In the constantly evolving technological landscape, Both DJs and Electronic music performers are struggling to be understood. The methods of DJs and electronic musicians are closely tied to each other and because of the availability and affordability of powerful, personal computers, workflows are being redefined at a rapid pace. So rapid is the pace that even those in the know have a hard time keeping up with the latest developments. Often I talk to local audience members who say something to the effect of, “I love the music, I just don’t understand HOW they do it!” Bloomingtonelectronic.com seeks to provide a central location to share these new ideas and provide a platform to showcase the results of these innovations.
In previous articles and in my talks at the Speed of Sound events I’ve tried to illuminate the processes of DJs and electronic musicians who utilize sampling in both their productions and performances. But the use of pre-existing recordings continues to stir debate. The myriad of possible uses of such “samples” further confuses the issue. How long is the sample? Can you extract a few milliseconds of a famous recording without the threat of legal action? How about a just a drum beat? What if the sample in question plays a supporting role to a larger group of completely original musical elements? These are only but a few examples of the complex questions which artists face when they decide to incorporate a segment of a pre-existing recording in a production of their own. It’s the opinion of this writer that the manner in which the sample is used makes all the difference.
Clint Carty, aka "Kaleidoscope Jukebox"
Clint Carty, the real name behind his “Kaleidoscope Jukebox” alias, is another Speed of Sound performer who blurs the line between musical performance and DJing. Combining original material of his own with “snippets” of our musical past and present, he produces and performs a futuristic composite of eclectic sounds, beats, bass lines and melodies. The use of pre-recorded material along with a majority of his own compositional elements invokes a sort of collaboration between the two, creating something entirely unique and wonderful and it will all go down live on May 12th at Rachael’s Cafe.
Until then, enjoy the interview we had with Clint where we discussed the means of his wide ranging output…
What was the first electronic music you remember as a child?
My earliest exposures to serious electronic music that actually appealed to me was a lot of classic house like Armand Van Helden’s like ” Witch Doctor” and “Funk Phenomena” and Basement Jaxx as well as some early Carl Craig under the moniker Paperclip People. The earliest that really catapulted my interests to pursue production of my own was early Chemical Brothers and Norman Cook’s album Better Living Thru Chemistry. It was my first introduction to massive slow breaks. When I discovered the Ninja Tune label, all was over. It was a sealed deal….
Was there a pivotal moment in your life where you suddenly decided to pursue music production and performance?
I started out with guitar at 14 learning ever Dead and Dylan tune I could get my hands on. I saved my lunch money for a old school 4 track tape deck which my high school teacher ordered for me (so my parents wouldn’t know). But I never felt satisfied with just playing guitar. By mistake I put the tape on the flipside one day and discovered my guitar playing backwards. From there I started running delays and all sorts of choas on to tape and then running it backwards. Wanting to expand and starting to collect records around 18 bought a drum machine. It rocked! I followed up with an MC303 from Roland. It was all fun and games until my friend showed me the then very ugly very simply Fruity Loops (1st version!! [ed. Fruity Loops is a virtual software studio.] Thats when the door opened up and I walked thru and have yet to look back.
A close up view of the controllers employed by Kaleidoscope Jukebox
- Your performance method involves the use of a laptop computer and dedicated hardware “controllers”. I’ve noticed DJ’s with similar gear, but it’s apparent that what you do isn’t exactly DJing. How does your method of performing differ from that of a DJ?
Depending on the DJ, my method might not be so different anymore! DJ’ing and performing have taken huge leaps and bounds and the possibilities are endless (which I find exciting). My method of performing is a mix of both traditional style performance and classic DJ’ing.
I essential aim to “mix” my tracks seamlessly much like the DJ, but really have control over the sequence of each song. I can restructure and remix it on the fly and add additional instrumentation via midi keyboard. Most DJ’s don’t incorporate live keys or live drum programming….though this is changing! It’s all a gray cloud right now and I’ve always liked the color gray.
You’re also the “dubmaster” for local favorites Coyaba – a Bloomington-based Reggae band. What led you to that opportunity? For the uninitiated, please share with us how a dubmaster operates.
HA! My friend moved in with totally unknown roommates in California and I asked him how he moved from California to Indiana and managed to land a shared house. “Craig’s List” he said. I checked it out and I saw a post requesting a “dubmaster”. I was well versed on reggae and dub and the techniques (though not NEARLY as much as I am now) and I thought “I can do this”. The way I mixed down my tracks was very similar in concept so I replied. Upon the first meeting they looked at me and asked “Do you know what reggae is?” I just chuckled.
A dubmaster at work!
A dubmaster essentially is an effects engineer/sound designer. The role they play in the studio is very much different from how I do live [performance]. In the studio they are working with pre-recorded material…so they have the ability to completely mute tracks. At the heart the dubmaster is adding massive effects on the instrumentation of the band. Effects like phasers, reverbs, delays and other weird time modulations. At the root of it I’m splitting my bandmates signal and dosing heavy effects on it all which are feed to the mixer thru me. So there is a clean signal for each instrument and then my tripped out embellished signal. I also add very simple single oscillator synths (originally known as dub sirens) with effects on them as well as trigger a few samples. It’s the best instrument I could ever play in a band setup as it incorporates DJ’ing, sound design and live performance all in one.
- Your compositional material incorporates a healthy amount of sampling. Some of the samples are of singular instruments and in other cases you’ve extracted loops of pre-existing recordings. Are you a ”crate digger”? Without sharing too many secrets, give us a typical example of how you hunt down inspiring source material.
I’m a crate digger front to back, left to right, down and out! It’s when I finally said “*%#* it I’m going to sample regardless of the consequence, if I can’t release it so be it” that my music started taking off. Looking back at my first material ever made inspired me to start it again because that early material was so raw and full. I dig in a lot of places using a lot of methods. I scour the town wherever I go in the traditional style of diggin and buy up cheap dusty stacks and I also dig digitally online. Some people argue “this is not true diggin”. Blah blah blah! If I could visit every Amoeba and record fair in the country on a weekly basis I would, but even then I would still dig online. There is an endless source and a lot of it is open source which means no legality issues. The internet has opened up a lot of communication and sharing. TAP INTO IT! As for a typical example…its just like how a song comes to me… I cant explain it other than it was something in which I had little to do with to begin with. A rare record falls in my hand in which either the cover intrigued me or a familiar artist/track is present. I play it and its wrong for all reasons I decided to buy it, but there within it is something which totally was unexpected. From there it just falls in place as a vocal sample from some obscure place 20 years previous to the record above comes into play so perfectly that it really is amazing and creepy at the same time. I’m just the gravity sucking these dusty particles in and keeping them aligned.
- “Kaleidoscope Jukebox” refers to your belief that you are merely a conduit for the music or in essence, a “jukebox”. The issues surrounding the legality of sampling continue to stir up controversy. What are your personal thoughts on the subject?
Like everything there is a right/wrong or rather ethical/unethical way to sample. With a few exceptions of my old jazzy stuff, most of my songs are 90-95% composed by me. There are a few external elements that have inspired the bigger picture from the start of the track or later on in development in almost every case. I feel an artist that gets sampled should get compensated if its a recognizable and significant contribution to the new composition. I sample the old to expose it to the new and refresh for the modern ear which in my opinion needs a little of that soul back in their wobble-filled ears. Getting people turned on to that old stuff is my mission…if the original artist wants all or some of the proceeds so be it…my intention and payoff has already been fulfilled. Sampling is an art form and should not be suppressed. It can benefit all included parties if approached the right way. Recycling is a way of nature and a way of humanity.
- Your musical output appears to be genre non-specific (which in this writer’s opinion is a good thing!) This approach seems to be a more challenging position compared to musicians who cater to a specific genre such as “trip hop”. Given this situation, how does this affect your ability to land gigs? When a promoter asks you, “What kind of music do you do?” how do you answer?
It’s really helped that my auditory color palette is so vast and that I move thru genres like liquid. All the gigs I would want to land and more even are accessible to because it sits well with a lot of different music. In a two week span I played 3 gigs which included an afterparty for The New Deal (large electronic act), shared the bill with Freekbass (a funk group) and topped it off with a hiphop show. Fatboy Slim sampled it best with “A lil bit of this a lil bit of that a lil bit of this a lil bit of that”.
- Are there any electronic musicians or artists presently who you admire? Was there an album of electronic music in 2009 or 2010 which you enjoyed as a listener?
Tons! To many to name. Some include Chinese Man, DJ Krush, Cut Chemist, Earthrise Soundsytem, Gotan Project, Tosca, Thievery Corporation, Kormac, Air, Gramatik. I could go on for a long time. I also admire groups like The New Deal and Future Rock which take the live band concept and immerse it in electro. Some recent albums which really intrigue me as a listener include Kormac’s Word Play and Bonobo’s Black Sands as well as Blockhead’s “The Music Scene”.
- Will Kaleidoscope Jukebox be releasing a full album of songs in the near future?
Yes! I have an album full now but I make music in different styles and am working to complete an album in both the main styles I compose in. I’m in discussion with labels for each style to release ep’s worldwide.
- Give us an idea of what we can expect to hear when you perform the Speed of Sound event on May 12th.
Blink once and it will be something like a dusty old phonograph with a Jabo Sparks baggin a kit over it…blink again and it will be some sexy flute over a cello, blink thrice and you may even hear bagpipes over a moog….sitars and banjos and erhu’s oh my! Oh and I’m not a fan of gold but there will be plenty of brass gettin slung to and fro…
Kaleidoscope Jukebox – Tracks – SoundCloud
http://www.kaleidoscopejukebox.com
~Written by Mark Kunoff
Creative Commons license – Attribution Share Alike (cc by-sa)