Sound Scapes-Collages-Infestations by Von Ragan
http://soundcloud.com/von-ragan

Friend Enforcer

www.soundcloud.com/friendenforcer

Group from Stanwood Washington...
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Battery Powered Music @ Grand Detour- Feb. 6th

Battery Powered Music at Grand Detour's Sound Table on Sunday Feb. 6th, 7-9pm. Free.

IMG_3122
Check out BPM on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bpmlab

The following excerpt was taken from "Oregon Music News"... (Mentioning their bi-weekly stint at Backspace.)

"Not an open mic or a hippie jam sesh, more R2-D2 than RJD2, Battery Powered is “drum circle v2.0,” according founding ensemble member Elias Foley. It’s a new night of battery-powered electronic music and collaboration coming to Backspace starting on November 15th and continuing every other Monday (opposite Dorkbot) at 8pm.

Simply put: “The evening is a battery-powered music ensemble jam and open mixer session. Inclusive, fun and inviting (and at times and epic mass of grinding handheld techno!). Certain nights will also feature solo artists, small ensembles and touring artists, all within an open space of structured improvisation and collaboration.” Inspired by “conversations, late night jam sessions, and months of headphone composition and production, Jesse Garcia, Elias Foley and an evolving cast of engineers, players, technicians and producers took these ideas and have been expanding upon them using ensemble based improvisation and collaborative development.

For all you electro-engineers or circuit-bent hobbyists, it gets geekier: Battery powered music production is an expansion set for the well-established genre of chiptune. As for how this differs from chiptune…well chiptune was a genre built around that pulse wave sound of the 8 bit chips in the earlier gaming systems, handhelds and PCs. Battery powered music welcomes this rich classic sounds and also invites the polyphony of voices available in bent instruments/toys & the newer 16 bit battery-powered musical systems. We are interested in innovations in battery power, rechargeable technologies."

*Come join us for an intimate night of odd music devices and discussion at Sound Table!

Here are some links:

BPM on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Battery-Powered-Music/107533522598928
BPM on SoundCloud - http://soundcloud.com/tamarack/sets/bpmarchive
BPM on bandcamp - http://tamarackmusic.bandcamp.com/album/rechargeable-1-air-bus-single

BPM- Sound Table- Sunday Feb 6th, 7-9pm
Grand Detour
215 SE Morrison ; Suite 2020; Portland, OR

These Things

These Things from Benjamin Popp on Vimeo.

Film: Ben Popp, Sound Collage: Jeffrey Von Ragan

SoundTable @ Grand Detour Jan 2nd.2011 (Captain Beefheart/Frank Zappa)

SoundTable is a collective group of sound artists/musicians who meet monthly to discuss/demonstrate many topics pertaining to music/sound/noise- with an emphasis on the experimental. A place to explore interactively, stimulate creativity, make connections, foster collaborations in a laid back atmosphere.

New discussion leaders and topics every month. (If you would like to lead please email me: jvonragan@gmail.com

SoundTable meets the 1st Sunday of every month at 7pm.
Next discussion Jan. 2nd (Captain Beefheart/Frank Zappa!)

This discussion will pay homage to two giants of free thinking pioneers of creative music. Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) passed away Dec. 17 of multiple sclerosis and Zappa would have been 70 this year. From early Doo-Wop to the pivotal "Trout Mask Replica" produced by Zappa, to Bongo Furry, we will follow the convoluted paths of these two original thinkers.

Grand Detour
Located at: 215 SE Morrison ; Suite 2020; Portland, OR

R.I.P. Captain, Heaven has their hands full! Don Van Vliet passed away December 17, 2010

Great SoundTable Presentation by Dustin Zemel, Robby Kraft

We're happy to say the presentation on minimalism by Dustin Zemel & Robby Kraft on Dec. 5th at Grand Detour was a success.

The evening began with Dustin performing a piece by Terry Riley titled "Pendulum music". 3 speakers were placed on their back with the speakers pointing upward towards the ceiling. Above the speakers hung 3 microphones, six inches above the speakers. On the count of three the mics were released to swing over the amps, creating bird-like and low tone feedback.

Discussions included the impedance behind the creation of minimalism, spearheaded by Terry Riley, Steve Riech and Lamount Young. Those composers felt that the existing formulas utilized by previous composers left listeners without a PhD in theory out in the cold. They wanted to strip it down, thus... minimalism.

Also discussed was the visual equivalent of minimalism in the form of video art using repetition and shifting of time through editing.

The evening rapped up with Robby Kraft first showing his "glass marimba". Coils were placed under a section of the glass plates that tapped the plates creating mechanical glass marimba music. Robby lead a hand clap-minimalist performance by those attending, showed his use of Philip Glass's compositions interpreted through his own computer programming. Finally he presented another computer program which had rotating geometric shapes that created a repetitive 'randomness' through out a time-line.

Robby Kraft's "Glass Marimba"

SoundTable @ Grand Detour- Dec. 5th

SoundTable is a collective group of sound artists/musicians who meet monthly to discuss/demonstrate anything and everything pertaining to music/sound/noise- with an emphasis on the experimental.

A place to expore interactively, stimulate creativity, make connections, foster collaborations in a laid back way.

New discussion leaders and topics every month.

Next talk on minimalism by Robby Kraft- Dec. 5th 7-9pm

"This subject matter is reducing Philip Glass' music into simple forms, or, deconstructing Philip Glass' musical language. After this, program a computer to incorporates these shapes into a new musical language and compare this to Philip Glass. Review Philip Glass' influences and where he fits into the classical school. Finally, explore avenues Philip Glass did not utilize which our program has now made available."

@ Grand Detour
215 SE Morrison ; Suite 2020; Portland, OR

http://www.grand-detour.org/