London Modular Alliance - Desert Island Synths: Buchla Music Easel

Published on Sep 29, 2017 FACTmagazine

"What piece of music gear would London Modular Alliance take to a desert island with them?

All is revealed in our forth episode of Desert Island Synths, where we asked the London producers to pick the most important piece of equipment in there studio.

The guys went straight for the classic Buchla Music Easel."

Patch Notes: Emiliano Melis

FACTmagazine

"Emiliano Melis is a sound designer and composer based in NYC who combines analog and digital instruments to create a rich sound built with layers of melodies and rhythms.

On this episode of Patch Notes, Melis composes an evolving ambient track using a long stretched tape, plugged into a Strymon DECO saturator unit running a background texture. On top, he uses an Elektron Digitakt sampler and TASCAM Porta-05 four-track recorder to play tracks, patterns and sounds. This style of electronic composition is exploired on his new album, Tape and Polaroids, which is released on September 18 via Mother West.

Website: http://www.emilianomelis.com"

Django Django - Gear Guide - the Yamaha D85 Electone

Published on Apr 19, 2018 FACTmagazine

"Found on eBay for just £30.

We recently visited Django Django’s north London studio to set the band the challenge of making a track in 10 minutes as part of our Against The Clock series. While we were there, one instrument caught our eye: keyboard player Tommy Grace’s rare Yamaha organ.

Made in 1977, the Yamaha D85 Electone was the GarageBand of its day, featuring three keyboards and an auto-accompaniment section that plays simple rhythms, allowing you to play a whole orchestra from one instrument.

In the video above, Grace shows us how it works and tells us how cheap and easy they are to get your hands on – as long as you have a van to transport it."

Patch Notes: Wallis

FACTmagazine

"This week’s episode of Patch Notes features a pummelling session from rising techno iconoclast Wallis. The producer, DJ and mastering engineer is fast becoming one of the most unique members of the Berlin scene, blending extremely hard and fast productions with sensual melodies and vocals.

This performance sees Wallis utilising her usual setup for live shows, which consists of modular synthesis, an Elektron Octatrak sampler, Arturia’s BeatStep Pro sequencer and guitar effects pedals. “I would say I am more on the West-coast end of the synthesis spectrum”, she explains. “I like very complex and somewhat surprising results because this is, in my opinion, how you get the most unique sounds, which is what modular synthesis is for me.”

“Modular is for me testing the limits of a system. It’s also about controlling those unpredictable outcomes, especially in my type of techno that really wants to be dance floor friendly at all times. It’s all about balance I guess. Making it as weird and interesting as possible but still pretty damn four to the floor, for the most part.”

Wallis is a resident at LSDXOXO’s Floorgasm. The first outdoor edition of the beloved party will take place this Saturday, August 29, at Berlin’s Trauma Bar Und Kino.

For more music from Wallis and friends, check out her label, Jell."

Signal Path: Logos

Published on Jun 14, 2019 FACTmagazine

Playlist:
Signal Path: Logos – Processing strings
Signal Path: Logos – Nord Micro Modular acid
Signal Path: Logos – Roland JP-8000 arpeggiator
Signal Path: Logos – Max/MSP

Orbital - Against The Clock

Published on Dec 19, 2018 FACTmagazine

"Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll went against the clock to see if he could make something beautiful out of vocal samples from a variety of British politicians. Why? He says it best himself: 'Why not make some sense out of a load of old rubbish?'

Using a couple of samplers and a drum machine, the rave pioneer had just ten minutes to build a track from a variety of manipulated samples, including a ‘Boris Johnson kick drum’ and a ‘Theresa May lead’, in the hope that the resulting sounds are at least 'prettier than when they went in'."

Solar Bears guide us through their analog synth-heavy live set-up

Published on Jun 8, 2016 FACTmagazine

"Solar Bears give us a detailed tour of their complex live set-up.

Dublin duo John Kowalski and Rian Trench, better known as Solar Bears, share a name with an NHL hockey team, but none of that sport’s fast-tempo explosiveness. Instead, their new album Advancement floats by in a slow-drift of synthy beauty, from the sparkling ‘Wild Flowers’ to the majestic ‘Man Plus’.

It’s an analog-heavy album, and that’s true of their live set-up too, we found out when we caught up with them at London’s Ace Hotel for an intimate look at their sonic toy box. Check it out below. Solar Bears’ Advancement is out now.

https://boomkat.com/products/advancement"

Write-up & more pics at FACT Magazine.

Black Corporation Deckard's Dream & Kijimi Synthesizers

Published on May 8, 2018 Synthtopia

Note: Kijimi is actually based on the RSF Kobol mono synth. via the creator himself, Roman Filippov: "It’s a polyphonic kobol more than polykobol, since it uses ssm2040-like filters, not ssm2044"

"Here's an update on Black Corporation's two rack-mount analog synthesizers, Deckard's Dream and the Kijimi."

Deckard's Dream - Gear Guide - Superbooth 2018

Published on May 8, 2018 FACTmagazine

"FACT was at Berlin synth show Superbooth last week, where we tried out all the latest and greatest synth gear.

At Black Corporation's booth we got a sneak preview of Kijimi, a new eight-voice instrument inspired by a rare French polysynth from the 1970s. While we were there, we couldn't resist also checking out Deckard's Dream, the company's existing synth based on the Yamaha CS-80 – the synth used by Vangelis to write the classic Blade Runner score.

Watch above for an overview of the synth and a demonstration of its impressive sound engine."

Patch Notes: Qasim Naqvi

video upload by FACTmagazine

"Pakistani-American musician Qasim Naqvi is perhaps best known as a founder member of acoustic trio Dawn of Midi, in which he has played drums since 2007. Outside of his work in Dawn of Midi, Naqvi is an accomplished solo artist whose compositions have been performed by ensembles including the London Contemporary Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and soundtracked many films and documentaries.

Naqvi’s recent solo releases, such as 2019’s Teenages and 2020’s Beta, have made extensive use of synthesizers and modular systems. In this episode of Patch Notes, we invited Naqvi to perform at Pioneer Works, a non-profit cultural center in Redhook, Brooklyn.

'The building dates back to 1866 and was originally a railroad track factory,' Naqvi says. 'Now it’s a massive performing arts space. With my equipment, I was merging two systems that I’ve been configuring for a couple of years, a Verbos System and a Serge System. I also used a few random modules to connect everything: a Quad VCA from Intellijel and an X-Pan stereo module from Make Noise as the final output.'

'The acoustics are massive at Pioneer Works and we set everything up where the audience usually stands, so I was facing the house system,” he explains. “It was quite powerful to feel the music coming directly at me from this monstrous system. It definitely affected my choices. I wanted to embrace the full dynamic feel of the space, by exploring a range of highly dense sounds to rhythmic ideas, to more sparse and quiet moments. It was also a hellishly hot day and there was no AC in the building. At a certain point it felt like a clay oven.'

The piece Naqvi performs is called ‘Yes Mammal’, and was originally titled ‘Music for Modular Synthesizer, Dim Lamp and One Developing Melody.’ 'I wrote it in June for my first show in New York after a year and a half of not performing,' he explains. 'It’s evolved since then and I wanted to share it with Fact.'

'My background for a long time has been in acoustic music, where I write pieces and then share them with a group or individual to interpret. And from there they’ve made it into something larger. With the modular, I’ve been translating that way of thinking. Lately, I write a piece or a sketch and give it to an entity, in this case the synthesizer, and let it expand the music to more than just notes on the page. This piece is loosely written and I improvise with the material using the infinite possibilities of the modular synthesizer to give it shape in the moment. I like to think of it as live orchestration but with voltage.'

Naqvi has typically used this large-scale modular setup in the past to perform, but more recently he’s been experimenting with slimmed down systems to use in live performance settings. 'I’m making different and smaller hybrid configurations that are more tailor-made to the pieces I’m writing,” he says. “I still use this whole system when needed but it’s been an interesting exercise to slim down from time to time and make more with less.'

Naqvi’s most recent release is an EP titled Chronology, which was released on on Erased Tapes. 'It was made entirely on a very old and broken Minimoog synthesizer. It’s a special album that I made with a great relic.'

Follow Qasim Naqvi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browniebonb...
Qasim Naqvi on Bandcamp: https://qasimnaqvi.bandcamp.com/

Credits:

Filmed and Recorded live at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Video by Gabe Rubin, Wolfgang Daniel & Zack Shorrosh
Live Audio & Recording by Riley Stevens
Lighting by Matthew Mann
Production by Justin Frye"

Watch Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith bring her modular orchestra to life

Published on Mar 30, 2016 FACTmagazine

See this post for Kaitlyn's upcoming release on April 1st. Click here and scroll down for more posts featuring Kaitlyn's work.

"The electronic composer invites us to her LA home for an intimate performance.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has become one of the most fascinating champions of modular synthesis in recent memory — but she didn’t start out that way.

Raised on Orcas Island in northwest Washington state and classically trained in guitar and piano, Smith spent a curiosity-fueled year teaching herself synthesis after a serendipitous encounter with the Buchla Music Easel, an instrument that’s come to define her as much as she has defined it.

Her explorations in synthesis reach an apex on her stunning new album EARS, out April 1 on Western Vinyl, blending woodwind and her own vocals with the primordial sounds of the Buchla to make her most definitive statement yet.

After recently relocating to Los Angeles, Smith invited FACT to her home studio where she showed us the different synthesizer voices used to create her modular symphonies before churning them together in a spontaneous improvisation.

The intimate home performance serves as a taster for her show on April 1 at Rewire Festival in the Hague, Netherlands, where she’ll play the city’s Lutheran Church with Chris Watson and Kara-Lis Coverdale + MFO."

Patch Notes: Minimal Violence

FACTmagazine

"Minimal Violence are Ash Luk and Lida P, a Vancouver duo who make raw, hardware-based techno with shades of industrial and ’90s trance. Since emerging in 2015 they’ve appeared on labels such as Technicolour, Lobster Theremin and Berlin institution Tresor, which this year released the first in a three-part EP series.

On this episode of Patch Notes, Ash offers an early preview of Minimal Violence’s new live direction with a solo live set from their studio. 'What I’m using here is mostly what we would use for our live set with a few additions,' Ash says.

'MPC1000 at the helm of everything, sequencing the kick, breaks, synths and other sounds. The MPC is the key point of construction for moving from track to track in the set, it allows for the flexibility of bringing different parts in and out but still provides some structure as to different pre-selected segments available per section.

'The 707, 606 and 909 are all synced via the MPC but programmed externally so allow for some more fluidity throughout the live sets. The Moog DFAM is a new addition to add more texture to employ in parts to flow when moving from track to track. Additionally the DFAM is sending out a VCA to the modular to rhythmically change the texture and pan of the effects.

'For external effects we have our modular setup on one send and the OTO BIM delay on the other. We’re only starting to tap into the world of modular I but want to continue integrating it into the live setup, the focus is on employing the modular setup to process external signals to create and modulate otherwise unimaginable effects that bring in their own creative flow to the mix.

Phase Two of their three-EP series is planned to drop before the end of year on Tresor. Phase One is available now and you can find the rest of their catalogue on Bandcamp.

https://soundcloud.com/minimalviolence
https://tresorberlin.bandcamp.com
https://minimalviolence.bandcamp.com"

Patch Notes: JakoJako

Published on May 31, 2020 FACTmagazine

"JakoJako is a Berlin-based techno artist who primarily performs live and uses modular synthesis extensively in her music. Last year she released her debut EP on Leisure System, and she also works at SchneidersLaden, one of the world’s most famous stores for modular synth gear.

In this episode of Patch Notes, she records an emotive techno set from her home studio, using a compact Eurorack system with Elektron’s Octatrack and Analog Rytm.

https://leisuresystem.bandcamp.com/al..."

Inside Vintage Synthesizer Studio: Handwerk Audio

Published on Jul 29, 2016 FACTmagazine

"Peter Van Hoesen and Exercise One’s Marco Freivogel and Ricardo De Azcuenaga are known by techno fans across the world for their music.

The trio also own one of Europe’s most well-stocked vintage synth studios. Located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, Handwerk Audio allows anyone to pay to use some of history’s most sought-after electronic instruments, giving hard-up producers the opportunity to incorporate real analog sound in their productions without breaking the bank.

FACT TV visited Handwerk Audio where Van Hoesen and Freivogel took us on a tour of its instruments. As well as well known staples like the TR-808 drum machine and the Minimoog Model D, they introduced us to more obscure instruments such as Italy’s Elka Synthex and the strange OSCar synth from the early ‘80s."

DMX Krew and The One of a Kind Opal Rhythm Computor

DMX Krew - Opal Rhythm Computor tutorial (Drum machine & sampler) - Gear Guide

Published on Sep 12, 2017 FACTmagazine

"A one-of-a-kind drum machine, made from scratch.

Best known as DMX Krew, Ed Upton has been making acid, electro and IDM-laced bangers since the early ‘90s for some of the underground’s best-loved labels, including Aphex Twin’s Rephlex, Legowelt’s Strange Life and, more recently, Hypercolour.

When Upton’s favorite drum machine – an ultra rare RSF SD140 – was stolen and he couldn’t find another one, he learned how to solder and designed and built his own. The Opal Rhythm Computor is a drum machine and sampler filled with sounds from his Roland Alpha Juno synth that doesn’t look or sound like anything you can buy in a store.

Watch it in action above and find his new album Strange Directions at Bandcamp.
https://hypercolour-records.bandcamp...."

Chair Audio - Haptic Vibration Based Hardware Instrument at SUPERBOOTH18

Chair Audio - Gear Guide - Super Booth 2018

Published on May 4, 2018 FACTmagazine

Stand alone and eurorack as seen below.

via SUPERBOOTH.COM:

"Our mission is to make sounds tangible. That's why we are developing instruments with haptic interfaces for electronic sound - both analog and software synthesis. Our Instruments have excitable surfaces that you can scratch, hit or bow. A developer edition of our first product will be presented at Superbooth: Digital sound designers can get touch information and vibration via USB. For analog synthesis it can output CV for x, y, gate and additionally the vibration signal."

via chair.audio

Visit Jonas Rathsman's chemistry lab-turned-studio in Gothenburg

Published on May 29, 2018 FACTmagazine

"Jonas Rathsman is an integral part of Sweden's house and techno scene. He’s been releasing music since 2013 when he debuted on French Express. He hasn’t stopped since, with releases on Diynamic, Crosstown Rebels, Mobilee and his own ELEMENTS imprint.

Having spent nearly all his life around Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, Rathsman decided to build his own studio complex in an abandoned chemistry lab. Obviously, we jumped at the chance to have a full tour."

Patch Notes: Paul Cousins

Published on Apr 26, 2020 FACTmagazine

"Patch Notes is a series that explores modular synthesisers and the art of making electronic music with hardware.

Paul Cousins is a producer, engineer and ambient composer from London who uses vintage synths, reel to reel tape deck and effects units to create meditative compositions. For the past month, he’s been getting through quarantine by posting a series of ‘Isolation Loops’ to his Instagram.

In this extended session, Cousins creates a dreamy 10-minute track using a Roland SH-101, KORG Poly-800 and various hardware effects."

ALM/Busy Circuits - Gear Guide - Superbooth 2018

Published on May 4, 2018 FACTmagazine

"FACT was at Berlin's Superbooth to capture the latest gear action from the three-day synth celebration."

Byron The Aquarius shows how to get more funk out of your synth

Published on Feb 13, 2018 FACTmagazine

"Funkadelic keys in a flash.

Byron The Aquarius is a master of Roland’s classic Juno-106 synth, as he proved on his recent Against The Clock episode. After he finished the challenge, we asked him for his tips on using the instrument – specifically how he gets his keys sounding so funky.

The solution to getting Funkadelic-style sounds with any synth – not just the Juno-106 – as Byron explains, is a lot easier than you might think. See how he does it above and revisit his Against the Clock here."

Ikonika - Against The Clock

Published on Apr 22, 2014 FACTmagazine

With the Moog Little Phatty.

"Against the Clock is a series on FACT TV where we give an artist 10 minutes in the studio and see what they come up with.

In the latest episode, we set the challenge to Ikonika. A steady stream of music since 2008 has made Ikonika one of UK dance music's most interesting acts - equally influenced by Streets of Rage and Rich Harrison, and peppering club forms from electronica to techno with her trademark synthlines and drum fills. She's released two albums, 2010's Contact Want Love Have and 2013's Aerotropolis, and this year will be celebrating the 10th birthday of her regular label Hyperdub.

Filmed by Luis Muñoz, Pawel Ptak & Kamil Dymek."