2014 Circuit Benders Ball

I had initially intended to keep my music interests off of this blog, but this event deserves special attention. My friend Tony Youngblood has been organizing this event for the past several years. Every year it gets a little bigger and even more interesting.

Circuit Bending is the art of modifying discarded or obsolete technology and toys to create electronic musical instruments. It was pioneered by Reed Ghazala in the 1960's and has grown quietly in the electronic music underground ever since. In the age of the internet, it has steadily grown more popular. Circuit Bending appeals to makers, inventors, hackers, tinkerers, musicians and countless others.

Personally, I am not a very experienced bender, but I've made experimental electronic music using mostly lo-fi and forgotten technology for almost 20 years. In 2007, I began experimenting with the Gameboy as a musical instrument. The genre of Chiptune Music had surged in popularity with millenials and GenXers who had grown up with Gameboy. Cartridges like Little Sound DJ and Nanoloop had brought new life to the Gameboy as a multi-voiced synthesizer, drum machine and sequencer. Artists have embraced the Gameboy to create a variety of music styles. I was always attracted the limitations of the Gameboy. It seemed like such an obvious tool for creating minimal techno.

So with great pleasure, I will be performing a short set of electronic music using my Gameboy and a Casio SK-1. I will also be moderating a panel with other Chiptune artists to talk about the genre and methods for exploring this music. These artists include Frank Angotti, Ben Marcentel, Arnie Holder, and Dylan Ethier. The panel is at 3PM  2PM on Sunday, April 13. Performances begin at 4:15 PM.

For more information and ticketing visit Circuit Benders Ball.