated against a signal of frequency Y creates a new signal Z with two component sine waves which are the sum of X and Y and the difference of X and Y.<br />
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The pitch of the sum component Z(sum) is between the pitches of X and Y, but one octave higher. The exact relationship gives ring-modulation its characteristic and familiar sound. <br />
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Where X and Y are consonant with respect to each other, Z(sum) will be consonant with respect to both. Likewise, given a dissonant X and Y, Z will be dissonant with respect to both. <br />
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Where X and Y are in unison Z(sum) will be one octave higher. Z(diff) - the difference component - will be silent, zero. <br />
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When the difference between A and B is small, Z(diff) will be low in pitch. When it is larger Z(diff) will be higher in pitch. The same considerations about consonance and dissonance apply as with Z(sum).<br />
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In short, it augments consonance and dissonance alike.<br />
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Z(diff) becomes more interesting when it is fed via a ping-pong delay, giving a relationship between A and B over time.<br />
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<b>The Delay</b><br />
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It is sufficient to consider the simple case of a signal going first to A and then to B one second later.<br />
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A slow sweep upwards through the pitch field, varying the frequency at a constant rate (note - not the pitch - in practice this means slowing down logarithmically as pitch increases if the field is linear with respect to pitch to maintain a constant rate of change) will create a Z(diff) of constant low pitch, while Z(sum) rises with A and B.<br />
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In short, the pitch of Z(sum) is dependant on the player's pitch hand's distances relative to the pitch rod, and Z(diff) is dependant on its velocity relative to the pitch rod. <br />
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In this configuration the panic box can be thought of in part as a simple audio "difference engine."<br />
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<b>Examples</b><br />
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The piece Gently Drowning is an example of this configuration. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GordonCharlton#p/c/D7884E47B7653960/3/Sv9OzNs5Op8">On YouTube here</a>. Very slow changes in pitch by overlapping notes or slow glissandi create very low sounds.<br />
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By inserting a pitch shift between the delay pedal and the ring-mod on one of the channels increases the frequency of Z(diff) by a constant amount throughout, giving higher pitches.<br />
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The piece Iron Sun is an example of this configuration. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GordonCharlton#p/c/D7884E47B7653960/6/fmXqTLJbw3c">On YouTube here</a>.<br />
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By replacing the delay pedal with a dual output pitch-shifter, with one output giving the dry signal, and the other a signal a fixed interval higher (or lower) than the dry signal, a new effect is created. Note that the interval is constant with respect to pitch. This means it varies with respect to frequency. The same interval will create a Z(diff) of low frequency when the dry signal is low pitched, and a higher frequency when it is high pitched.<br />
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The piece The New Consonance is an example of this configuration. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GordonCharlton#p/c/D7884E47B7653960/12/Zsk42dPm0cw">On YouTube here</a>. In this case the interval created by the pitch-shifter is very small - 30 cents, so Z(diff) is subsonic, and is audible as beats - low notes having slow beats and higher notes, faster beats. To add to the fun there is a delay after the panic box, so sounds can overlap.<br />
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Note that all three pieces have significant low frequency content, so are not well reproduced by small computer speakers.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-81476027518865414422009-11-07T00:43:00.002+00:002009-11-07T00:47:07.092+00:00My entry in the moog halloween theremin video contest.<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sv9OzNs5Op8&hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1&loop=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed><br />
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Vote for it (Gently Drowning) <a href="http://www.moogmusic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7819">here</a> (registration required.)Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-20789747777627668652009-09-19T23:03:00.002+01:002009-09-20T02:30:11.933+01:00two more Beat Frequency videos<object width="400" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zsk42dPm0cw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zsk42dPm0cw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object><br />
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Images by my good friend and photographer <a href="http://www.highton-ridley.co.uk/">Mark Highton Ridley</a>.<br />
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The LFOesque effect was done by passing the audio through a pitch shifter with two outs - one of which was detuned 25 cents sharp (an eighth note.) When the two slightly differing signals are combined it gives beats related to pitch - low notes get slow beats and high notes get fast beats. I combined them with a two input ring-mod to emphasise the effect. This added to the timbre, which I further modified by passing through a low pass filter and then mixing in some of the original signal, before going through an echo box. Post-production consisted of a bit of extra low pass, faux stereo and some reverb.<br />
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Sidebar: One of Theremin's other instruments - the rhythmicon - related pitch to rhythm, so this is, in a sense, a new take on an old idea.<br />
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The "bleep" sounds were made on my Kees Enkelaar theremin. (My etherwave power supply being on loan to one of Lydia Kavina's students while he was in the UK taking tuition from her.)<br />
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The "booster" sounds are from an iPod Touch app - <a href="http://www.pulsecodeinc.com/AndroidFX/">Android FX</a>.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-49847223328744444502009-08-26T23:36:00.013+01:002009-09-01T17:01:42.087+01:00Some of the people who will be at Hands Off 2009Recording an album together. Imagine that.<br />
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fUJGjKIFN8A&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fUJGjKIFN8A&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8wQiY9RabvY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8wQiY9RabvY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-268800139109645592009-05-22T09:30:00.008+01:002010-05-04T09:42:53.837+01:00Buy The Beat Frequency Method!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/ShPIb8lBkkI/AAAAAAAAAD8/zWjEm69BqR0/s1600-h/method-words.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337830365807612482" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/ShPIb8lBkkI/AAAAAAAAAD8/zWjEm69BqR0/s400/method-words.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 224px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
The Beat Frequency Method is now available in hard copy, and it includes a CD of Beat Frequency's first album, The Chordless Chord, for only £8.00 plus postage.<br />
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It's a sensibly priced CD with an oversized booklet, or it's an overpriced booklet with a free CD. Either way, it's essential reading and listening for the sonic explorer with a theremin!<br />
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Preview The Beat Frequency Method <a href="http://beat-frequency.blogspot.com/2009/03/beat-frequency-method.html">here</a> as a Scribd document.<br />
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Preview some tracks from The Chordless Chord here:<br />
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<object height="289" width="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/7F939DF877ED6493&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/7F939DF877ED6493&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="360" height="289" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
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</form><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: small;">(The word cloud image is the hundred most used words (not common ones) in The Beat Frequency Method, and was created using </span><a href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/866693/The_Beat_Frequency_Method"><span style="font-size: small;">Wordle</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">.)</span></span>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-62100988990477702932009-04-20T21:36:00.004+01:002009-04-20T22:48:56.777+01:00Sonic Weekend 4Sonic Weekend 4 was excellent!<br /><br />There was a bit of a downside - the bunks were underneath the recording room and were fitted with plastic mattress protectors and unfitted sheets. I could have slept better. But who cares! A great time was had and some fine tracks were laid down in a great big recording area - we had room to spread out. :-)<br /><br />In addition to the usual White Label crew - always good to catch up with them - there were some of my friends from elsewhere - Tim - an old school chum, Chris and Fabio from Without Touch 2.0, and a good representation of theremins - Chris and Fabio with etherwave pros, Arthur with a Kees (mine!) and me with my etherwave. Also good to meet Heidi Kilpeläinen again - I met her at White Noise Festival the weekend before, and took the opportunity to borrow a good mike and record her saying the words for Point Of Collapse (and when Caché Vidja posted the Panic Box piece from the Festival on youTube I extracted the audio, cleaned it up and added the words to it. With that, Gently Drowning and Dance Of The Flower Pot Men I'm half-way to my next album.) And I made some new friends - Arthur's sister Astrid, Chris's wife Anja, and Vicki. There were some blokes too.<br /><br />I didn't get to play with everyone I wanted to, but I'm already booked for Sonic Weekend 5, so no problem. I did get to play with Tim, who has wicked keyboard skills, and that was fun. Contrary to previous indications, we had a "four seasons" theme this time around, and Tim and I were drawn out of the hat to be on the Summer team. I suggested the closing chapter of Amerika - The Natural Theater of Oklahoma where Karl walks though sun-drenched fieldsthough the gateway surrounded by angels and demons on pedestals blaring their horns atonally (that was my bit!) and into a vast funfair. Although the funfair music was perhaps more vicarage fête than carny. But I think overall we got a good hot summer feel to the piece without being sugary or sentimental. [edit] I found a copy of the chapter <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/member/mswaggoner/articles/4214637/Franz+Kafka+Final+fragment+novel+Amerika+Great">here</a>. I remembered most of it wrong, apart from the horns. Well, it was 27 years since I read it. [/edit]<br /><br />The other piece I was instrumental in was a great big chunk of Noise that started out being a quartet but mysteriously turned into a seven piece, driven by Sam kicking a big wooden box at 20bpm!<br /><br />The culinary highlights were (1) cooking up an almost endless vegetable curry with Tim and selling it at £2 a bowl. It paid for itself and provided the basis for the next meal! and (2) The local café, which was just excellent. I had a sweet chilli beef baguette from the lunch time menu on the Saturday, and on the Sunday evening Fabio, Chris, Anja and I went for an evening meal. The best steak I have ever had.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-20504410572610458612009-04-10T02:03:00.001+01:002009-04-10T02:04:46.449+01:00The Rainbow - video<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SZoe_GEsY8c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SZoe_GEsY8c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-54535684472117975272009-03-30T09:23:00.008+01:002009-03-30T11:55:21.158+01:00Beat Frequency at The RainbowI had a great time at <a href="http://www.whitenoisefestival.co.uk/">White Noise</a>!<br /><br />My set started at 7:00pm, on time. Most of the audience arrived well after that so only a select few heard me play, but I like that. There's something very intimate to playing to a very small audience - about a couple of dozen - and I felt free to just enjoy playing through the great big amplifier and making different parts of the building (and the audience!) rattle and shake. And it was a massive amp - two stacks of speakers half as tall again as me - that really brought out the lowest notes of the etherwave to their best. It felt just like playing at home, but better. <br /><br />No nerves whatsoever. I think that making a fool of myself in front of the best, (in Berlin, as noted previously) has fixed that. So I was relaxed, and I felt I was playing at my best. Afterwards I was approached by a local chap who puts on electronic music events and we had a nice conversation about my effects boxes. Hopefully he'll be getting back to me about something he's organising for August. He was very confident that the crowd he draws would be well into the sort of thing I do.<br /><br />And Gordon from <a href="http://www.myspace.com/varsoflitchi">Vars Of Lichti</a> wants me for a Glasgow based event. It's a long way to travel. We'll have to see about that, but I'd like something to come of it.<br /><br />I made the audience laugh. The first piece was on a short delay, and mashed up bits of Articulator and Hadal Zone. The second piece used a longer delay, and was bits of Ascension mixed in with bits of Bouncing Blumfeld. For the last piece (Gently Drowning meets Iron Sun) I brought the Panic Box and Whistle Pig into the chain and commented "<span style="font-style:italic;">Now</span> it's going to get weird." Laughter.<br /><br />All the acts were excellent, but the stand-out act had to be <a href="http://www.hk119.co.uk/">HK119</a>. Heidi Kilpeläinen, for that is her name, is totally brilliant. A powerful singing voice, very theatrical set, great electronics (prerecorded) and just an enormous stage presence. Highly recommended. YouTube does not do her justice (you knew that already - it's youTube) but here's a clip anyway...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eXWNxwUnpYk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eXWNxwUnpYk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We chatted a little before her set - she's not as scary as her stage persona suggests, but not weak either - when the video projector fell alarmingly from its position above the audience (and fortunately straight into the arms of the guy setting it up) and screwed her intended set one could tell from the shell-shocked looks of people around that she is not afraid to share a negative opinion when things are not going to plan. So we got a different set. And it was utterly captivating from start to end. She provided my favourite quote of the evening; ""You're a very good theremin player. I've never seen anyone play theremin before." :-)<br /><br />And then at about 10 o'clock <a href="http://www.myspace.com/HIEM1">Hiem</a> decided that there was not enough people there for them (there were already a lot more people than at 7 o'clock and by 1 o'clock, when they were due to play, the place was packed) and they left, leaving a hole in the proceedings. <br /><br />The hole was filled by an impromptu super-group composed of - Vars Of Lichti, (Gordon on guitars, Jack on drums) <a href="http://www.myspace.com/dubchieftain">Dub Chieftain</a> (Eddie on banjo) and Beat Frequency (me on theremin.) We were called Meat Raffle. Ann said Gordon came up with the name. Gordon says it was Ann. Apparently it's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/meatraffleclub">a disco in Shoreditch</a> but that's just a coincidence. We rocked the joint.<br /><br />Afterwards, one of the audience told me I <span style="font-style:italic;">hawkwinded</span> the set excellently. Cool. I have a lot of respect for <a href="http://www.hawkwind.com/">Hawkwind</a>. We didn't sound anything like this...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0tDgzBd2hD4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0tDgzBd2hD4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Hurrah for Hiem buggering off and letting me play with the big speakers again. Guys, you can bugger off again any time you like. It's fine by me.<br /><br />Fingers crossed, you'll be able to see a lot of the action on youTube. There was a guy there with a tiny camera, but on a tripod and with an enormous professional mike on the top. I saw a tiny clip and it looked and sounded good, so fingers crossed. It'll give a taste of what you missed.<br /><br />(Coincidentally, he was also the guy that won the door raffle - a Moog Etherwave Theremin. He was very excited about it and sought me out. Well, he's now equipped with a print out of The Beat Frequency Method, so it will be interesting to see what comes of it. Guy - if you're reading this - head off to the <a href="http://www.thereminworld.com/forum.asp">ThereminWorld forums</a> and tell us about it. Also - I hope you don't mind me saying - in three years of browsing youTube and seeking out thereminists, you're the only black person I know of with a theremin. I don't know why that is. I just think it's curious. :-)<br /><br />Sonic Weekend next week.<br /><br />(Oh, yes. One other thing. I learned while I was there that apparently there's a fellow drives round New York highjacking the airwaves off classical music stations and substituting his own playlist, which includes Beneath The Cavern Of The Soup Dragon by yours truly. I like that.)Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-87041452734199341422009-03-28T00:10:00.005+00:002009-03-28T01:15:09.158+00:00Phantom Circuit is Great!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/Sc1snwEhZhI/AAAAAAAAAD0/p4Ij_u26MSM/s1600-h/phantomcircuit.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 149px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/Sc1snwEhZhI/AAAAAAAAAD0/p4Ij_u26MSM/s400/phantomcircuit.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318026165168989714" /></a><br />... and I'm not just saying that because they played a couple of Beat Frequency pieces on #16.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">"discordant electronic howling (just the way you like it)"</span></blockquote><br /><a href="[http://phantomcircuit.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/phantom-circuit-16/">Phantom Circuit #16</a>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-77860583108542119022009-03-23T23:20:00.002+00:002009-03-23T23:30:04.018+00:00I'm playing here on Saturday...<iframe width="425" height="240" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/sv?cbp=12,7.825913584719998,,1,-0.6250000000000002&cbll=52.473991,-1.881765&panoid=&v=1&hl=en&gl=uk"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=B12+0LD&sll=53.800651,-12.392578&sspn=14.379924,56.25&ie=UTF8&ll=52.481892,-1.878405&spn=0.014456,0.054932&z=14&iwloc=addr&layer=c&cbll=52.473991,-1.881765&panoid=C0odgC2F7hDqm4yUlr0fFQ&cbp=12,7.825913584719998,,1,-0.6250000000000002" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />I'm playing here on Saturday, at the <a href="http://www.whitenoisefestival.co.uk/">White Noise Electronic Music Festival</a>.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-35078772969790804642009-03-16T09:52:00.002+00:002009-03-16T09:54:44.879+00:00How To Play The Theremin<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJI4Qv2ca1Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJI4Qv2ca1Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-35015604352221841932009-03-11T10:51:00.003+00:002009-03-11T11:27:46.219+00:00FlexatonesThese are <a href="http://www.sawlady.com/flexatone.htm">flexatones</a>. They were invented around the same time as the theremin. I was given a couple for my birthday.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fHFFC2gx8jY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fHFFC2gx8jY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />If you have read <a href="http://beat-frequency.blogspot.com/2009/03/beat-frequency-method.html">The Beat Frequency Method</a> you will understand the next bit...<br /><br />The flexatone can be used as an electro-mechanical theremin effect, specifically a hand-held pitch twangulator.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://b1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01296/11/65/1296415611_l.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 58px; height: 72px;" src="http://b1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01296/11/65/1296415611_l.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-68939256364318051952009-03-03T22:25:00.009+00:002009-11-13T00:21:31.001+00:00The Beat Frequency MethodThe best way to read this document is to select <i>Fullscreen</i> and <i>View Mode>Book</i><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/12949949/The-Beat-Frequency-Method" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View The Beat Frequency Method on Scribd">The Beat Frequency Method</a> <object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="589" id="doc_459538413889119" name="doc_459538413889119" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=12949949&access_key=key-evw5y0r4e1mdk2gdens&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="play" value="true"><param name="loop" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="wmode" value="opaque"><param name="devicefont" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="salign" value=""><param name="mode" value="list"><embed src="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=12949949&access_key=key-evw5y0r4e1mdk2gdens&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_459538413889119_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" mode="list" height="589" width="425"></embed> </object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-25442032331163732462008-12-31T00:55:00.018+00:002008-12-31T10:41:14.485+00:00Boundary Conditions and Transitional PhasesI'm just back from a winter break in Berlin. Photos to follow.<br /><br />The highlight of the trip was <a href="http://www.carolina-eyck.de/">Carolina Eyck</a>'s CD Release and 21st Birthday Party. It was excellent to meet <a href="http://randygeorgemusic.com/">Randy George</a> while I was there, and to catch up with <a href="http://www.barbarabuchholz.com/">Barbara Buchholz</a>. OK, I'm a dreadful name-dropper. Sosumi. They are three people I have so much respect for. Just wonderful. <br /><br />Carolina played a couple of pieces - one duetting with Randy and the second accompanying him on the piano. Her brother Roman played a mean double bass. The first was something classical that I forget the name of. Unforgettable You was the second piece. Barbara played a couple of her own compositions with a looper. You don't need me to tell you how good it all was. Do you? Really? Oh, OK. Very Damn Good!<br /><br />I also played a short set. Hadal Zone, Articulator and something that was basically a loose idea and not much more. I'll get to that in a moment, but first... this was me facing any scrap of performance anxiety head on - an audience of the afore-mentioned top-rate musicians and me with a few years of figuring it out by myself and a knowingly obtuse, even perverse, approach, launching into a piece that is begging to fail. And of course it was not my finest moment. But there you go. Afterwards I slumped against a wall and explained a bit to Barbara about the last piece - title: <span style="font-style:italic;">A Point Of Collapse</span>.<br /><br />This is the thing - I'm interested in boundary conditions, interim states and transitional phases. Of course I was mindful of the Berlin Wall and its destruction and the associated changes. But more generally, for instance, people settle on land near water - a boundary - how many towns have a river? Why do we go on holiday to the seaside and sit on the beach - the place between land and water? We duck our heads as we walk into rooms - even when we will clearly fit easily. And so on. I enjoy things that are in the grey area between sense and nonsense, structure and chaos, reason and irrationality. So the question is - how much can I allow things to fall apart whilst playing, without crossing the line irretrievably. Musical chicken. Theremin brinkmanship. As you might have guessed this is a panic-box piece. By the end of the performance I felt I was not so much taking it home as dragging its corpse to the river.<br /><br />I felt fine about it. The point of playing before an audience is to empathise - to hear it through their ears, and that's a good thing.<br /><br />And the moral of this story is; If you eat a live frog before breakfast, nothing worse will happen to you all day.<br /><br />That night, back in the <span style="font-style:italic;">pension</span>, in hypnagogic reverie I decided the piece needs an anchor, something to take it out of the theatre of the imagination and make it specific. In short, a few words.<br /><br />One experiment we did at school was paper chromatography, splitting out the pigments in black ink to find a wealth of colours there. So I imagine a technique for opening out a momentary sound, unfolding it to find the richness therein. Not literally, of course - an "artist's impression".<br /><br />Most of the words of the anchor followed from that idea. One line - <span style="font-style:italic;">the pistol shot</span> - was from a dream I had later that night. Someone in a long coat asked me if I knew of a particular book by an author he named. I did not. He quoted that phrase from the book and it was clear that it had special significance.<br /><br />So here it is in full.<br /><blockquote>frozen moments<br />the slow explosion<br />walls bulge<br />the pistol shot<br />a point of collapse<br /></blockquote><br />I think it should be spoken by a chorus of computer generated female voices.<br /><br />I brought home some trophies - Carolina and Barbara's new CDs and a tourist t-shirt - black, with a white silhouette of an East German border guard leaping the Berlin Wall when it was just a stretch of barbed wire. Based on this photo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SVrelM7LIsI/AAAAAAAAADU/_bKj-Xd77fk/s1600-h/berlinwall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SVrelM7LIsI/AAAAAAAAADU/_bKj-Xd77fk/s200/berlinwall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285781843378643650" /></a>More info <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Schumann">here</a>.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-68906332405195327172008-12-22T11:09:00.005+00:002008-12-22T13:08:17.469+00:00Attack Of The Killer CleavageThe Beat Electrons - Arthur, Phil and I - opened for the White Label Music Christmas Party gig in Windsor yesterday.<br /><br />After an age of hanging around we paraded into the hall wearing our <a href="http://beat-frequency.blogspot.com/2008/10/white-label-music-christmas-party-gig.html">flashing dealy boppers</a> and twirling our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasso_d%27amore">whirlies</a>.<br /><br />We opened with <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=253548558&id=253546440&s=143444">Veil Nebula</a> (iTunes link), which went rather well, I felt, and then <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=292639621&id=292639604&s=143444">Soupçon</a> (iTunes link). As I don't recall posting the lyrics before, here they are...<br /><br /><blockquote>in the soup of my vacuity<br />i hazard paralysis<br />entrails dragging<br />through the soupbowl of my life<br /><br />oh soup<br />oh soup<br /><br />biscuits dripping<br />saucers cracking<br />advancing downwards<br />bloody minded with a knife<br /><br />oh soup<br />oh soup<br /><br />each congealing morsel<br />treacled crawling <br />soft wet sighing<br />across the soupbowl of my life<br /><br />oh soup<br />oh soup<br /><br />asparagus soup</blockquote><br /><br />After that we went into the Christmas Classics section. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Christmas">Last Christmas</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Xmas_Everybody">Merry Xmas Everybody</a>. They bore little resemblance to the originals. (Think <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=205359566&id=205359164&s=143444">Satisfaction</a> by The Residents. iTunes link)<br /><br />I suspect Ann Shenton was the mastermind behind the, uh, distraction that came dancing up to us in the form of a voluptuous Goth with the kind of décolleté top that leaves men cross-eyed, grinning and startled like a deer trapped in the headlights. My polite requests for her to vacate my control zone were ineffective, so after a while I relinquished the pitch rod to her, letting her play it with her - well, let's just say the music had a rather jiggly, bouncy quality to it for a while.<br /><br />Oh my.<br /><br />We finished with an industrial wall of sound, "Power Station" for which I brought the Panic Box into play for some ring-moddy screams and growls, in conjunction with my newest electromechanical effect, which I call the VLS ("Very Long Screwdriver") as it is, in fact, a very long screwdriver. (The shaft is 42cm long - that's how long my very long screwdriver is; very long.) By holding it in the pitch hand by the non-conductive handle and touching the metal shaft with the index finger you can instantaneously smack your pitch up by an interval related to (amongst other things) the angle at which the VLS is presented to the pitch rod.<br /><br />A track making use of the VLS will appear on my friend <a href="http://www.myspace.com/effebit">Fabio</a>'s forthcoming album (title not known - I'll post something when it is released.) I do know the track is called Binary Pulsar - I contributed the title and the theremin track that was later improvised around. (I offered an Italian name for the VLS, as the album was recorded in Italy. "<span style="font-style:italic;">La bacchetta di intervalli</span>" - The Interval Baton or Wand.)<br /><br />Typical audience feedback after our set: "That was the most fucked-up thing I ever heard. Brilliant."Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-15703546730007829772008-12-11T11:48:00.002+00:002008-12-11T11:51:47.815+00:00Flower Pot Men on SoundCloud<div style="font-size: 11px;"> <object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?track=dance-of-the-flower-pot-men&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=3f00b3"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?track=dance-of-the-flower-pot-men&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=3f00b3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" wmode="transparent"> </embed> </object> <div style="padding-top: 5px;"> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/beat-frequency/dance-of-the-flower-pot-men">Dance Of The Flower Pot Men</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/beat-frequency">Beat Frequency</a> </div> </div><br />I'm trying out <a href="http://soundcloud.com/">SoundCloud</a>.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-44264705645522051952008-11-19T16:32:00.004+00:002008-11-19T17:41:48.342+00:00Three Cheers for Synthtopia<span style="font-weight:bold;">Hurrah! </span> for blogging my silly walkie-talkie experiment with the brilliant title <a href="http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/10/27/this-guy-either-invented-a-macgyver-theremin-or-his-head-is-about-to-explode/">This Guy Either Invented A MacGyver Theremin, Or His Head Is About To Explode</a>, which garnered the comment "Oh jesus christ ROFL."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hurrah! </span> for <a href="http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/11/19/experimental-theremin-music-video/">blogging Void Ship</a> and tagging it with genres. I'm confused by genres, so it's good to see someone confirm my guesses. "dark ambient music, drone music, electroacoustic music, experimental electronic music."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hurrah! </span> for <a href="http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/11/19/experimental-theremin-music-video-by-beat-frequency/">blogging Iron Sun </a> on the same day (today!) and tagging it "avant garde, electroacoustic music, experimental electronic music."<br /><br />And an extra hurrah for including links on the last two to my album, The Chordless Chord <a href="http://tinyurl.com/chordless-chord">on iTunes</a>. Maybe I'll sell a copy.<br /><br />Yay! Synthtopia.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-85495620633020045372008-11-18T22:05:00.003+00:002008-11-18T23:07:33.887+00:00Dance of the Flower Pot MenThe last few weeks have been quite busy, by my standards. I visited the top secret headquarters of White Label Music, and Met up with Ann and Marc, and Phil - Mirlitron One. We recorded a couple of tracks - me crouching uncomfortably with a borrowed delay pedal and Marc's etherwave - no stand, the pitch antenna at an <i>interesting</i> angle and a badly shrunken pitch field, Phil with a <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/a02a?cpg=cj">Kaossilator</a>. <br /><br />Later Ann added a vocal track and I returned to mix it in GarageBand. It's called Spam, in honour of the spam tin turned into an electronic noise maker and presented to Large Number (i.e. Ann and Marc) by Phil, and no doubt it will appear somewhere, sometime as part of the White Label Music catalogue. On my return I also recorded a couple more tracks against a drum machine - the drum machine track to be removed and replaced with something else that Ann will record. Perhaps in time for a return visit that has been loosely pencilled in for sometime real soon.<br /><br />I have a Christmas present organised. Phil is building a versatile little pre-amp for me, so I can match other things - primarily a microphone - against the etherwave and ring-modulate one with the other. That should be fun.<br /><br />My new friend from the Lippstadt theremin festival, Fabio, emailed to say he will be recording an album of theremin, sax and electronics with saxophonist<a href="http://www.gasparedevito.com"> Gaspare De Vito</a>, and would I like to contribute to it? So, as it happened the wind was blowing in the right direction and I recorded a couple of things the next day. (Yesterday, Monday) Not having any idea what they wanted, I made a droney pad with delays and a bit of ring-moddery and a lead track with added wah, with silence between phrases so it could be cut into samples and messed around with.<br /><br />It turns out that they were looking for pads, so now I have a lead track looking for a home. I also have a video downloaded from <a href="http://archive.org">archive.org</a> looking for some music. I was delighted - it appears that British TV has 50 years copyright, and that means that early Watch With Mother programming is available as source material. Nice to do a UK based video for a change. <br /><br />So, naturally, I put the two together, and then loaded GarageBand and messed around a while, looking for inspiration. Inspiration came in the form of a drum loop, played not on a drum kit but a fretless bass. Add the same trick again but with drum transposed via MIDI into piano this time. Apply some judicious effects and paste in a couple of samples from the video, tweak a bit and what you get is...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dance Of The Flower Pot Men</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7zfRSuUS92E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7zfRSuUS92E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />As with many of my recordings, there's stuff going on at very low frequencies, so if you can play it through a decent pair of speakers, so much the better.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-87976313449577076022008-11-11T12:50:00.000+00:002008-11-11T12:51:28.111+00:00Throbbing Gristle at The Centro Iberico, 1979<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yIxXCD1y63g&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yIxXCD1y63g&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-76860164622840260892008-10-29T00:10:00.003+00:002008-10-29T00:38:29.834+00:00Exploding Head Sweater GuyOh.<br /><br />It's a little bit popular.<br /><br />That video. The one in the previous post. When it occurred to me that you could do that, I did wonder if it had any viral mileage.<br /><br />I've had a little tour of the blogs - Make Magazine (sorry - no links tonight - I'm off to bed in a minute - search if you must.) BoingBoing, MatrixSynth, Synthtopia and a bunch of others that were new to me. And...<br /><br />If you have tracked me down from one of them, Hi!<br /><br />Thank you to the blog that tagged my sweater. If I had known you were going to watch, I would have changed.<br /><br />I am "some guy."<br /><br />No, my head was not about to explode. But it was my favourite headline nonetheless.<br /><br />Yes, I consider it unpleasant music too. Thank you for defending it as Noise, but it's not good Noise either. That's why I tagged the video as How-To rather than Music.<br /><br />No, I didn't "invent" it. But thank you for putting the word in quotes to indicate your incredulity at something I didn't claim. Discovered, or perhaps better "re-discovered."<br /><br />I liked "ingenious musician" - that was nice.<br /><br />I thought it might work with mobile phones too. I'd be interested to see that. So instead of commenting that you already did that in a whiney, belittling way, please post a video response.<br /><br />Now go watch some more of my vids. I think the others are way better.Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-75917045318935404982008-10-24T12:20:00.002+01:002008-10-24T12:43:45.073+01:00faux theremin using walkie-talkie feedback<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZaOj99IlzDc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZaOj99IlzDc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-75970972686590385162008-10-23T13:14:00.002+01:002008-10-23T13:28:59.376+01:00White Label Music Christmas Party Gig Spoiler<object width="425" height="360"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=45124810,t=1,mt=video"><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=45124810,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-87685878454420528722008-10-23T01:25:00.004+01:002008-10-23T13:23:25.975+01:00Photos from Without Touch 2.0<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="400" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=61927" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&intl_lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fsearch%2Fshow%2F%3Fq%3Dlippstadt%26w%3D8666613%2540N04&page_show_back_url=%2Fsearch%2F%3Fq%3Dlippstadt%26w%3D8666613%2540N04&method=flickr.photos.search&api_params_str=&api_text=lippstadt&api_tag_mode=bool&api_user_id=8666613%40N04&api_safe_search=3&api_content_type=7&api_media=all&api_sort=relevance&jump_to=&start_index=0"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=61927"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=61927" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&intl_lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fsearch%2Fshow%2F%3Fq%3Dlippstadt%26w%3D8666613%2540N04&page_show_back_url=%2Fsearch%2F%3Fq%3Dlippstadt%26w%3D8666613%2540N04&method=flickr.photos.search&api_params_str=&api_text=lippstadt&api_tag_mode=bool&api_user_id=8666613%40N04&api_safe_search=3&api_content_type=7&api_media=all&api_sort=relevance&jump_to=&start_index=0" width="400" height="400"></embed></object><br /><br />Click on the play button, then click on the full screen icon, bottom left.<br /><br />(If the slideshow doesn't work, you can view the pics the old fashioned way on <a href="http://flickr.com/search/?w=8666613%40N04&q=lippstadt">flickr</a>.)Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630151900317600193.post-68344770056943487992008-10-21T21:31:00.010+01:002008-10-21T22:21:29.854+01:00The Beat ElectronsThe "Special Guests" at the White Label Music Christmas Party gig now have a name, compounded from our respective stage names - <span style="font-weight:bold;">The </span>Mirli<span style="font-weight:bold;">trons</span> (Phil, red), <span style="font-weight:bold;">Electro</span>mungo, (Arthur, blue) <span style="font-weight:bold;">Beat</span> Frequency (me, green.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SP48fQCD9JI/AAAAAAAAACE/q_qf7QZ_kGk/s1600-h/beat+electrons.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SP48fQCD9JI/AAAAAAAAACE/q_qf7QZ_kGk/s400/beat+electrons.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259707922392544402" /></a><br />We have a short set worked out - more about that after the event (but plenty of theremin) - and I have ordered headwear for the group.<br /><br />Arthur has created a group poster (above) and a flyer for the event (below.)<br /><br />I have written an anagram poem. (Which strikes me as a little bit saucy, now I read it back.)<blockquote> the beat electrons<br /> <br /> beneath corset let<br /> the obscene rattle<br /> eat rotten belches<br /> <br /> eel breath contest<br /> celebrates the not<br /> <br /> the stone bracelet<br /> erects the notable<br /> <br /> be other tentacles<br /></blockquote><br />I think Christmas will be a lot of fun this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SP48fg5R65I/AAAAAAAAACM/AFSMYLxuskI/s1600-h/wlm+xmas+party.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__yI0dcltVB4/SP48fg5R65I/AAAAAAAAACM/AFSMYLxuskI/s400/wlm+xmas+party.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259707926919113618" /></a>Gordon Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03598919471951394756noreply@blogger.com0