Check out this free performance of Moldover at Risque this Saturday!
Known to 400,000 YouTube viewers as “The Godfather of Controllerism”, MOLDOVER has become the inspiration for a new generation of musicians interested in moving “beyond the decks.” Feb 18th, Chicago’s Ableton user group will feature Moldover for a special edition user group session.
Famous for building, hacking, and playing controllers with virtuosic skill, Moldover’s dynamic performances with his custom instruments are bringing new life into electronic music. Fusing hard rock with electronica, glitch edits, and frantic drum beats, Moldover’s signature style defies categorization. And with appearances on national television, coverage in major music publications, and countless live shows around the world, Moldover is in constant demand by people interested in this next evolution of music.
Were you one of those kids who had a next door neighbor who had that sweet corvette PowerWheel and were too woefully poor to have one yourself? We were those kids, and we decided to do something about it….20 years later.
We decided to modify and race PowerWheels, We do it for the glory, for the daring dreamy dream of that tasty elixir known as childhood that we’ll never have again cause we have day jobs and don’t weigh 70 pounds anymore. (Fatty)
We also want to play Mario Kart in real life without all those pesky pixels.
The PowerWheel Racing Series (PPPWRS) presents to the world an event for the ages.
On August 15th 6 teams will gather to win the prized PowerWheel Cup an award so prestigious I just decided to make it up five minutes ago to sound impressive.
Four Events will take place:
1. Off Road Race
2. Mario Kart Round
3. PowerWheel Polo
4. The Endurance Demolition Derby
FREE ADMISSION
11:30am Gates Open
DJs: Liz Revision,
Bands:
Sacremento Park (next to it)
3506 N Sacrement
Chicago, IL
This Event brought to you by: Pumping Station: One (Chicago’s Only Hackerspace), Best Express Messenger Service, and Chief O’Neils Pub
Geeks, nerds, dorks — chances are, you didn’t attend your high school prom. During college, you were so focused on your engineering/math/science degree that other humans barely registered within your domain space. This is your chance to rectify your oversight without yielding to irrational forces of social pressure, and perhaps enrich your symbolic-semantic internodal linkages, as well! (okay, that was actually gibberish) Come to the GEEK PROM. There will be music, dancing, and some sort of contest based on physical appearance, but we promise that it won’t be excruciating or embarassing! Local tinkerers will bring their latest DIY and hacked gadgets — stuff that you WISH you had made for your High School Science Fair. To attend this fundraiser (see Meta) follow this simple instruction set:
» Obtain advance entry clearance for $15/couple or $10/single. $20/couple or $15/single at the door.
» Prior to GEEK PROM (but not too prior) enhance your physical appearance with
a. hygiene
b. cosmetic adjustment
c. optimized exolayer assembly
» On Saturday June 13th, Utilize a transport medium (non-virtual) to resolve this address:
Co-Prosperity Sphere
3219 S Morgan St.
Chicago, IL
» Entry clearance will be granted at the door for donations of $20/couple or $15/single, starting at 9 pm Central; unbonded pairs also welcome. {READ MORE}
If you’re in Chicago and decided to sit out on Saturday’s events due to the snow / ice storm, come out to Subterranean listen to music by local electronic musicians and check out live visuals on the walls. Featuring Quantazelle (Liz Revision), Coyote DG, Drmlgcc, Garo, Lokua. Live Video by: Glen Stephani, The Machinist, Mason Dixon.
Here’s an interesting art / performance project byMaywa Denki. Based on the simple remotely-triggered servo action of “knockers” (not in the sleezy sense)–which are direct percussive controllers that can be used to pound on various things including boxes, pipes, and guitar strings. In the above video, these knocker modules are employed to make a switch-based drum-machine-like instrument that you assign a sequence of remote knockers to, and then control the playback speed manually with a crank. It has the surreal effect of being a very nerdy guitar, with the thrashing accomplished via said crank.
Seeing as performative elements are key in this particular project, the “Wings” project shown about a bit past half way is more showy than useful, with the musician sporting spreading mechanical “wings” with knocker modules that hit hollow wooden balls that can be played via controllers on the fingers.
The video is particularly amusing in its Devo-esque tongue-in-cheek humor during the actual demonstrations, as well as the inclusion of vintage educational filmstrip dings to demarcate a new instrument being showcased. While having a direct, realtime controller of percussive sounds created remotely may be interesting for its novelty / humor value, so much more can be done in the field of musical interfaces that this sort of thing just begs to be improved upon. However, the vision and sheer performative nature of these instruments is inspiring to all who focus on creating innovative interfaces for music creation.
The Sound Ball is a soccer ball that makes different sorts of sounds based on whether it’s thrown, kicked or spun. Check out this video of widely different audiences interacting with it. There’s a particularly amusing clip of a kid with soccer skills bouncing it around and catching it with his knees.
The SoundBall is a foam ball with a motion sensor inside, which communicates wirelessly with a computer, so that sounds and music can be created through dance and/or play. The project was developed in pursuit of Aleksei’s interest in new interfaces that interpret physical motion sonically, giving dancers and other performers the opportunity to interact musically in real time with traditional instrumentalists.
CNet speculated that it’s an Arduino or Parallax board inside the ball and sending data via bluetooth to Cycling ’74 Max/MSP running on a computer somewhere.
It’s a concept piece by Aleksei stevens, a Brooklyn, NY-based composer, lapto jockey, and professor of digital audio and performance. Check out his Mypace page where you can here his music: Aleskei Stevens’ Myspace page.[via]
BUY TICKETS NOW AT www.metrochicago.com/shows or the Metro Box Office (3730 N Clark)! VIP tickets include food, a chance to win a DAHON bike.
Did you ever get into an I-GO car and realize that you forgot your CD/iPod adapter? Soon you’ll be able to listen some of Chicago’s best local bands inside your favorite I-GO car on our first ever CD compilation. It gets better. Join us at Metro on Thursday, May 31st for our CD Release Party featuring up-and-coming local bands like the Detholz!, Palliard, Quantazelle and Madison Buchanan!
Local musicians submitted their very best tracks for fans to vote on. Voters voted for their favorite songs between April 4th and April 30th. The top songs will be included on the CD featuring Andrew Bird, Koko Taylor, Mucca Pazza, Devil in a Woodpile and other amazing Chicago acts. Stay tuned for updates and chances to win great prizes like VIP tickets to the party and copies of the CD. Go to www.igocars.org in the coming weeks for more about our CD Release Party.
CD Release Party
Support I-GO in launching our first ever I-GO Audio Emissions compilation by attending our CD Release Party! The party will be at the Metro (3730 N Clark) doors 6pm/ show 7pm 21+ on Thursday, May 31st. Tickets on sale now on the Metro website www.metrochicago.com $10 advance/$15 door/$20 VIP. VIP tickets includes food from 10 local and “green” restaurants plus a chance to win a Dahon bike! All tickets include a complimentary CD, a year-long subscription to TimeOut Magazine, and the opportunity to hear up-and-coming local acts.The party will be held on Thursday, May 31st doors 6pm/show 7pm at the Metro (3730 N Clark) and will introduce you to up-and-coming local artists:
Detholz! (pronounced “Death Holes”) with members from Baby Teeth and Bobby Conn will headline with new wave inspired music
Palliard uses guitar, pedal steel, upright bass, Wurlizer electric piano, drums, and three-part harmonies to create a “good caffeine fueled whiskey drunk”
Audio Emissions, Not Auto Emissions
Because I-GO cars have replaced 2,000 private cars and helped our members drive less, there is less pollution and greenhouse gas emitted in Chicago. We have eliminated 7,823 metric tons of CO2 since 2004, the equivalent of not driving 22 million miles!To continue our dedication to sustainable living, I-GO will make this event completely carbon neutral. We are working to mitigate the environmental impact of our concert by reducing carbon emissions at the event and acquiring carbon offsets. Carbon offsets raise awareness of climate change and neutralize the carbon footprint not addressed through planned emissions reductions, emissions-free electricity, or other conservation mechanisms. Holding a Neutral Event is another step towards taking responsibility for climate change and making a difference.
The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: An Instant Message with Excitable Music is a play written by Rolin Jones that features an agoraphobic, obsessive-compulsive (perhaps also mildly autistic) girl genius who decides to seek out her birth mother in China by creating a robot to go on the journey for her. She’s also a secret subcontractor for the Department of Defense and relies on the help of a horny Mormon (who’s on a conversion mission in China) and a malcontent Russian professor of artificial intelligence, and tries to deal with her adoptive parents along the way. It’s funny, compelling, well-acted (Scott Kennedy portrays four different, quirky characters wonderfully), and, dare I say, touching without being too mushy. Also between acts they played one of the Game Boy remixes of Beck, “4″ by Aphex Twin (which I had to sing along to), and more tracks of the heady electronica sort. It’s been extended until June 3 at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, so if you’re in Chicago you should definitely check it out.
Use the code “Friend of Jenny” when you order your tickets for a $10 discount on Thursday or Sunday shows. Sweet!
Geeks, nerds, dorks — chances are, you didn’t attend your high school prom. During college, you were so focused on your engineering/math/science degree that other humans barely registered within your domain space. This is your chance to rectify your oversight without yielding to irrational forces of social pressure, and perhaps enrich your symbolic-semantic internodal linkages, as well! (okay, that was actually gibberish) Come to the GEEK PROM. There will be music, dancing, and some sort of contest based on physical appearance, but we promise that it won’t be excruciating or embarassing! Local tinkerers will bring their latest DIY and hacked gadgets — stuff that you WISH you had made for your High School Science Fair. To attend this fundraiser (see Meta) follow this simple instruction set:
