All I Wanna Do / Is Have Some Fun

No explanation, no blurb: today is just a series of videos. Youtube can tell you more.

Joy To The Fishes In The Deep Blue Sea

Quiet Ensemble (founded by Fabio Di Salvo and Bernardo Vercelli in 2009) seeks to "compose sounds out of the most casual movements of the "invisible concerts" of everyday life." Practically, that means their installation "Quintetto" is a five-aquarium affair complete with video cameras that first capture the fishy movements (also the not-suspicious movements - ha! okay.) and then send the information to computers that translate movement into sound.

Quintetto by Quiet Ensemble from yatzer on Vimeo.

(via notcot)

The Secret Life Of Plants

As you are probably aware by now, I've got a big ol' crush on a group called Matmos. A real big crush. A gigantic crush. So of course they showed up to play a gig in Chicago approximately t-minus two seconds after I got on a plane for The Continent. (I can only complain so much here, you know what I'm saying?) Luckily, I was able to send a trusty second in my stead and the report came back positive.
How positive, you ask? Well, Matmos opened their set with a piece for acoustic cactus. THINK ON THAT, LIEBLINGS.



(oh so special thanks to haven, who attended a concert and found a video.)

Let's Give 'Em Somethin' To Talk About

Instruments outta anything.



(via neatorama)

The Lobster Quadrille

I could listen (/okay, have listened) to Matmos all day long. Music concrète meets electronica? I'm in love.

An excerpt from an interview with NewMusicBox:

We were making a biographical portrait of the writer Patricia Highsmith....As we thought about what else this arrangement needs, we looked into Highsmith's life and a bunch of details started to emerge. She really loved snails. She collected snails her whole life, wrote short stories about snails, so we knew we wanted to collaborate with snails somehow or get snails involved in the process of making the music. The first thing that we thought of is that the shell of the snail is shaped a little bit like a French horn. So we got somebody to play a French horn. But then I thought, well, that's not good enough. We need to really work with snails directly, but they're very quiet so it's difficult to get a snail to, you know, pipe up. You could crush one, but that would be sort of wrong, ethically. I decided to set up a situation in which the movement of snails would have a musical outcome. We got a light-sensitive theremin that I bought on eBay, and we aimed a laser at it. Then, in a totally dark room, we put the snails inside a glass tube. They would crawl up the glass and as they would interrupt the path of the laser, that would affect the pitch of the theremin. We then sped that up and turned it into a sort of crazy solo that is played by snails.

They're also known for sampling fresh hair cuttings and the neural activity of crayfish. Like I said: this is love.

Don't Want No Paper Gangsta

HA! I'm so pleased with the title of this post that I think I'll take my bow and call it good. Thank you thank you I'll be here all week!
(In any case, it is REAL.)



(via collabpiano)

Where Do We Draw The Line

It's the Drawdio.
You attach the circuit to something that conducts electricity and then - you hear it! Basically, it's a simple synthesizer that uses conductive properties to create sound; you can "play" pencil lines, paintbrushes, clothing, water, people. SAY WHAT.



(The website has information on how to make one, how to buy one, where to see one, how to play one, and more things to do with one.)

(via metafilter)

Don't Need A Drum

Jaime Oliver presents "Silent Drum" (2008-9).
A camera follows the movement of the (silent) drum membrane, takes measurements, and sends them to a computer that reinterprets: sound.



(via neatorama)
(For specific details about the silent drum interface, here.)

Do You Believe In Life After Love?

Auto DE-tune.

Yeah, you read that right. Quote: "Introducing Moog Music's MF-401 Auto De-tune, featuring Authentic Vocal Imperfection(tm) technology, even a T-Pain vocal can be restored to its complete original character, scrubbing the pitch correction and leaving the untreated vocal in all its wavering sharp or flat glory. Results may vary, and Moog Music in no way bears responsibility for discomfort or irritation caused by the use of the MF-401."

(via metafilter)

I Should Get A Hobby Like Learn / How To Play The Accordion

I don't know anyone with an ipad - but THIS...this is wonderful! Get it here.





(via notcot)

Hey / Give Me Space So I Can Breathe

If only the apartment had a little more space...


Hendekagram, by qed* design: speakers for an ipod, designed to optimize sound through ear buds.

(via notcot)

Outta My / Outta My Head

You guys, this is live footage!

Neurosonics Live from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

(via nerdcore)

Ooo That Body's Like Music To My Ear

I saw this live once; it was awesome then, too. "And no sweat! And no sweat!"



("The Body of Your Dreams" by JacobTV, performed Andrew Russo)