Circuit Bending

[dino might]

has anyone heard of this shit? basically, its rewiring electronic kids toys and other household electronics that its cult following refers to as "instruments". they say theyre the new punk rock. from the video ive deduced i dont take anywhere near the amount of drugs needed to think this is a legit new frontier in music, or anything else for that matter

see what you think:

[keagan]

People have been doing this for fucking years (maybe not strictly children's toys but consumer electronics).

It's called Throbbing Gristle... Coil. George Antheil?!

Industrial!?

[Icarus]

The book is on OiNK.

[onemancult]

People have been doing this for fucking years (maybe not strictly children's toys but consumer electronics).

It's called Throbbing Gristle... Coil.

Industrial!?

Throbbing Gristle and Coil are gods that I worship on a daily basis.

And yeah, circuit bending has been around for YEARS. And, the people doing it now are usually cunts and DIY-obsessed vegetablefuckers that can't get a grip on reality.

[dino might]

Throbbing Gristle and Coil are gods that I worship on a daily basis.

And yeah, circuit bending has been around for YEARS. And, the people doing it now are usually cunts and DIY-obsessed vegetablefuckers that can't get a grip on reality.

weird, i had never heard the term until today, agreed on the diy cunt-vegetablefucker-no grip on reality part

[keagan]

Throbbing Gristle and Coil are gods that I worship on a daily basis.

fucking word.

[onemancult]

i especially hate how they've created this whole crappy scene around sitting around tinkering with electronics and making barely listenable music that has no saving grace whatsoever.

[keagan]

i especially hate how they've created this whole crappy scene around sitting around tinkering with electronics and making barely listenable music that has no saving grace whatsoever.

it's that 16 bit video game shit that geeks everywhere cream their pants with nostalgia to.

you know, you've got a great taste in music,

Is that a gwar reference in joor signature?

[onemancult]

YESSS!!!l!!

Ragnarok is one of the best metal albums ever committed to tape- Gwar are so underrated, because of their being a joke band, but jesus on a fuck pony, they had

amazing chops AND songwriting skills.

[dystaind]

there are some decent performances out there. generally circuitbending isnt' anything amazing in itself for musicianship/melody... it's all about texture, sound, and technique (i.e. what are you bending, how are you doing it, and how good are you at controlling it?)

the scene itself isn't all about the vegetable fucks either. new media artists are getting pretty into the DIY-electronics hacking scene-- i mean check out MAKE magazine and Ars Electronica. media art is getting huge in japan and europe... and America has a few big things goin on too.

[onemancult]

the scene itself isn't all about the vegetable fucks either. new media artists are getting pretty into the DIY-electronics hacking scene-- i mean check out MAKE magazine and Ars Electronica. media art is getting huge in japan and europe... and America has a few big things goin on too.

true, but again, that has been happening for years, smatterings here and there, and

i consider it a part of a larger whole of artists becoming increasingly interested in electronics as art-making tools.

i think america is finally starting to catch up to the rest of the world in terms of modern ar and electronics. hopefully we'll turn up something interesting soon.

[macuser3of5]

Throbbing Gristle and Coil are gods that I worship on a daily basis.

<< Peep the avatar. Mr. Balance himself, eating shit.

I don't see the big deal about circuit bending... Same old stuff. I mean, some of it sounds nice (like Eats Tapes, saw a live show, pretty fun), but overall, when the process and tools involved in the craft become the genre or identifier of the output; I think something is a bit off there.

[doctorgnar]

Throbbing Gristle and Coil are gods that I worship on a daily basis.

Man, it's like you think you're down and you know some shit about some shit and then OMC comes along and just drops buttloads of knowledge on some shit I've never even heard of. Props to you, OMC, you make me feel like a total sqaure almost daily.

And if one were to explore the world of Throbbing Gristle and Coil, where would he start?

[LordOak]

^you could get that stuff in most places ie borders, fye. if you dont want to buy it there are tons of places you could get it for free.

also check out aspects of physics, they have been around for some time used to be called physics.

they do some circuit bending they arent along the same lines of TG or Coil but its another take one the sound and use.

also take a look at Silver Apples.

[doctorgnar]

^you could get that stuff in most places ie borders, fye.

yeah, I know, i just mean in terms of their discography - were is a good place to start

[macuser3of5]

Man, it's like you think you're down and you know some And if one were to explore the world of Throbbing Gristle and Coil, where would he start?

Not really up on TG, but regarding COIL (in order of awesomeness):

• Horse Rotorvator (you should already own this)

• Love's Secret Domain

• Musick to Play in the Dark (the first one)

[dino might]

anyone ever listened to yip-yip? would they be considered circuit bending?

[wEstSidE]

i've heard of this shit.

sadness is that the shit can only be done once.

i agree, gwar are like hometown heroes (i'm from va). sad thing is almost all their shows are 18+. shit they kick ass. gor gor, saddam a-go-go, meat sandwhich, that song about toxic semen.

[Icarus]

Modified Toy Orchestra is the strongest example or circuit bending that transcends basic tinkering. Jessica Rylan takes it to a different extreme by playing on her own handmade analogue synths. Spires that in the Sunset Rise have some very awesome circuit bending.

[polishmike]

I was very much into noise and power electronics but that scene evolved into some kind of hipster/fucktard magnet. I used to go to shows where there would be more band members than audience. I stopped going when I saw girls dancing to noise and heard people talking about how they love the beats.

I was lucky enough to see live sets from Whitehouse, Genocide Organ, Merzbow, Boyd Rice, Deutsch Nepal.

There are still many labels in us that deliver some very on the edge stuff. Check out:

Tesco USA

Malignant Records

RRRecords

Soleilmoon

Ground Fault Recordings

Hospital Productions

[mlproject]

i did this when i was 10 and put a metallica tape in my old teddy ruxpin.

edit for something legit to the thread --- would kraut rock bands like this heat, silver apples, can and faust be lumped into this category?

[keagan]

yeah, I know, i just mean in terms of their discography - were is a good place to start

*drunk*

TG- depends on where you are with music really. Sounds ignorant- but in my opinion no Throbbing Gristle record is really digestible to the casual music listener. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is probably their most recognizable album... would be a good place to start. My favorite TG record ever is The First Annual Report- it would be a good record to listen to after you get your head around 20 Jazz Funk Greats.

Also if your daily listening habits inculde Bloc Party and The Klaxons I would suggest you skim around Psychic TV's catalog prior to listening to 20 Jazz Funk Greats as their material seems to be a bit more animated compared to TGs. And don't fool yourself into liking them- if you don't get it after a few spins of 20 Jazz Funk Greats, just give up, because you probably won't ever get it they're definitely not for everyone.

Good luck.

OH and is just me or does it seem like pretty much every woman that listens and understands throbbing gristle is intensely good looking?

[Servo2000]

*drunk*

TG- depends on where you are with music really. Sounds ignorant- but in my opinion no Throbbing Gristle record is really digestible to the casual music listener. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is probably their most recognizable album... would be a good place to start. My favorite TG record ever is The First Annual Report- it would be a good record to listen to after you get your head around 20 Jazz Funk Greats.

Also if your daily listening habits inculde Bloc Party and The Klaxons I would suggest you skim around Psychic TV's catalog prior to listening to 20 Jazz Funk Greats as their material seems to be a bit more animated compared to TGs. And don't fool yourself into liking them- if you don't get it after a few spins of 20 Jazz Funk Greats, just give up, because you probably won't ever get it they're definitely not for everyone.

Good luck.

OH and is just me or does it seem like pretty much every woman that listens and understands throbbing gristle is intensely good looking?

I have never met a women who listens to and understands Throbbing Gristle.

I envy you, my friend.

[onemancult]

People have thrown in their 2 cents, here's mine.

For Coil, in order of importance:

Horse Rotorvator - a true classic album that any fan of electronics-based or experimental music should own. the textures, rhythms, and sounds that Coil

coaxed out of their early and extremely crude instruments is amazing. perfect

cover of Leonard Cohen's "who by fire" on the re-release of this.

Scatology - Coil's first album, with a harsher, more industrial atmosphere. one thing

that definitely shines through, though, is their ability to skirt the thin line between structured pop song and total meltdown. there's a great cover of "Tainted Love" on

the re-release version.

Love's Secret Domain - the early seeds for dance music found a psyched out home

here- check the title again, this album was recorded while under the influence of LSD, yes, but to a larger degree, MDMA. house and early tech-dance music turned into miasmic nightmare, but it all sounds soooo good.

this is Coil's most coherent body of work, the rest of it becoming much more free-form and experimental, veering into a lot of different genres. I'd recommend checking out Music To Play In the Dark 1 and 2, and the Moon's Milk In Four Phases collection.

one stand out song that Coil have revisited many, many times during their later period is called "amethyst deceivers", there are too many versions of this song to count. they're all fanfuckingtastic.

For Throbbing Gristle,

It depends on your taste, and whether or not you can get into full on noise music.

Starting off easy and getting more and more abrasive:

20 Jazz Funk Greats

Assume Power Focus

Mission of Dead Souls

D.O.A. The Third & Final Report

Live Volume 1

I'd also follow through after TG's demise and check out lead singer Breyer Genesis P-Orridge's follow up work with Psychic TV, as already mentioned. Their first release,

Force Thee Hand Ov Chance, is a monumentally good pop record, totally different from what TG did. Also, check out the song "Godstar", which actually charted in Britain for a while.

Psychic TV have had a varied sound, starting off as an experimental British pop outfit, and morphing into a full on psych rock group, before eventually laying out a huge body of work that is deeply connected to acid techno and house music. In between all these periods, PTV also released several seminal noise records that are worth checking out if you are into that sort of thing...

again, personal standouts in order from easiest to listen to, to most abrasive sounding:

Force Thee Hand Ov Chance

Dreams Less Sweet

Live @ the Berlin Wall 1 and 2

The Origin of the Species

Those Who Do Not

Were You Ever Bullied At School? Do You Want Revenge?

[onemancult]

While I'm at it, who said they're sick of the noise scene? Cause I am too. It turned into this fucking hipstered out bullshit, girls in party dresses and guys in cardigans drinking red stripe beer and acting like they were into it... totally acting, faking it.

noise is supposed to be transgressive and evil and the last fucking frontier of sound, and pitchfork n' pals turned it into a scene. it sucks so much now.

i still listen to the stuff privately, but i've stopped going to shows, for the most part.

[insidertrading]

bt's latest this binary universe integrated circuit bending into a more melodic-driven sound. though not to the degree as those mentioned above, it's most definately worth a listen.

[wEstSidE]

thing i don't get about omc is that he's been there and done that but he still hasn't dropped knowledge on something i asked him a while ago...whatev.

[polishmike]

While I'm at it, who said they're sick of the noise scene? Cause I am too. It turned into this fucking hipstered out bullshit, girls in party dresses and guys in cardigans drinking red stripe beer and acting like they were into it... totally acting, faking it.

noise is supposed to be transgressive and evil and the last fucking frontier of sound, and pitchfork n' pals turned it into a scene. it sucks so much now.

i still listen to the stuff privately, but i've stopped going to shows, for the most part.

I was a witness to the slow death of the scene. When I moved to nyc I was already very much into noise and this scene was just starting here. That was good old days, I never saw anyone not wearing all black and combat boots at the shows. Back then I never saw girls at the shows, I never saw crowds. I remember when I saw Emil Beaulieau in Brooklyn in 2000 or 2001 and for most of the show me and my friend were the only people who bought tickets, the rest were organizers. The scene was really underground and only people who really appreciated that stuff showed up. God Blast America in 2002 was the last and the greatest show in nyc for me. There was so much noise that owners of North Six were looking at the speakers and hoping they wont explode.

Then I started to see nyu kids buying everything from the noise section at other music. That store was never a good spot for that stuff but it was still disappearing like crazy. People bought every Merzbow album they could get and just bragged about during parties. This was the end for me.

I still go to No Fun Fest but skip the days with Wolf Eyes since they are pitchforks favorites. I think Carlos is doing a great service to fans by organizing a great festival each year but if he ever moves out of ny the scene might die.

Cult, I don't know if you ever went to No Fun Fest but some performances are really worth it. This year Merzbow and Keiji Haino are on the same day so attendance is mandatory

[onemancult]

thing i don't get about omc is that he's been there and done that but he still hasn't dropped knowledge on something i asked him a while ago...whatev.

i probably didn't see it. what's the scoop? i'm a font of wisdom. most days.

[wEstSidE]

i sent you a pm while back. i kind of want to get into some of the good ny parties. none of that chelsea megaclub shit. the hipster pretentious shit doesn't bother me. gallery openings are good by me too. if you want to hook a brother up then let me now.