Electronic Modular Experimentations

Continuing my weekly exploration of electronic music with a modular synthesizer on Brixton Radio and Twitch.

This is a highlight from last night's show on Brixton Radio. I played a gig on Saturday and for that I took 2 of my 4 modular cases. This explains why I'm using the left side of my modular 'wall' in this video and why the right side is in total dissarray with power cables hanging down the front and a lot of the modules scattered over the desk below. Ths gives an insight into the way of the modular synth artist. Always changng the instrument I work with to suit the show I want to perform and the music I want to create!

Anyway because of the gig setup I already had an extremely well planned and thought through patch. But for this radio show I did something completely different to what I did for the gig. I made one small but significant wiring change which was to generate the pitch information in a different way and used that as the basis for this jam. The pitch is actually created by a module called a Turing Machine which generates random pitch sequences that I can lock in when there is something I like. I can also semi lock it, getting it to mostly repeat a sequence but allowing a small amount of new random notes in. And all that's on the turn of a knob so the amount of new notes compared to the locked sequence is continuosly variable.

It's a very powerful way of generating melodies which I actually haven't used that much. But I was very happy with what came out of it in this highlight. Aside from that I was experimenting a lot with the percussive elements of the patch, and of course I was varying the timbre of the sounds themselves as I usually do. A lot of these improvsed modular sessions rely on varying the sound itself as much as or sometimes even more than varying the pitch or rythmn. So in a way the actual sound synthesis parameters are as much a part of the music as the notes.

Anyway I enjoyed this sequence very much and have recorded stems of it - so perhaps there will be a TDC Tunes track to release based on some of this material.

For now though - if you haven't heard it yet, please check out my most recent release in collaboration with the awesome @primaudia. It's called Enduro and this weekend what we call the "Epic Edit" dropped on Spotify and all major streaming services.

You can play it on your favourite service via this link: https://ffm.to/enduro-epic-edit

The Epic edit is an extended version - let's think of this one as 'the ultimate 'baby from Primaudia' where he really gets to go to town without the constrains of a 'radio length' track. So consequently it actually has a whole load of great stuff in it that isn't in the radio edit.

Finally, have a great day Hive - and I'll be back soon with some video of the gig I played on Saturday and of course I'll be back on Brixton Rado and Twitch next Monday at 9pm (uk time). And not to mention Hivefest where I will be playing a set! See you there if you are coming!