Category Archives: Live Sets

Circuit Bending General, Events, Famous People using Bent Stuff, Live Sets

Introducing The Creme DeMentia Channel on Vimeo

by Creme DeMentia

Regular readers of GetLoFi will recall announcements for a number of circuit-bent/experimental electronic live events during late 2009 here in the Midwest.  I was lucky enough to catch some of these performances with my camcorder.  I have been slowly adding the footage that I captured to my new Vimeo account and they are available for viewing at the new Creme DeMentia Vimeo Channel.  Below I have embedded several videos with some information about the performances.  Although I have not added every single video I’ve taken, I’ve been trying to add at least one new video a week as upload limits allow.

e^3 Micro Tour – GetLofi contributors Talking Computron, Creme DeMentia and Pelzwik teamed with Tim Kaiser to play a 3-night string of shows.  We started with a show with LWA in Iowa City at the Picador and then continued on to DeKalb, IL to play at Krystal’s Ultra-Lounge;  we ended in Chicago at i^3 Hypermedia,  where we added Roth Mobot to the bill and streamed the entire night of performances live online.  Video captured from the show at i^3 Hypermedia can be seen embedded in an older article here on GetLoFi, the performances I captured in Iowa City and DeKalb are embedded below.

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/7742714[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/7954133[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/8195627[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/8248135[/vimeo]

Cincinnati –  After the e^3 Micro Tour, Tim Kaiser invited me to accompany him to Cincinnati for a couple of shows he was playing there.  I was able to play with Tim and Thriftsore Boratorium at the chilly Semantics Gallery.  Thriftsore Boratorium put on a very interesting set, broadcasting on several different frequencies to a dozen or more portable radios.  It was very bizarre to listen and move around in the field of distributed radios, hopefully the video captures some of that spirit.  The following day I shot some overhead footage of performances from David William and Tim Kaiser at the Contemporary Arts Center.  I had no idea what to expect from David William’s performance and was pleasantly surprised.  His approach is very subdued and I like the way he has re-purposed every-day objects as playable drone generators.   I was very happy to make his acquaintance and catch his performance.

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/8371164[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/8468494[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/8750592[/vimeo]

There are more videos available at the Creme DeMentia Vimeo Channel.  I have also posted some full versions of past performances that were originally segmented for the Creme DeMentia Youtube Channel.  I will continue to post to both channels based on video sizes and lengths; Creme DeMentia Vimeo Channel will hold 10+ min. videos of performances, lectures and how-to videos, Creme DeMentia Youtube Channel will hold shorter videos of performances, toy demos, how-to videos, etc.

Circuit Bending General, Live Sets

Circuit Bending Performances from e^3

The 2009 e^3 Mini Tour with Tim Kaiser, Roth Mobot, Pelzwik, Creme Dementia, and Talking Computron was a success. We all learned the difficulties of taking circuit bent gear on the road and repeat back to back performance, like sound checking every instrument and simply running everything in mono. The videos from our last stop in Chicago are available with the help of our Counter-Broadcast friends at HyperMedia i3 also huge Thanks to Mike Una for recording.

Audio MP3 Downloads:
Roth Mobot_e3_2009
Creme Dementia_e3_2009
Pelzwick_e3_2009
Talking_Computron_e3_2009
Tim_Kaiser_e3_2009
Videos:




Circuit Bending General, Community, Events, Live Sets

BEND MY BUTTONS

igor_table.jpg

Event review by Chris Wild
BEND MY BUTTONS took place Jan. 16th 2009 @ RedCat lounge in L.A.

It was an early evening of circuit bent music from a nice mix of performance styles including the evening opener Igor Amokian,
who started the night off with a minimal mix of 8bit beats, vintage video game sound fx into a barrage of bezerking keyboards and samples from old NASA flexi records all layered in and out of the mix with a crazy beat solo on bent drum box to finish his set.

Next up was Pushplay, combining more composed downtempo tunes with sub basslines, melodies, a huge selection of vocal intros & outros from alot of various odd toys. This live bent mix was accompanied with SAX which added a cool blend to Vince’s circuit bent performance plugging in & unplugging toys, getting crazy sounds and samples from different gizmos before throwing them down and going for the next one….Also peep “Soul or System”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U173tTpZU0[/youtube]

Then it was EMT, who rolled his rig in on a hospital stretcher with a LOAD of goodies. His set consisted of a wide arrange electronic beats techno, acid bleeps and a myriad other odd sounds and tones from a gigantic (must see) table of some outragious circuit bent goodies. He also had a guest sitting in playing a WSG and another interesting homemade device that was played like a xylophone with various synth and bent sounds. Some very cool tunes, production and mixed sound arrangements.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipGa1StzKE[/youtube]

The finale of this very chill circuit bent event was none other than Mr. Jeff Boynton himself, with his fantastic & bizzare electronic creations all working with him and letting him play too, blending resonating tones, crunchy drones, weird soundscapes and patterns blending into an very experimental/avant/electronic music sounding set finishing off with a Cello solo!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeDS4W9qSII[/youtube]

Over all cool performances, awesome location, cool folks & vibes I even saw a couple of my friends too like Andy Ben and bizzart…oh yeah it was just cool to see so many crazy, zany, off the wall electronic & circuit bent GIZMOZ!!!!!

See some outragious gadgets, gizmos, toys and instruments here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiDb5SvvwLg[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atfUJWzyAog[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV1cOiHWmP4[/youtube]

Event put together by Arron @ REDCAT Lounge

Circuit Bending General, Events, Live Sets, Music Reviews

Circuit Bending in Riverside, California!

Event Review by : Chris Wild

I recently saw a show at the PHAROAH’s Den, Dec. 27th in Riverside (About an hour drive out of Los Angeles).
The night was jammed packed with BENT sounds & noise!
A wide selection of musical styles from ethnic world instruments to homemade circuit bent devices and ???

Phog Masheen had a nice set mixing strange & unique sounds from various world instruments w/ contact mics sending the sounds through various effects and even using a muffler from an 80’s motorcycle.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO-g1VNUbC0[/youtube]

He was followed by a special trio featuring: DOG, a member of Caveat Emptor and Phog Masheen got to stay on stage.
I missed most of the this set due a LONG coffee line..crap!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tK527Ke1y8[/youtube]

Following them was an awesome set of circuit bentness from
Skin Sink….with a table full of goodies and strobe light visuals…great effects & fantastic sounds too!!!!!!!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrPkQxs1uus[/youtube]

Then the building was BLASTED BY ENDOMETRIUM!!! WHOA!!!
Intense barrage of sounds, noise, audio spoken samples, the house system went out 2 times but he kept on going like nothing ever happened….you could hear his bent gizmos from his table when the sound went out. He got to finish his set with the sound system working fine. You could see him just behind a row of folks with camera phones and portable cameras flashing and filming. Cool meeting him in person, we have been emailing for some time now. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4en2x8pALl8[/youtube]

Quickly following after that was Igor Amokian w/ guest Karen Holland (Wirehere). The set started off with the Tutankhamun theme from rare Egyptian LP (Pharoah’s Den right?) blending various percussion & drum sounds from vintage drum machines accompanied by clarinet riffs though heavy fx gave the the set a middle eastern feel. This slowly mixed into 8bit circuit bent gabber session w/ a mutated drum & fx toy and other oddities.

The night ended with a set by White Marsh….with an interesting selection of electronic devices and fx that produced some real interesting layered analog and digital tones.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMAmS5I-HvM[/youtube]

Tawee Kiva (the Host) was spinning electronic and avant-garde records between sets, keeping the vibe flowing…..

The projector was broken or there would have been some cool visuals on a huge screen behind the stage 🙁

Overall a cool night of BENT UP Stuff!!!!!!!! GREAT sounds!!!!! cool folks!!!!!! a Great post Christmas holiday wind down just before NEW YEAR’s eve.

See some gear here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNs-JGtr4yQ[/youtube]

Circuit Bending General, Community, Events, Live Sets

Remember Halloween?

Halloween 2008 Madison Circuit Bent

Here’s a Halloween you might never forget! It’s going down in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday October 31st!!!! Meet at the front steps of the union (800 Langdon St.) @ 9PM! Come hang out, talk shop and march around downtown while the infamous Freakfest ’08 is going on! Guaranteed 1000’s of people to make it a great night to get your bend on!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQGOFF6x9ts[/youtube]

Circuit Bending General, Community, Events, Famous People using Bent Stuff, Live Sets, Workshops

BEND THIS FORE!!!!

bendthisfore1.jpg

The 4th annual BEND THIS…currated by Los Angeles noise artist XDUGEF, will be held on October 25th 2008. There will be Live music, a workshop and market place to buy/sell/trade circuit bent and not bent toys. It’s all going down at Echo Curio Gallery, Echo Park, 1519 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California. Things should kick off at around 1pm with a workshop and a Bent Market. Live music should start around 8pm…featuring such artists as XDUGEF, Potar, Igor Amokian, Caveat Emptor, Andy Ben, (volt.), and Jeff Boynton. The whole day will only cost you $5…how could you stay away? Besides, it looks like they’re given out door prizes too!!!!!

Circuit Bending General, Circuitastrophe, Live Sets

Circuitastrophe 08 Round Up Part 1

 Circuitastrophe 08 Flux Monkey, Prowrestler Dude, and Friend

Circuitastrophe 08 was intense, so much that we are still catching up on rest. Huge Thanks goes out to the organizers Mark 1/2 Mang and Nebulagirl for all the hard work in bringing this together and to all the venues we had privilege of exploring: Art Damage Lodge, Mur Mur, Symantecs Gallery, The Mockbee, and the CAC in Cincinnati. The event was incredibly fun and well documented. Next few posts will share the treasure trove of media from those 4 days. First up are some room recordings of sets that were played at the Art Damage Lodge.

Thursday: French Crips, thejunkyardcatalyst, Hardon Collider, Ben Allen, Flux Monkey, Tentacle Boy, Creme Dementia, Free for all Jam during which the above photo was taken.

Friday: Pelzwik, Datura 1.0, Talking Computron, Circuit Ben Reaction, Bunker Kaziu