I’ve always been fascinated with the evolution of species. Ever seen those bizarre, short-lived organisms in textbooks, the ones that look like they have twelve eyes and a hundred really tall legs and a spindly tail that serves no purpose? I feel the same way about new instruments, interfaces, and music software. Sometimes it’s the evolutionary aberrations — whether practical or not — that are the most interesting, and that perhaps tell us the most about the more dominant species. (Hello, guitars.) And with an open door policy for DIY instruments, we’ve seen some wonderfully unusual experiments at the Handmade Music event series along just these lines.

Continuing our performance series, with assistance from Make Magazine and Etsy.com, we had some special guests last Sunday at openhousegallery in SoHo, New York: the Mister Resistor Ensemble. Headed by Ranjit Bhatnagar, the inventive sound artist who brought us robotic Theremins and MIDI ironing boards, this group of students from Parsons is lucky enough to spend a whole semester building fun instruments with hardware and software. The results are clearly experimental, but that’s the point. Some informal video clips:

Handmade Music: Mister Resistor from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

A big thanks to our beverage sponsor, Function Drinks, and the lovely venue, openhousegallery New York, for making the event possible!

Tired of conventional instrumentation? How about toy robots named Freddy and Teddy, a violin with a bow made out of cassette tape, and a synthesizer assembled from a 1960s electric guessing game?

We have a special guest performance for the next Handmade Music party, organized by CDM in New York with Etsy.com and Make Magazine. The Mister Resistor ensemble features various musical oddities — electronic and acoustic — created by students at Parsons The New School for Design.

Mister Resistor - the video from ranjit on Vimeo.

Mister Resistor Preview 1 from ranjit on Vimeo.

The course is taught by Ranjit Bhatnagar, who’s been a regular at Handmade Music with robotic Theremins, MIDI ironing boards, and other alternative instruments. Ranjit explains how the course works:

Background: for the last few years I’ve been teaching a studio class in Parsons’ department of Design & Technology (that’s the multimedia & physical computing department). The class is called Mister Resistor, and it’s about making homemade instruments and performing with them. I introduce the students to circuit bending, simple acoustics, synthesis, and the like, and get them making and playing their own instruments. The “final exam” for the class is a public concert. Last year’s class did their concert at the Flux Factory gallery in Queens, in the midst of a giant sound sculpture I’d worked on.

I know we have other instructors out there, so if you use similar techniques in your class (or would like to), let us know about it!

I’ll be flying all the way from Australia back to New York to co-host Mister Resistor on Sunday at another installment of Handmade Music. Various other reasons this one is special:

• I’ll be hosting a free workshop using a ribbon controller electronics kit from PAiA Corporation. Even the kits are free to makers, until we run out. (More on that kit and how to get it wherever you are soon.) You can do the whole thing without soldering, even if you’ve never done this before.
• We’ll have free beverages, supplied by Function Drinks.
• It’s in Manhattan, not in Brooklyn — our friends at Etsy Labs hooked up a fantastic space in SoHo called openhousegallery, 201 Mulberry Street near Spring Street.
• It’s in the afternoon (2-5p), rather than at night. And you can still catch the NYU ITP show Monday. (Just go; you’ll understand.)
• As always, if you’re in town, stop by and bring your own projects for show and tell if you like. (Hint: they don’t even have to function properly. We’re relaxed like that.)

Once again, that’s Sunday, 12/16, 201 Mulberry Street in SoHo, completely free, you’ll hear great music, and you’ll learn to make electronics without soldering even if you never have before.

Invite and ensemble details + music, misterresistor.com
Handmade Music Event on Facebook

Speaking of events, there’s been so much awesomeness and I’ve been so very much in Australia that I’ve gotten way behind, so apologies about some cool events I didn’t get up. I would be remiss, though, in not pointing to another ensemble, partly because you can go while I’m in a 747 over the Pacific, but mostly because I hope by second semester we’ll have massive battle of the band competitions between these things. NYU’s own NIME ensemble after the jump.

Oh, and to the 95% of readers not in New York, a calendar for CDMworld is definitely in the works so we can share the love.

Handmade Music, the semi-regular evening of DIY musical oddities brought to you by CDM, Etsy, and Make Magazine, will mercilessly descend upon yet another peaceful Brooklyn evening. Expect an informal, free party + show and tell + science fair featuring self-made electronic musical projects.

Already confirmed for the lineup:

• The MIDI Pick, a pressure-sensitive DIY digital guitar pick by Roy Vanegas


• Mystery musical controllers from Eric Singer, the mind behind the world-infamous LEMUR, an educational outlet in Brooklyn and collective of musical robot/electronics-creating artists
• Theremin-playing robots and possibly other surprises from series favorite Ranjit Bhatnagar. (See the Theremin robots in action, covering Gnarls Barkley. If we’re really lucky, Ranjit will bring his students. Students, if you’re listening, we’d love to have you there!


• David Brynjar Franzson with a generative piece using custom software built in Max/MSP

And I’ll have a new iteration of my video/gesture-controlled musical creation, which allows users to virtually navigate musical structures via a webcam/DV cam. Going to keep working on that until it develops into something, then share how to do it, hopefully. I may have a surprise or two, as well, in addition.

But that’s just the beginning of the lineup, because part of the lineup can be … you.

Share Your Work in Person

As always, we welcome projects in progress to show off and share. Got something brilliant? Got something partly finished? Got something completely broken you can’t figure it out? Bring it out. I know we had at least one person from the circuit bending challenge in the greater NYC area, so of course we’d love to bring some of that into meatspace / the real world.

Share Your Work Virtually Around the World

I’ve felt bad that we can’t involve the global CDM community, much of whom, as it happens, don’t live in the NYC area. (A remarkable number of you are in Australia and Norway.) So, the circuit bending challenge video submissions worked so well, we’re going to open up the event to virtual projects on the Interwebs. Got an unusual music project — even one in progress — you’d like to share? Send us photos and/or embeddable video links by Thursday morning New York time or so, and we’ll feature it here on the site and hopefully (if wifi is cooperative) even have a “kiosk” going at the party. Best way: drop us a line on the CDM contact form.

Fair game: circuit bending, chiptune - vintage gear, DIY controllers, handmade software (code, Reaktor - Max - Pd patches, SuperColldier, whatever), hacked hardware, the works.

Drop by!

As always…

Where: Etsy Labs (blog)
325 Gold Street, 6th Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(the building has a big clock tower on it. Do NOT put too many people in the elevator! Read the sign!)

Subway: Take the A/C/F to Jay St. or B/M/Q/R to DeKalb.
Map

When: 8:00pm - whenever

Cost: FREE (light refreshments provided; feel free to bring some more)

Bring stuff if you like, or just come to hang.

Ranjit Bhatnagar, aka Moon Milk Labs, sends this crazy video of his robotic Theremin playing away on Patsy. (After the jump, Theremins playing Crazy, the song.)

See also the Moonmilk YouTube page for more. Yes, the robot struggles a bit with the Theremin … but then again, so do I.

We’ll be getting up close and personal with this bot this Saturday at the Etsy Halloween party, along with me working on some ghostly video-controlled music and various other oddities and surprises. And we’re just one part of a whole, wild Halloween fiesta courtesy Etsy Labs and friends. Come out if you’re free, and if you’re in other parts of the world, expect some project details soon. (Not to mention our big CDM holiday this weekend, which is the Circuit Bending Challenge, on Sunday.)

Come As You Aren’t: Etsy Labs Halloween Party [Storque @ Etsy.com]

Ranjit had a really lifelike robot that played violin beautifully, but I made the mistake of giving it a Voigt-Kampff test and it’s been a little, erm, odd ever since. Think that’s Crazy? This is:

The Monome’s clean-slate grid of light-up buttons has proven a huge hit, not only among musicians but multimedia artists in general. It’s been such an Internet sensation that many people assume some significant company is behind it. In reality, part of the clarity of the design comes from the homemade approach to design and construction, and the personality of its two primary co-creators — Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain. Our friends at Etsy.com — specifically, resident videographer saguirl — got a chance to shoot some video in their loft.

“People have used it as a drum machine, sequencer, as an egg timer…” said Crabtree. The open-source software can be used and altered by anyone.

Crabtree and Cain assemble most of the Monomes at their loft, a daunting process that involves countless hours of wiring and soldering. A new Monome, the 256, was about to be released to the public when we visited. Crabtree assembled one for us on the spot.

Watch closely for some videos of Brian’s performance from the CDM Handmade Music event, co-hosted with Etsy.com and Make Magazine. I have some videos I’m going through from those events, too; not fantastic but I’ll post soon.

This Handmade Life: A Moment with the Monome [Etsy's The Storque online mag]
Monome-tagged stories on CDM

By the way, if you’re curious about 256 assembly, there are some interesting updates over on monome.org.

Collin Mel brought some wonderful soundmaking projects to Handmade Music last week. Face-to-face community is a beautiful thing (if loud, crowded, and prone to elevator failure — I like to think the Etsy elevator was slashdotted). But it’s also nice to keep up with Web documentation of projects. Collin’s got a great blog with updates on his latest, and some lovely Flickr photos. Included: boxes with lots of knobs that make sounds, and giant, clear, tube-shaped enclosures. And extra points for hacking together an amp and calling it “Ol’ Crappy.”

He also has some nice words about the Thursday party, which I hope will help inspire setting these up, even informally (invite a few friends!), in other parts of the world:

What made this event extra fun for me was the fact that it was the first time I was able to demonstrate some instruments I’ve been working on to a very supportive and interested community. I have to say, the positive feedback I received (regarding the atari tube in particular) warmed my heart. I have spent so much time learning the language of electronics over the past few months - toiling over wire and solder - that I almost forgot how good it feels to see someone else enjoy something that I’ve made. What I see as a noisemaker with a couple of knobs on it becomes an instrument once someone else picks it up and begins to play. That is a very good thing.
A big thanks to everyone who came out to the event - Hope to see you again soon.

A Heart-Warming Night of Noise
Narbotic [Collin's blog]

Last night, a reasonably-sized mob squeezed between workbenches at Etsy Labs to enjoy the latest Handmade Music night, organized by myself and CDM, Etsy.com, and Make Magazine. At this point, I’d normally try to explain what the concept behind Handmade Music is, but, like so many things, it sounds way cooler in Spanish. Mangas Verdes writes (responding to the latest video from Etsy):

Son músicos, son artesanos y son modernos. ¿Quién quiere pagar miles de euros por un sampler o un sintetizador? ¿Quién dijo que en en el campo de los instrumentos musicales tampoco hay nada nuevo bajo el sol? Handmade Musical Creations: interesante, irreverente y divertido. Luthiers, pero en versión tecno.

Luthiers de la música digital

And yes, luthier means in Spanish exactly what it means in English. I love it.

In a night filled with handmade circuits driving tape players, webcam MIDI controllers, a giant wall of switches, and a din of bleeps and bloops, one could well say “this sounds like chaos” or “aren’t these all just gimmicks?” I wouldn’t argue — quite the contrary. “Weird device that makes noise” is, after all, the first stage of any musical instrument. Already, people were practicing with these instruments as you would a cello. A cello takes years to master. So I’m eager to see where all this leads.

Last night’s highlights: an extended ambient-esque set from Richard Lainhart, a hand-wired cassette Mellotron from the good folks at Make (more on that coming later today), the public debut of the Monome 256, a great 40h performance (very different from Brian’s last time, showing the versatility of the instrument), Eric making the world’s least-practical yet most-fantastic controller in the form of a giant wall of household switches, and all sorts of unusual sound-making boxes.

It’s time for the third-ever, semi-regular Handmade Music Night with CDM, Etsy.com, and Make Magazine. If you have friends in the NYC area, make sure they drop by. In the lineup: the first-ever public debut of the Monome 256, Richard Lainhart playing a live set, Eric’s Giant Wall of Musical Switches, and my Webcam Controller of Terror. (More info over on Etsy’s site.)

Where: Etsy Labs
325 Gold Street, 6th Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Take the A/C/F to Jay St. or B/M/Q/R to DeKalb.
Map
It’s pretty easy — just walk up and loop for Flatbush Avenue, then follow it over. The building has a big clock tower on it. I personally take the 2/3 train to Hoyt. -PK

When: 8:00pm - whenever (think we wrapped up at 11-ish last time)

Cost: FREE (light refreshments provided; feel free to bring some more)

Bring stuff if you like, or just come to hang.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, back to coding for me.

Click To Play

Video link [blip.tv / Etsy]

The crazy gimmicks are fun, but what drives people to build or customize their own musical creations is ultimately the desire to make music. Etsy.com dispatched a lovely videographer to cover the most recent Handmade Music night, co-organized with us CDMers and Make Magazine. Check out the video for a glimpse of the broad range of work people are making, from instruments practical to zany, game systems to hacked commercial controllers to open source hardware to DIY creations.

My favorite quote comes from Brian Crabtree, co-creator of Monome, about what it’s all about:

“I think it shows people that, even when it’s a weird, abstract device, you can train yourself to become musical with almost anything.”

Featured in the video: Gian Pablo Villami and his scratch-built FireWire drive synth, Moldover and his hacked-up ReMOTE SL, Brian and Kelli and their Monome, Jay Smith of Livid and his Viditar, Peter Swimm and his Game Park Linux-based game system, and more.

This Thursday, we’ll be back in Brooklyn, so don’t be shy: stop by, and bring projects (finished or otherwise) if you want to share.

Video comes to us by way of DIY community Etsy’s new online magazine, The Storque:

Etsy Labs and Create Digital Music Night: Revisited [Details on the last event]
Handmade Music Night Has Returned! [Details on the next event; remember to rsvp@etsy.com]

The Etsy community offers lots of other great ideas and inspiration. You’ll see that, as we predicted, live DJs can help fuel long DIY sessions, and while it’s completely unrelated to music, I found the tour of Lotta Jansdotter’s home studio really eye-opening. As music lovers, we’re all looking for ways of fitting what we love into our life, whether it’s as a day job or in the evening hours. It’s great to see people making their passions work.

Speaking of creative passions, the image below comes from Etsian and digital artist John W. Golden.

Okay, music fans: reach the very vanguard of geekiness, and you can become an entirely new demographic — the Nerdster. Or so says direct marketing guru Lauren Bell for DMNews, who much to my surprise reviewed the most recent CDM + Etsy + Make “Handmade Music night in Brooklyn”:

Last night, on the not-so-anonymous urging of a PR company that represents Make magazine, I went to “Handmade Music” at Etsy Labs in downtown Brooklyn…

On handmade music night, super-nerds, artists, and the edgy, in-the-know, 20-something crowd converge on the Etsy labs, drawn by promises of newly-invented instruments, techno music, and free pizza…

Although it seemed a bit exclusive (the hipster-to-non ratio was rather high), I thought it was an interesting and entertaining way to spread brand awareness.

Make magazine targets nerds and hipsters..does that make them nerdsters?

Brand awareness — uh, sure! I won’t even touch “in-the-know”, “edgy”, and “hipster” (uh … yeah … that sure describes me, at least), but nerdster is a word I can get behind. Even if we’re probably not actually playing “techno” music. And Lauren, it’s not exclusive; do come back. (I’ll make sure CDM’s own, massive PR department follows up with her.)

In addition to direct marketing mag coverage, the most recent event attracted the attention of a site that largely does video podcasts about football fans. (Hey, you can solder a new MIDI controller during ad breaks.) Bre Pettis, the vodcasting superstar from Make, shows how he turned an electronics kit into a soundmaker, a quite-fun project:

Click To Play

Via realfans.tv — the guy there was really a nice dude, too; hope to see him back.

Next NYC event 9/27: Mark your calendars: we’re doing another Handmade Music event on September 27 in Brooklyn. If you’ve got a project, even a small one, we’d love to see it. Drop me a line.

And we really are working on a way of showing projects off virtually from around the world. If you’d like to chat about ideas for that, drop me a line. Otherwise, stay tuned.