Live Binaural Recording of DKO with Oliver Grudem

Posted on December 10, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

On Friday, December 7, 2012 the MCAD MFA program had its yearly open studio night. Last year it was called SHOW + TELL, but this time we titled it FRANK. There was some amazing work up all over our Whittier studio spaces. I contributed by directing a performance featuring my trio DKO and MCAD alum, Oliver Grudem, who provided a real-time audiovisual score for the ensemble to “read”. This relates to my thesis research in progress, but in brief the audiovisual content was broadcast over a mobile network as Oliver traversed around the city sending us what he saw and heard as it happened.

Synchronizing Music Technology at Slam Academy

Posted on November 1, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

I am teaching a class starting on November 29, 2012 at the Slam Academy in Minneapolis titled Synchronizing Music Technology. The first class class of the four session module is free to attend with no obligation. If you decide to take the module you are eligible to purchase a Korg Monotribe and Korg Monotron for $175. General admission and student pricing is available.

In this course we will examine ways to synchronize musical devices including vintage-to-modern MIDI compatible devices, as well as pre-MIDI analog instruments using CV (control voltage) and gate signals. We will also learn how to sequence and interface these devices with computer software making it possible to create studio and performance setups that integrate decades of music technology.

The Slam Academy is one of a handful of certified Ableton Live training centers worldwide. Most classes are around $200 or less for students and meet for three two hour sessions. I am very excited to be an adjunct instructor at this incredibly forward thinking school for electronic arts. If you’re in the area please stop in for the free intro class on November 29 or consider registering for a module or two.

Fragile Gloss Featuring DSI Tempest

Posted on September 13, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

It has been a couple of months since I have shared an Ostraka track (Wayland’s Smithy back in July), so I thought I would let you have an advance listen to a very recent mix featuring the DSI Tempest. This particular track also includes sounds programmed on the Roland MKS-80, SCI Pro-One, and Korg Monotribe. Thanks for listening, and let me know what you think.

Excerpt from Ostraka Improvisation at NAMAC 2012

Posted on September 10, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This excerpt is from my first live performance featuring the DSI Tempest last Thursday, September 6, 2012 at the Walker Art Center for the NAMAC opening night reception. My setup consisted of the Tempest synched up with a Korg Monotribe. The notes and some of the drums patterns were created in real-time with the GMS creating those signature, angular lines. I also played percussion patterns into the Tempest sequencer during the performance. The entire 75 minute set was improvised. LEDs fed into the video camera were projected on the wall behind me and used to generated the melodic and some of the rhythmic content.

Wayland’s Smithy

Posted on July 16, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s the latest from my solo project Ostraka (not to be confused with my duet project Ostracon with Graham O’Brien). An arrangement of this will appear on my upcoming album. I can’t say how soon it is upcoming, but I have a big collection of unreleased tracks that mostly utilize analog hardware that I’ve been collecting for decades. This piece has a little of the old and the new combining the Korg Monotribe, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, and Roland MKS-80.