Hello
It’s been a busy March, so let’s jump right in. Firstly, time to take the lock off your wallet as my new album in collaboration with the French industrial experimentalists Geins’t Naït is out on 3 April. I’ve already lost track of how many albums we’ve released together, and especially since there is another double album coming out soon too. But back to the present.
Behind the Door
Behind the Door is our second release on the label Offen, and, for the first time, it also features a guest slot from the French female artist LØ. As ever, it combines the darkest industrial sonic past of Geins’t Naït with my more sensitive and emotive touch, combining percussion, electronics, voices and much more.
It’s released in a strictly limited edition of 150 numbered CDs and digital, and is available for pre-order now. It’s out on 3 April at this link.
Last month I promised you documentation of my support slot for Cabaret Voltaire at Synth East over in Norwich in the UK. Here’s an excerpt from the full performance.
Temporary Broadcast Vol.1 (2002)
Back in 2002 I was touring in Australia, and whilst working in Brisbane I was in conversation with Lawrence English of Room40, who had invited me to perform there, and he helped me produced a very limited series of 3” CD singles, in an edition of just 100 copies.
I recorded four new pieces for this and sold them at live shows. Long since out of print, I’ve made it available again digitally on Bandcamp.
Temporary Broadcast Vol 1 features ideas that were later reworked in various different ways and incorporated into other tracks, but the release in itself has never been available since that day. Pick up a copy of this rarity here.
Anti-Film Reworked
I’ve contributed to a couple of other releases out now too. One much more amusing than the other, though most definitely still not a joke.
Firstly, it’s back to my own darkest industrial roots with my reworking the sounds of British ensemble The New Blockaders, alongside Jim O’Rourke, RLW, Philip Sanderson, GX Jupiter-Larsen, Torturing Nurse and many more!
Anti-film Reworked is released on Phage Tapes from Minneapolis, it’s available on a limited-edition double CD and digital. It’s most definitely a noise-heavy release. Pick up your copy here.
Word Up!
And yes, something rather lighter now. Last month I was invited by DJ Daniel Blumin to choose a song from 1986 and to make a cover version of it, as part of a fundraising drive for his radio show on WFMU Radio in Jersey City, New Jersey.
There are countless songs to choose from that year but my immediate response was to go for Cameo’s Word Up. So, I sang, I played all the keyboard parts and percussion and then played two absurd guitar solos. You can listen to it here, accompanied by clips from an old Swedish erotica film.
The track will feature on a very limited CD album featuring covers of songs by many artists, such as Liz Allbee (SKEIN, Splitter Orchester), Dump (Yo La Tengo), Bridget Hayden (The Apparitions, Vibracathedral Orchestra), Insides, irr.app. (ext.) (ex-Nurse with Wound), Lambchop, Edvard Graham Lewis (Wire), Papa Sprain, Regis & Annie Hogan and Simon Fisher Turner (Deux Filles, The King of Luxembourg).
As Daniel writes:
“Last year WFMU lost a $200,000 federal grant so this year your support is even more important! is raising funds to keep broadcasting for the rest of the year.
Every pledge of any size adds up and allows us to provide the kind of soundiness impossible to find anywhere else.
Check out all the glorious swag And grab any of it here
This year for a pledge of $75 you automatically get a special CD compilation (also available for download if the modern CD format is not your thing): Your Song, My Foot Vol. IV.
The compilation, mastered by Stephan Mathieu, features exclusive cover versions of songs from 1986 and is only available during the marathon!”
VOICE_ERASE.PY
I’m so honoured to now have a new artwork featured in the seminal Neural magazine.
Neural is a printed magazine that was established in 1993 and focuses on new media art, electronic music and hacktivism. It was founded by Alessandro Ludovico and Minus Habens Records label owner Ivan Iusco in Bari (Italy).
So, when the invitation to create an artwork for the magazine I was dearly flattered, especially since Neural has remained essential reading for anyone interested in how technology shapes creativity.
Created in the form of a pull-out removable poster VOICE_ERASE.PY presents a programming code listening to a human voice through a microphone, then converting the speech into text using Google’s recognition system — and then erasing that text completely. It’s a poetical use of code, with destabilising effects which would hopefully trigger a deeper awareness of our vocal relationship with the machine.
I felt that it was important to sometimes forget, especially at a time when almost everything is stored and recording for always today.
Neural reminds us of the value of thoughtful, critical engagement. Long may it continue to inspire, challenge, and amplify the voices shaping our sonic and digital futures. More information can be found here.
EarSpace on Slack City Radio
As regular as clockwork, EarSpace hit the airwaves on Slack City Radio, bringing you electronic music from the past, present and future. Episode 34 features a vast array of artists, including music from Aphex Twin, Plastikman, David Cunningham, Robert Hampson, 808 State, Yui Onodera & Arovane, Appleblim, Quantum, Vladislav Delay, Roman Rofalski and many more.
There’s even an unreleased track from Autechre. You can listen to any of the previous years of broadcasts at the same site too. Tune in here.
Capturing the Invisible
About 18 months ago I was interviewed by Danish author and publisher Kim Bjorn, who made a special trip to visit me in my studio. Kim has been responsible for the beautifully crafted series of books PUSH TURN MOVE, PATCH & TWEAK, and SYNTH GEMS 1, published by his company Bjooks.
The film has taken a while for him to edit, but it’s now available as a three-part mini documentary that explores my creative philosophy and modular synthesis practice.
I rarely talk about particular equipment or anything, but focus more on the approach of creating work, although as you can clearly see in the film, I’m surrounded by handsome modular synthesisers and blinking lights everywhere.
As I say at one point: “Play is absolutely essential to all of our lives,” says Rimbaud. “If we focus too much on everything being work, it could be dangerously anti-creative.” Watch the first part here
Improvising on Stage
More work on screen now. Every year at Synth East in Norwich they pick names out of a hat to combine different artists. For my first encounter there I was paired with bass player Gaz Williams.
We had no preparation for this. My only suggestion to Gaz was that we keep it minimal and open and I was super happy with the outcome.
And, for a day when the room was deafening with chatter and conversation, a beautiful silence fell upon the room at this moment. It honestly felt quite magical.
Watch it back at the link below, and also enjoy the other performances from Starsky Carr, Jason Lim, Steve Davis (yes, THAT Steve Davis for snooker fans everywhere) and Robin Vincent which were such fun!
I also performed in a little collaboration with Molten Modular to open the evening event which you might enjoy.
Thanks to everyone who came along to my recent London show at Rich Mix. That was a joy. April brings me to Paris and Italy for meetings and greetings. I’m back to Malagola in Ravenna running my yearly Sound Design workshop this month, which is always such a pleasure, then I’m off to perform at Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee in Catania on 3 May.
The following month I’m performing in Birmingham UK and Cologne in Germany, so hope to see some friendly faces there too. And more shows being booked at the time of writing too, with a couple of amazing festival events later this year!
Thanks for all your support
Warmest wishes
Professor Scanner
LISTEN
Christina Kubisch: Tuning (Faitiche)
Brian Eno: Liminal (Verve)
Clark: Steep Stims (Throttle)
Pierre Henry: Galaxie (Decca)
READ
Alexander Hacke: Blast: Distorted Memories (Ventil)
Matthias Pasdzierny: Inside the Studio (Hatje Cantz)
Enrico Camporesi: Read Frame Type Film: Or, Written on the Screen (MUBI)
Hilary Floe: Lee Miller (Tate)
WATCH
Feuchtgebiete: David Wnendt
Variety: Bette Gordon
Good Time: Indian Donaldson
Certified Copy: Abbas Kiarostami
