Bloomingtonelectronic.com is an online resource for local electronic music featuring informative articles, event announcements and related items of interest.
A new season of Speed of Sound events was launched this month At Rachael’s Cafe with three solid sets from RobS, Dioxin One and Ewokie Talkie. Beats and bass were in supreme abundance and our new “video mapping” projection technique was unveiled. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we have some tasty photos, video and interviews for you to enjoy and you’ll get an idea of what’s in store for our next edition of SOS on Friday Oct. 7th.
Our good friend, fellow performer, organizer and all around good guy, Noah Boyer is leaving Bloomington to forge new electronic territories in the northwest US. Portland, Oregon will be the new home for ‘Automatic Thoughts’, another vibrant creative melting pot similar to Bloomington, except for it’s size. There’s no doubt that the groovin beats and basslines pounded out from Noah’s selfmade monome controller, along with the modulicious gyrations of his joystick will infect the rain soaked peeps out there in P-Town.
Noah’s contributions to the Bloomington electronic music scene will always be remembered and appreciated. His work ethic and generous attitude will be sorely missed. We love ya Noah and wish you only the best in your new adventure!
In honor of Noah Boyer, aka “Automatic Thoughts” Here is the original article we published back in April of last year. – Mark Kunoff (Founder) July 18, 2011
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Original article appeared April 7, 2010. -M<
The second installment of our Speed of Sound event on Wednesday April 14th features 3 new electronic artists. One of them is Noah Boyer, aka “Automatic Thoughts” who will be performing his unique blend of turbulent, hip-hop based beats, formidable noises and euphonious tones. He will be incorporating his own hand-built control device during his performance on Wednesday evening. Get yourself prepared for a cutting edge experience in sonic exploration fueled by some of the most innovative music software available today. Automatic Thoughts music pushes the boundaries of what we can currently imagine musically and take us on a journey to a future place in time.
Having spent his youth in another nurturing music city, San Francisco, his exposure to punk, funk, reggae, new wave and “lots of world music in my house”, Boyer was privy to the emerging hip-hop scene in the Bay Area. New and upcoming producers or performers often “regurgitate” as opposed to “innovate”, but such is not the case for Automatic Thoughts. Armed with revolutionary software tools designed by visionary electronic musicians for visionary electronic musicians, the means by which Noah Boyers produces his live sound is nothing short of brilliant.
Automatic Thoughts came to Bloomington in 06′ to study sociology and psychology, which happens to be the basis for his clever moniker. He cut his musical teeth using virtual studio software to satiate the beats and noises constantly churning in his brain. As a self-admitted musical neophyte, the computer gave him an outlet for producing the music he envisioned. Those purists who decry the use of laptops for music making and performance should be reticent to prejudge without first hearing the result, especially in a live performance context.
Last May we had our final Speed of Sound showcase of the season, wrapping up a great year+ of hard work and organizing by the Bloomington Electronic crew. We now take a brief respite for sanity’s sake, but not before introducing our online followers to the latest Speed of Sound performers. At our show at Rachael’s Cafe last May we had the pleasure of hosting Shy Guy Says (we can’t get enough of him), the youthful Dioxin One whom you will hear from shortly, and the subject of this week’s artist interview. Drew Etienne slings his own personal brand of bleak beats he calls “Doomtronic” under the moniker Pendra Gon. He opened with an all out aural assault last May 27th, showcasing his blend of experimental sound design and 8-bit crunch. The sound begs an explanation… Continue reading… «Pendra Gon: Sounds of Impending DOOM»
A few months ago I was invited to be part of a show at a smaller local venue. The night was to be filled with performances of various styles of electronic music from dubstep to acid to glitch to house. The show had been organized by people I consider family in the local music scene, but I have to say certain aspects severely lacked in organization. I had been told I would go on late that night, my style not being the easiest fit in a lineup meant for booty-shakin’. I would end up going on second, since the organizers were nowhere to be seen and none of the other acts (many of which had traveled from Indianapolis) wanted to play so early and for such an initially small crowd. The opener that night had thrown down a killer set of all-original electronic dance music. Pumping flawlessly for nearly an hour. I would have felt worse about the lack of ears and feet on the dance floor had I not grown accustom to this site. The opener rarely gets the love they deserve. Nevertheless, those that were on the floor were moving and he was professional and gracious to those few in attendance early that night. He was content to make any number of people move.
Adria Fish
The noble gentleman sacrificing a wonderful set to the Dance Gods was none other than our good friend Adrian Fish. I would go on after him with my brand of daft-tapped, ill-rendered sample slicing and commence to clear the dance floor of all those that had been, save a few brave souls. After the dust had settled I approached Adrian with a proposition to perform at one of our upcoming Speed of Sound shows to which he agreed. As with all our prior shows, we make a point to pin down our performers and ask them to give us an idea of what drives them to do what they do.
Continuing in our now extensive series of interviews with local electronic artists, we hear from Adrian Fish. He blessed us with a wonderful set at our second Rhinos edition of the Speed of Sound showcase last April and has been a consistent supporter of our efforts here at BloomingtonElectronic.com.
BE: Where are you from? When/how were you introduced to electronic music.
AF: I was born here, raised in California. Been back here in Bloomington for the last 14 years, it’s my home base, I love it and plan on raising my family here for sure.
I started on music in general while living in the woods as a teenager and having nothing much else to do except playing songs as an imaginary radio DJ all day, Electronic Music was just a natural direction for me, groups like Orbital, Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails were crucial for my musical development, they opened the doors to the world of EDM, etc. Continue reading… «Adrian Fish Keeps It Moving»
At our last installment of the Speed of Sound showcase of local electronic musicians we had the singular pleasure of hosting three immensely talented producer/performers in Adrian Fish, Spencer (Ersatz Modem) Hutchinson and, not the least of which, Bloomington’s own John Flannelly; a resident who has been active in the local music world both behind the scenes and more recently as a performer. With a sound and presence that begs ones attention, John is poised to become a staple performer here in Bloomington (in fact, he will be at Rachael’s Cafe 5/29/11). After the show we took a moment to get to know John a bit better and get his take on Bloomington’s burgeoning electronic and experimental music scenes. Here, we introduce John and his otherworldly tunes to the Bloomington Electronic community.
John Flannelly
BE: Where are you from? What sparked your interest in electronic/experimental music?
JF: I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and went to college at IU. I graduated a few years ago and have been hanging around since then. It’s hard to say exactly what sparked my interest in experimental/electronic music. I’ve always had an appetite for discovering new music. To me, it just seems like a natural progression of an open-minded listener to eventually end up in the promised land of experimental music.
BE: How do you describe your style of music, your sound?
JF: I like being able to able to communicate through unfamiliar sounds. Lots of unique sounds, always different, driven forward by the energy of the creative process and letting my mind wander. I take a keyboard and some pedals and basically just do whatever I feel like doing. I would also say that pedals are the driving force behind my music.
BE: You seem to be a hardware guy. What does your current live rig consist of?
Lately, I’ve mostly been expressing myself musically through effects pedals. But I can honestly say that I’m not a gear person. I like to keep a lot of naiveté when it comes to hardware because it allows me to experience it as freshly as a listener might. A lot of my equipment is borrowed or inherited too, which is pretty cool because it basically means that every show is guaranteed to be a little bit different because of the things that I will and won’t be able to do. For that Speed of Sound show in April at Rhino’s, I was playing a keyboard… a Roland of some sort… and had three pedals: distortion, whammy, and echo/delay. Continue reading… «John Flannelly»
The Bloomington Electronic Music Coalition website - click to enter
The city of Bloomignton, Indiana has an incredible music scene. Nowhere else in the Hoosier State will you find a more diverse selection of musical styles or higher concentration of accomplished songwriters and musicians. It doesn’t take long for any new B-town resident to discover it’s amazing musical offerings. From classical to pop, ethnic to rock or funk to jazz, there’s something for everyone. And yes, you can even experience electronic music.
As our Speed of Sound showcase’s first anniversary fast approaches one can’t help but glance back at some of the awesome performances we’ve had the honor of facilitating. February’s SoS event was no different with performances by Ersatz Modem, whom we interviewed a while back, as well as an inspiring set by our very own founder Mr. Mark Kunoff as Soltec. Fleshing-out the lineup that night was the subject of this week’s artist interview; a masked man with a Martian’s voice and thunder in his fingertips. In this interview we have the pleasure of introducing you to one of Bloomington’s young up-and-coming producers working to blur the genre lines just a bit more. Jarrod Linne creates beats and big-bass ballads under the moniker (and persona) Shy Guy Says. After his performance at the last Speed of Sound event at Bloomington’s Rewind all-ages venue we had to take a minute to get the lowdown on the man behind the mask.
Shy Guy Says masked and ready
BE: I understand you are the electro-crunkedout embodiment of a Super Mario character. Tell us how this came to be.
SGS: A mixture of being way too into Mario, getting really into beat making and being the best producer that I could, and aching to play shows and wanting to put on a spectacle. I’m kind of a Shy Guy myself, pun intended…so the mask allows me to be something bigger than myself on stage and give people something interesting to watch.
BE: Tell us about your alter ego, Jarrod Linne. Who are you? What brought you to Bloomington?
I’m originally from a hole in the wall town in southern Indiana called Tell City. There, I was surrounded by country music and over played classic rock radio, so I found my own ways to escape into any other kind of music I could get my starving hands on. My friends and I grew up there and sewed our musical roots pretty tightly. We learned music together, got great at it, and then decided to move forward. I came to Bloomington mainly to learn Audio Engineering at IU, but also to escape the dismal existence that is my hometown. Shortly there after, I became immersed in the live scene and never looked back. Since I’ve been in Bloomington, I’ve met more people and seen more things that have influenced me creatively in just 5 short years than I did my entire life at home. My mission from this day forward is to create the most eclectic mixture of noise, ambiance, bass, and glitch groove that I can until I’m too old to stand and perform. Continue reading… «Shy Guy Says Hello»
With dubstep now one of the most popular forms of electronic music around today, we are seeing many of our younger local producers and DJs turning to this particular sound to convey their musical ideas. Just in the last few weeks I have personally found three local producers in their late teens that have cast their lot with the popular dubstep movement. One such individual starred in our last Speed of Sound showcase and is the subject of this week’s BloomingtonElectronic.com artist interview.
Thomas Fjord (pronounced Ford) Goodwin is an IU student with a passion for sub bass and LFOs, producing and DJing in the vein of dubstep under the name Jester Fjord. The following is a brief introduction to Thomas and his ambitions as the life of the party. So, dawn your silliest shades and tilt your ball caps to 2 o’clock, because the wub-wub starts on the one.
BE: Why are you a Jester Mr. Fjord?
JF: It doesn’t make too much sense yet, but my vision for my live act is this one-man multi-media vaudeville behemoth: Comedy, music, visual art, anything and everything. I felt like DJ was too limiting.
BE: From where do you hail? What brought you to Bloomington?
JF: I’m originally from Toledo, Ohio, but grew up on the west side of Indianapolis and came to Bloomington for school.
BE: What convinced you to pursue DJing and music production?
JF: DJing and producing both kinda fell into my lap. I’d been working with audio in general since middle school, gradually acquiring equipment and knowledge, as I needed them. I sang in a band and decided to invest in a PA, as me and my band mates grew I moved into recording equipment, I got a job as the sound guy in my school’s theater, bought a synthesizer… this summer rolled around and I found I had the right setup and the right skill set to jump into it all.
Jerel Hall aka 'Lone Logician' performing at the Bishop
When watching visual media, be it television, film, or even a live performance, it is common for there to be some kind of aural accompaniment, be it sound effects, an all out symphony, or a score. In all accounts it is a delicate art where the composer/performer is challenged to augment the already existing scene and create an overall mood and progression the visual aspect is otherwise lacking or incapable of producing. Locally, one such composer of experimental electronic music is up to the challenge, but tackles it conversely; at times choosing video to accompany his musical composition, and somehow arrives at a similar effect. The focus of this week’s BloomingtonElectronic.com artist interview is Bloomington resident Jerel Hall who performs live electronics as Lone Logician. We caught-up with Jerel after his performance at the last Speed of Sound event at The Bishop on October 26th and took a moment to delve into the mind of the loner himself.
BE: From where do you hail? What peeked your interest in electronic/experimental music?
JH: I am originally from Sacramento, CA. I started the Lone Logician project just before I moved to Bloomington, in 2005, and have continued to produce on and off since then. My interest in electronic music was born mainly from my exposure at a young age to Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno, Delia Derbyshire (I’m a huge Doctor Who fan), and horror movies. I listened to a lot of unsigned artists at first – individuals who put their work on the web for free.
BE: How do you describe your sound to people that have never heard your music?
JH: I try not to give too much away (because how you describe such things in words?) but I emphasize the focus on composition and the overall narrative structure I try to achieve. When trying to explain my work, I find that it helps to draw parallels to Japanese visual arts, especially Japanese cinema.
BE: I see you have a knack for scoring to film. That is, your music seems to fit nicely with the imagery you choose to project during your live sets. Is this a cultivated skill or something you have gravitated toward over time?
It sounds how this looks.
JH: I think that a fascination with film has always played an integral part of my making music. Film and music offer something extra-linguistic to communication and I try to destroy or at least exploit verbal communication in my work. In a sense, the “score” is always informing my music. I’m probably more entertained than anyone by the instances when my compositions compliment events on-screen, but unless they are my own films, those instances are entirely accidental.
BE: Is there a philosophy behind your composition? Well I guess there must be if you’re a Logician…
JH: I try not to be too serious when composing or thinking about my music. I prefer to play around with things…I’m more interested in creating a mood or an environment. Most of the time I write things that I would potentially fall asleep to.
BE: Who/what are some of your musical influences?
JH: Well, those mentioned above, of course. More recently I’ve been listening to a lot of music outside of your typical electronic music lineup, stuff by Lustmord, Ulver, Wolves in the Throne Room, and other doom and metal-oriented groups. I also have an affinity for medieval and renaissance music, although, I’m not sure how much that finds its way into my work. Continue reading… «Reasoning with a Lone Logician»
Dubstep is quite popular at the moment. And while Ben and Andrew of CPU/GOD are reluctant to be pigeonholed into any genre of music – even electronic – this duo is currently making amazing experimental bass and beats which would be right at home at any dubstep get down. And why not? Dubstep is attractive to those who want to experiment and innovate. It’s no wonder that this pair of classically trained (IU Jacobs School of) music and audio technology students dig it. Like it’s big brothers ‘hip-hop’ and ‘drum n’ bass’, Dubstep is one of those rare electronic styles which encourages a wide range of interpretation. And of course with the ability to easily create, manipulate, mangle and trash audio with fast and powerful computers, a universe of sonic possibilities exists. Armed with their apple macbooks, the mad audio science of CPU/GOD is unleashed in a shock wave of bass warble, noise and processed percussive elements.
CPU/GOD’s output is scary. Hence, the title of this article. And I mean scary in a good way, like the goodness of a bass tone so powerful it makes your clavicle vibrate. Further scary is the way these two conjure up sounds I’ve never heard before. Having seen/heard CPU/GOD at a recent Speed of Sound show at The Bishop, I can testify to the fact that the sounds coming from their rigs is neither ordinary or standard.
We’re always wanting to share the wide array of artistry out there, so we tried to find out more about the philosophies, methods and tribulations of these sonic explorers…
