Pay What You Want for Precambrian Resonance

Posted on April 29, 2011 by John C.S. Keston

For a limited time Unearthed Music is offering the DRM free 320kbps download for my debut solo album, Precambrian Resonance by Ostraka, for as little as one penny. This album emerged during a year long period of random recordings and sound design experiments exhibited here on AudioCoobook.org during my One Sound Every Day project. Click on the title to pay what you want for Precambrian Resonance. Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album for your listening pleasure. Thanks!

Three Phase Oscillator

Excerpt of Intro to Heavy Synth Track in Six

Posted on March 29, 2011 by John C.S. Keston

Inevitably one of the results of the One Synthesizer Sound Every Day project that I started in January is to produce an Ostraka album. So far I have nearly thirty tracks in the works. Many of them will end up on the cutting room floor, but here’s an excerpt from an introduction for one of the pieces that I’m confident will make the roster. The segment starts with a washy arpeggio on the D-50 morphed into a pad with copious amounts of reverb and delay. Next up are some MKS-80 effects that introduce an unprocessed bouncy arpeggio in six eight time.

Excerpt of Intro to Heavy Synth Track in Six

Try This: DGK Slam Factory Bootleg and Show Tonight

Posted on March 13, 2011 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s a segment from a recording made at “Try This” a new series at the Slam Factory in Minneapolis curated by James Hungelmann of my trio DGK (Jon Davis on bass and bass clarinet, Tim Glenn on drums, and John Keston on Rhodes and Pro-One). This set was a pleasure to play. It was a great space with a great audience and amazing hosts. The recording was made by the house and it’s the best quality representation of our sound to date.

If you’d like to hear it live stop by Honey, 205 E Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota tonight at 10pm to hear two sets with special guest musicians and DJ’s including Martin Dosh, Andrew Broder, Scott Fultz, George Cartwright, Rajiah Johnson, Christopher Robin Cox, Kristoff Krane and more.

Try This: DGK Slam Factory Bootleg

DGK at the Red Stag Supper Club Set 2

Posted on February 27, 2011 by John C.S. Keston

I found a nice little description of our trio DGK on the Red Stag event calendar: “DGK is a Minneapolis supergroup of sorts, comprised of bassist/clarinetist Jon Davis (Ghostband, Haunted House, Black Audience), drummer Tim Glenn (Heatdeath, ex-Fog, ex-Poor Line Condition) and keyboardist John Keston (Ostracon, Ostraka, Keston and Westdal). Blending elements of jazz, funk, afrobeat, krautrock and post-punk with a dancefloor sensibility, the trio builds sprawling improvisations atop a foundation of rock solid groove.” Here is the second set from our performance on February 19, 2011 at the Reg Stag. I previously posted the first set in the article Music Technology Soul Searching and will post the third set in an upcoming article. One Synthesizer Sound Everyday listeners, be prepared for healthy portions of Rhodes and Pro-One through Memory Man delay. (Photo by Chris LeBlanc)

DGK at the Red Stag Set 2

Short Circuit Videos

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John C.S. Keston

Short Circuit – 021911 – Ostraka from Low-Gain on Vimeo.

Short Circuit – 021911 – Sputnik Viper from Low-Gain on Vimeo.

Short Circuit – 021911 – Square Wail from Low-Gain on Vimeo.

Short Circuit – 021911 – web dimension from Low-Gain on Vimeo.

Logan Erickson, also known as Low-Gain, organizes the monthly electronic music event called Short Circuit. As well as doing a great job with the event, he produces excellent, HD documentation with the direct audio signal from the house system synched up to the video. Above is his documentation from the February 19, 2011 event that I had the pleasure of participating in. Checkout his Vimeo page to see videos from former Short Circuit events and interesting experiments by Low-Gain.