Art + Music + Technology

Brian Crabtree (monome.org) dropped me a line and suggested that I consider chatting with Rodrigo Constanzo. I wasn't sure I'd heard of him, but when I checked out his site, I realized I'd been following his work for a while. The Party Van software was certainly a hit in its time, but I was most intrigued by the karma~ MSP object, and the ability to bring advanced looping to my Max programming. Spending time with Rodrigo was great, because he revealed both how he works and why he works, something that people find difficult to talk about. But he was super-willing to explore why he likes looping, how he uses software to both play and collaborate, and how he engages with his audience using DMX lighting. Really fun talk, and a great view into this creative multi-artist. Enjoy!

Chuck Surack is a legend in music circles, having created one of the largest MI retailers in the world with Sweetwater Sound. It is interesting to understand how he got there - from a mobile recording studio-in-a-bus, through his initial (and sometimes painful) experiences as a sound designer, then into building a massive business getting us the gear we want. Chuck is much more than a successful retail businessman. He continues to be an active musician and complete gear nut. And he is actively involved in helping young people continue to make music part of their lives through his work with non-profit organizations. Chuck has also been one of the great supporters of user groups and online communities. I saw this first-hand when he helped make the K2000 mailing list and online users group one of the most vital places on the web. It's been my great pleasure to interact with Chuck over the years, and this interview should help you understand why I hold him in such high regard. Enjoy!

This is the second part of the interview, where Gregory Taylor inteviews me - Darwin Grosse. Whee!

OK, I was a little nervous about this. A number of people had decided the content of podcast #100 for me. They all said the same thing: "Podcast 100 has to be you, man!" So, while I felt like I had talked a lot about myself during the first 99 podcasts, I agreed to it - with trepidation. So, without a lot of extra noise, I give you part one of a two-part interview with me, Darwin Grosse. Some of this is about the podcast, other parts are about how I got into audio work, and even more are about how I became an analog-head. During the editing of this, I realized that the story is about me, but also about people like Oscar, Grant and others that shaped me. So in a way, it is also a light shining on them. I hope you enjoy this, and it helps you know me a little better. And don't worry - starting next week we will feature other (and probably more interesting!) people. Enjoy!

I'm so excited about this week's chat - with DiN label owner and prolific musician Ian Boddy. Ian pretty much defines the continuing production of classic electronic music, and his various works - with ARC, collaborations with Robert Rich and Markus Reuter and others - keep him active and not pigeon-holed. But he is also an active library music developer and even sound designer. So yeah, Ian is pretty busy. Luckily for me, he was willing to chat for a bit about how he does what he does, what are some of his inspirations and how he is able to keep 'fresh'. This was a great opportunity for me to see inside the mind of are real "producer" (in that he is always producing). If you haven't spent much time around the DiN label, you should check it out here: http://www.din.org.uk/din/ Enjoy!

Alec Brady is a new friend - he introduced himself as part of my "if you know somebody that should be interviewed" request, and I realized that I'd seen a bunch of his work in the Max for Live Facebook group. He's also a fan of the podcast - so that helps! Alec presumes to be a beginner, but I find his MFL work to be inventive and fun, and his perspectives on music making to be quite mature. He is also surrounding himself with music-making and music technology, and the result is someone that can talk with experience on many, many topics. This is a little different from most of the podcasts: it isn't single-focused, but rather wide ranging and current. This makes sense, because Alec believes that he is at the beginning of his journey - although we should all be feeling that as well. I really enjoyed this chat, and I hope you do too!

I'm trying to explore some new parts of the media art world, and one of those less explored areas has to do with broadcasting. So often, media art seems to be driven by net-stuff, computers and streaming something-or-other. But if you look at some of the most interesting media-based storytelling, it occurs on and through the radio. My guest (and coworker) August Black has a history with this stuff, having worked with art-broadcast people in creating guerilla radio systems. His view on 'creating a place' for art to happen is an interesting view of an alternate media art, and his distrust of traditional art structures makes it seem a bit radical - until you start thinking about it, and it just seems smart. August has got a lot of work on the web - he just chooses to hide it well. You can see some of his work at the following links: standupradioSimple Worlduserradiofundamental radiodatadadaThe Wavefarm Project Enjoy!

John Keston came onto my radar in sort of a random way - he sent me a link to some of his music, and I kind of fell in love with it. It was sound designerly, but also musically deep. Then I started digging into his work, and it touched on a lot of my interests. So wouldn't you know that, when I interviewed him, I find out that our paths were constructed in similar ways. Musc, tech, art - it boils together to become an interesting - and personal - mix. In John's case, this was programming, music and gigging, expansion into visual arts and finding a way to bring it all together. Some of his concepts on scores and improvisation are incredibly insightful, and I really appreciated him sharing his background and perspectives. Some of the links to his work are useful for getting in deeper: johnkeston.comaudiocookbook.orghttp://isikles.bandcamp.com/releases I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! (Note: There was a factual error in a previously published version of this interview. Fixed now!)

I'll have to admit something: I'm a big fan of the double bass. It's an instrument that is as much about physicality as it is technique (although technique is incredibly important). But mostly, its presence in a room - or in a recording - is huge. So when Todd Reynolds opened the door for me to talk with bassist/composer Florent Ghys, I jumped at the chance. What I found was a person that is comfortable in almost as many skins as there are in the media arts. He's obviously an accomplished bassist, and has done compositions for many serious New York-based groups. But his solo work reveals his interests in programming (primarily with Max) - but in a way that is inclusive of his audience. He's also starting to branch out into video art, and talks about that effort as well. I had a wonderful time talking to Florent - twice - due to recording problems. So you get to hear the second, but perhaps more personal, chat between us. It is an interesting insight into the mind of a versatile artist. Enjoy!

The largest US manufacturer of Eurorack Modules is Pittsburgh Modular. They are inexpensive, sound great and are readily available from a lot of retailers. The company also produces a set of pre-loaded systems that make it easy to get started in modular synthesis, and has created an excellent bit of documentation to go with them. I was hoping to talk to the owner, Richard Nicol, for the podcast; with the help of Jim and Elisabeth at Synthtopia, it came together for this episode. Richard talks about his start as a fledgling builder, his work with other circuit designers, his vision for the product line and his perspective on module creation. It was really intriguing to hear about his ideas, but also reassuring to see a plan laid bare. An awesome interview, and a great way to understand how a database developer becomes a "modular mogul" (triple-grins to this - wait until you hear about his personal modular system...). Enjoy!

One of my favorite people to hang out with at Cycling '74 gatherings is Jeremy Bernstein. Jeremy is a long-time developer with C74, and has left his fingerprints on all sorts of Max system - his work on Jitter visual systems, the pattr preset system and the Max for Live system have all had a major impact on the media arts world. But it's really interesting to not only learn where he came from, but where he is going as well. Jeremy has been bringing his obsessive personality to the chess world as well, and has even found a way to mesh chess and Max through his chess-runner object. But overall, we get to see the life of a smart, interesting and engaging guy. Take a listen to me talking with a friend about the past, future, and the bredth of interests of a pivotal figure in Max development. Enjoy!  

I first met Dennis DeSantis when we was working with Ableton as a presenter during the NAMM show. He was always super level-headed and seemed able to weather almost any storm. I've always appreciated his musicianship, his deep knowledge of Live and his ability to help bring people together for almost any project. But his most recent effort - the development of the book Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers - has sort of put him in the spotlight. He was kind enough to chat with me about his background, his passion for providing answers, and his perspective on talent and working style. This was a fascinating insight on an industry professional's view of his landscape, but also a view of the difficulties assembling the career that you'd like. Enjoy!

Dan Trueman is one of those people whose list of accomplishments will blow you away. He's an accomplished fiddler, specializing in the Hardanger fiddle. He's the inventor of the laptop orchestra, having started it out of his teaching position at Princeton. He developed a number of new Max objects, as well as developing the PeRColate object set, which opened the door for using Perry Cook's physical models in the Max environment. And he's written and performed a ton of music in a ton of different situations. So, how do you get to be That Guy? Turns out, it's all about having a passion for playing, coding and composing - all simultaneously. In this chat, Dan talks about how he manages the process of working in several contexts without feeling like he is required to 'blend' them. The result is an amazing body of work. You can find out more about Dan's work at Many Arrows Music. Enjoy!

Talking with Miller was amazing - he was in town (Boulder) to do some work and performances at CU-Boulder. I dropped him a line, he was up for a chat, and Eric Lindemann was kind enough to let us use his kitchen (after a nice dinner). Wow - what a great talk. But that damned Tascam recording screwed me again, so the audio quality for the first 30 minutes is a mess. I pulled all of the software strings I could to make this interview work, because there is a lot of information being presented for the first time (that I know of...). Miller is performing this coming week at a local planetarium; if you are in the area, you need to check it out. But if not, you'll want to keep up with Miller's work at http://msp.ucsd.edu/ Enjoy!

I first got to know Ben Griswold as an instructor at DU when I was there as a student. He led one of the most insightful classes I'd ever taken (it was about art and the senses, including smell and touch - ewwww!), and we ended up getting to know each other over time. I've always been blown away by his work (a show he helped develop - Blink! - is simply the best-presented new media show I've ever seen), and reached out to see if he'd be up for a podcast-chat. Well he was, and here is the result. I think it is surprising to hear about the twists and turns involved in the process of showing an artist's work, and the different ordeals that come up during that process. Ben is incredibly thoughful about everything he works on, and it shows in the way he talks about the work. He shares a lot of detail with us, and I hope that you find it as interesting as I did. You can find out more about Ben's work at http://www.spatialpoetics.com.

Most of my podcasts are with people that are established in a thing that isn't going to change - they are builders, musicians or coders that have chosen the tools and directions of their craft, and are sticking to 'em. Har is different - he's decided to step away from one milieu and into another. I didn't know much about this at the time that I reached out to him, but as he filled me in on his transitions, I realized that this was a great opportunity to see someone as they change tack. My original goal with talking to Har was that he is an ambient musician that doesn't really use keyboards; rather, he uses guitars, basses, Chapman Stick and other stringed instruments. When I played with him at a planetarium gig, I watched with awe as he set up a rig with perhaps 50 guitar pedals in a ring around the stange - and proceeded to use 'em all! The sound was both beautiful and mighty and something that I'll remember for a long time as a completely unique experience. Anyway, in this podcast, we talk about his instrum

It's cool when I get to talk to one of the artists that I consider my personal influences. Tony Gerber's style of contemplative but present instrumental work speaks to the way that I hear music, and it's clear that I'm not alone - he's a widely followed performer with a worldwide following. What's interesting is that a lot of his performance is done in virtual space. His solo work is perhaps best known in Second Life, where he (as Cypress Rosewood) has performed over 1600 shows. He also experiments with video concerts (most recently on Concert Window) and has a lot of music available through various online outlets. But one of the most interesting things about this chat is our discussion on how, after all these shows, he continues to be creative. Therein lies the heart of a true, in-the-moment artist. I was inspired by this talk, and hope you are as well. Enjoy! And check out more of Tony's work at the Gerbtone site.

I have to admit being mesmorized by motion control since I saw some early body-suit performances in London. But thank the gods, the technology has really advanced since those early days. With the advent of the Microsoft Kinect, artistic use of motion control for visuals and sound has blown up, and the Ethno Tekh team has been at the forefront of the work. Chris Vik took time out of his schedule to chat about motion control, his use of the Kinect and some of his performing experiences - including one of the most harrowing tales I've heard about crap-yourself tech problems. Any time you are taking technology out of its natural home (and let's face it - the Kinect is meant for your living room, not the C-Bit stage...), it can get a little wooly. But Chris and his working partner Brad Hammond take it on, and we get to hear about some of the fallout. You can check out Chris' work at his site: chrisvik.com. Enjoy!

I've always been a huge fan of Tiptop Audio's products: from their rock-solid Z3000 oscillator, to the center-of-my-universe Station 252 case, to the simple elegance of the Stackable cables, I've always found their products to be reliable, artful and best-of-class. I've also always wondered about the person behind this stuff, because it was clearly an interesting person. Wow, what an understatement. Gur Milstein was super enthusiastic about being on the podcast, and we got a chance to run through his history as well as his design process. And, as part of the process, I came to further respect him - and be charmed by his friendliness. This interview is one of my favorites, because I started off not really knowing the person, and ending up developing a friendship with a person I really respect. If you want to check out Gur's work, please jump over to tiptopaudio.com and check it out! Enjoy!

After an introduction from Matthew Davidson, I needed to do a little research on this week's guest: Jean-Luc Cohen-Sinclair. Jean-Luc goes by several monikers on the web, and each of them seems to have a pretty significant background behind them. But one unifying theme kept coming up - Jean-Luc has some interesting perspectives on sound design for games, and he is also that pefect storm of a programming sound designer. Thus, as a result, he is into the idea of functional sound desigh, which I'll let him cover in the podcast. Jean-Luc teachs sound design and sound programming topics at Breklee College of Music and NYU, so he definitely has the academic bones. But when you hear his history - and his perspective - on sound design, you'll realize that there is a lot more there than just academics. If you want a glimps into the future of sound for games, you need to listen to this podcast! Enjoy!