Sound Builders: In 1967, This Guy Invented Circuit Bending

"'Anything Can Happen'

In this episode of Sound Builders, we travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to meet with Reed Ghazala, the founder and father of circuit bending. Reed takes us into his workshop where we get a glimpse into his world of circuit bending, exploring the history and evolution of this art. Reed bends our minds by walking us through the struggles and triumphs he endured while establishing the art of circuit bending.

“The wires fall upon the circuit like the paint on Pollack’s canvas,” he says, rhapsodically.

We tinker with several of Reed’s machines, manipulating sound and opening our minds to this fascinating art form. He works on a project for Motherboard while explaining the method to this music madness, his process, his teachings, as well as the different inventions he has created over the years.

See more Sound Builders episodes – and enter to win our contest for $1,000 – and don’t miss our documentary on New York’s circuit bending Bent Festival."

You can find all Motherboard synth vids here.