Saucer Sled Synth

Posted on May 26, 2010 by John CS Keston

Recently I built a Posc (Pocket Oscillator by Sonodrome) and discussed it in this entry with an audio example. Shortly afterward I built the circuit into a cardboard box and used the instrument in a number of performances and recording sessions. Now I have disassembled my beloved cardboard box and created a new instrument for an upcoming dance performance. This updated prototype is made from a plastic saucer sled, a 4″ speaker, a recycled nine volt amplifier, and the Posc circuit.

I started by drilling a grid pattern of air holes for the speaker. I then mounted the speaker behind the grid as shown. Finally I soldered the Posc circuit to the nine volt amp and the amp to the speaker. Two nine volt batteries and some duct tape completed the prototype. The night of the build I handed it to Pramila Vasudevan, the choreographer for the piece, and was amazed by the sound quality, and the response of the instrument to her movements. The final product will most likely be fabricated out of fiberglass to improve the rigidity and resonance of the disc or “shield”.

Read on to see a few more photos of the instrument.
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Hojun Song on the Creators Project

Posted on May 21, 2010 by John CS Keston

Seoul based artist and engineer, Hojun Song, is one of the featured artists on the Creators Project. Hojun engineers custom MIDI controllers, satellites, and “The Strongest Weapon in the World”; an unbreakable machine that prints out beautiful messages. The Creators Project is “…a global initiative bringing together the world’s leading and most relevant innovators in music, art, film, design and architecture through a common passion for creativity and technology.” Other featured artists include Diplo, Muti Randolph, Richie Hawtin, Karl Sadler, Phoenix, with dozens more on deck. Check it out at www.thecreatorsproject.com.

In/Out 2010: Digital Performance Festival

Posted on May 2, 2010 by John CS Keston

I just got a note from the organizers of In/Out, an annual digital performance festival in New York that features digitally driven performances and workshops over two days at The Tank Theater in Manhattan. This year the festival is on September 17 and 18. If you’re unfamiliar with this inspiring event, checkout some of the video documentation. Read on for the details and submission guidelines.
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Experimental Music Mondays: Ephemeral Structures

Posted on April 26, 2010 by John CS Keston

This Monday, April 26, 2010 is the third installment of Experimental Music Mondays at the Kitty Cat Klub in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The line-up includes violin soloist Kip Jones, Ephemeral Structures, and Primidonahue (Michael Donahue). The music will start at around 9:00pm and there’s no cover to get into the club.

Yesterday afternoon I had a fantastic session with Ephemeral Structures. Although we have all worked with each other in several capacities, this is only the second time the group has performed in eight years. The result of yesterday’s session were pretty inspiring, so we are considering producing an album. The project includes Kyle Herskovitz (also know as DJ Zenrock) on turntables, Nils Westdal on bass and electronics, and me on electronics. The photo shows Kyle playing his turntable with a rubber band. I’ll share a segment of what we captured in a upcoming entry.

ARTCRANK Poster Show Video with Keston and Westdal

Posted on April 22, 2010 by John CS Keston

I was just informed by Charles Youel about video documentation for the 2010 ARTCRANK Poster Show featuring the track Fe2O3 by Keston and Westdal (Unearthed Music, 2010). The video does a great job of capturing the vibe of the event and I love the way they worked in our track. Here’s the description posted on vimeo.

“The 4th Annual Artcrank poster show. Its an Art Show for ‘Bike People’. Bikes are the world’s most fun and accessible way to get around. Posters are the world’s most fun and accessible art form. ARTCRANK brings them together. ARTCRANK is a showcase of bicycle-inspired original poster artwork that people can enjoy looking at and afford to take home. ARTCRANK began in Minneapolis in 2007, and has expanded to Denver, St. Louis, Portland, San Francisco and Des Moines. Every ARTCRANK show features posters created by local artists from the host city. Admission is always free, and posters are priced to let everybody take home at least one. This year the Artcrank opened at Shelter Studios in NE Minneapolis. If you’re interested in hosting or sponsoring an ARTCRANK show, want to participate as a poster artist, or simply have a question that hasn’t been answered by the previous paragraphs, send us an email and we’ll be happy to help. artcrankpostershow.com“