About John CS Keston

John CS Keston is an award winning transdisciplinary artist reimagining how music, video art, and computer science intersect. His work both questions and embraces his backgrounds in music technology, software development, and improvisation leading him toward unconventional compositions that convey a spirit of discovery and exploration through the use of graphic scores, chance and generative techniques, analog and digital synthesis, experimental sound design, signal processing, and acoustic piano. Performers are empowered to use their phonomnesis, or sonic imaginations, while contributing to his collaborative work. Originally from the United Kingdom, John currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he is a professor of Digital Media Arts at the University of St Thomas. He founded the sound design resource, AudioCookbook.org, where you will find articles and documentation about his projects and research. John has spoken, performed, or exhibited original work at New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME 2022), the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC 2022), the International Digital Media Arts Conference (iDMAa 2022), International Sound in Science Technology and the Arts (ISSTA 2017-2019), Northern Spark (2011-2017), the Weisman Art Museum, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Walker Art Center, the Minnesota Institute of Art, the Eyeo Festival, INST-INT, Echofluxx (Prague), and Moogfest. He produced and performed in the piece Instant Cinema: Teleportation Platform X, a featured project at Northern Spark 2013. He composed and performed the music for In Habit: Life in Patterns (2012) and Words to Dead Lips (2011) in collaboration with the dance company Aniccha Arts. In 2017 he was commissioned by the Walker Art Center to compose music for former Merce Cunningham dancers during the Common Time performance series. His music appears in The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012) and he composed the music for the short Familiar Pavement (2015). He has appeared on more than a dozen albums including two solo albums on UnearthedMusic.com.

Sound / Simulacra: Mankwe Ndosi

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John CS Keston

On Wednesday April 25th, 2018, 8:30pm at Jazz Central Studios Sound / Simulacra will commence featuring Mankwe Ndosi. I have had the pleasure of playing music with Mankwe on several occasions, but I am particularly excited to hear what happens in the context of improvised experimental music. During the second set Cody McKinney and myself will join Mankwe as a trio.

Mankwe Ndosi is a Twin Cities-based performer and composer who uses an expanded vocabulary of singing to express emotion, story and spirit. She works with artists in all media, and living beings of all kinds. She performs nationally and internationally, and has appeared with Nicole Mitchell, The Give Get Sistet, Mike Ladd, Sharon Bridgforth, Laurie Carlos, George Lewis, Medium Zach, I-Self Devine, Ananya Dance Theatre, Atmosphere, and Douglas Ewart – stalwart of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Music. Ndosi is a Wild Plant Woman and a Culture Worker who uses creative practice to nurture human connections to others, our ancestors, and the earth. –Ananya Dance Theatre

StoryCorps at the Fitzgerald Theater

Posted on April 4, 2018 by John CS Keston

I am excited to announce that I was commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio to compose music with Cody McKinney for a StoryCorps event at the Fitzgerald Theater on Thursday, April 5th at 7:00pm. Tickets are free and can be reserved on the event page.

As we have learned in the last couple of weeks, composing music to be performed live as accompaniment for recorded stories poses a number of interesting challenges that are significantly different from composing music for film, animation, games, and even podcasts. First of all it is important to stay out of the way. The compositions are short and simple vignettes that may simply emphasize a point or enhance an emotional state. More than that might obscure the story or twist its message. Secondly, fewer is better than more parts. Often one instrument is enough, but more than two and you might be starting to interfere with the dialogue. The parts generally need space and atmosphere rather than density and complexity.

Thirdly, sound design is music. Yeah I said it. I believe it shouldn’t be separated from the music in this instance. Treating the sound design as an instrumental layer in the compositions has been a very good way to approach this task. Giving the sound design meter, dynamics, and rests allows it to fit well within the piece. Rests and dynamics might seem obvious, but what about meter? I don’t mean meter in the sense of literal tempo and time signature, but instead a sense of pacing so that the sound design elements enter and exit with purpose.

Fourth, but not last, including an element of theater is a valuable approach. Theatrics in music definitely gets me out of my comfort zone. Generally I am the last to agree to anything that resembles theater. However, because the stories are not being delivered by a performer, it’s helpful for the audience see what the musical performers are doing to illustrate the depth of the narratives. To that end we will be providing “tells” for many of the sound design elements, and performing most of the parts on instruments and noise making devices.

Sound / Simulacra: Leah Ottman (LOTT) with Keston and McKinney

Posted on December 18, 2017 by John CS Keston

On March 22nd, 2017 Sound / Simulacra featured Leah Ottman aka LOTT. These recordings were captured by Dave Kunath during the second set and add John C.S. Keston on Rhodes / electronics and Cody McKinney on bass / electronics.

The core inspiration for LOTT’s compositions is the Romantic Period of classical music. The chordal structures, intervals, and melodies heard throughout her songs are reminiscent of those used by Antonin Dvorak, Alexander Borodin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, French Impressionist composer, Maurice Ravel, and then condensed into pop songs. She explores the range on her violin by utilizing a looping pedal and similar techniques employed by looping violinist pioneers, Andrew Bird, Kishi Bashi, and Owen Pallet.

LOTT has been likened to a modern day torch singer of indie music – both in her lyrical themes and vocal styling. She has been greatly influenced by Patsy Cline’s catalogue of songs about unrequited love and heartbreak.

LOTT was awarded “Best Vocalist” in 2016 and “Best Acoustic Performer” in City Pages Best Of the Twin Cities 2015.
“…With a looping pedal hooked up to her instrument, Ottman layers intricate melodies that combine classical beauty with an adventurous ear for contemporary experimentation not unlike Andrew Bird. Her voice, loaded with attitude and a penchant for flowing leaps, sweetens the deal…”

Fake Fir Debut at the Icehouse Tonight!

Posted on December 6, 2017 by John CS Keston

Tonight at the Icehouse in Minneapolis, FAKE FIR! This new project involves Adam Svec (vocals), Robert Mulrennan (guitar), Peter Hennig (drums), Cody McKinney (bass), and myself on Rhodes and synths. Check it out!

Sound / Simulacra: Sophia Deutsch with John Keston and Cody McKinney

Posted on November 21, 2017 by John CS Keston

This improvised performance from cellist Sophia Deutsch, myself, and Cody McKinney was recorded by Dave Kunath on Wednesday October 25th, 2017 at Jazz Central Studios during Sound / Simulacra.

Sophia Deutsch is a multi-faceted artist involved in many musical and visual art projects around the Twin Cities. As an artist, Sophia believes in an organic creation of music and art, using improvisation and emotion to drive the sounds. As a musician, her interests lie in the dichotomy of organic sound generation with cello being the genesis and the perversion of this via live distortion and/or electronic manipulation.

The series explores musical improvisation as a “faithful and intentionally distorted” representational process bringing together some of the Twin Cities most unique voices to “recreate, distort, and create the hyperreal”. Please enjoy listening!