34. Sonic laboratory

I like to work with kids. I found it very challenging , especially keeping their attention focused when I want to explain them something they never heard and see before. One should use a lot of imagination and theatrical skills to hold their interest, otherwise they won't give a damn to your efforts.

This time I was invited to prepare an educational performance for elementary school in Laško with some additional students from other schools in our community. About 1000 pupils between 7 and 14 years filled up the main hall of local cultural center for 4 times.

I asked my nephew Franko to help me with performance and add some of his jokes into the scenario. We also prepared a rap song with his lyrics to make things more exciting.

I took a role of mad professor and Franko was himself, accidentally lost in my 'Sonic laboratory'. I've explained him my method of work and showed him what sound does with powder and liquid.

I also told him about neanderthal flute from Divje babe cave, the oldest instrument found so far, dating more than 40.000 years back. As an instrument builder using mostly discarded materials, I feel closely related to our ancestors which used to make music out of anything appropriate they could find.

After final song we invited most curious pupils to join us on stage and take a look on my sound devices like efektor, theremin and cymatic machines for sound visualization. Their enthusiasm exceeded my expectations and gave me a great reward for all the efforts.

27. Operation DEWESoft

It was s month ago when Janez, a colleague and collaborator of mine, invited me to join him for a meeting at DEWESoft company from Trbovlje, Slovenia. Even if you're not from around here, you might have heard about Trbovlje in regards to Laibach, internationally renown alternative band which originally gathered in this industrial town almost four decades ago.

 Well, if we state that Laibach once put Trbovlje on the artistic map of the world, it is the DEWESoft who does that for Trbovlje on the global technological map. In short, company produces high-end measuring devices and develops special software which visualizes output data. Let me just mention that their systems were used on Space Shuttle launch pad, on International Space Station and for launching of Ariane rockets - you’d probably get the right impression on how very serious and passionate about their jobs these guys are.

So. It was quite an experience to sit at the table in their conference room and hear about how could we helped them. They were in midst of preparations for an annual conference for their partners and someone got an idea about a special musical performance, with music prepared especially for the occasion. And, for things not to be too simple, song has to feature one of their measuring modules as an instrument. Good. Things already felt interesting although we haven’t put down a single note yet. In fact, we never really use notes when composing, what we really needed at the moment was a place to experiment and rehearse with our retro futuristic gear.
In short: no problem. They calmly gave us an office in the basement and even door cards so we could come and work anytime as we wanted. As a long time freelancer I got scared for a moment that I got stuck with a regular job.

We had two weeks to accomplish the mission, so we brought basic equipment to the office and started right away. For the first few days there was not much to hear or show, since we spent it mostly on discussions about the composition and its performance with some loud beats thrashing through the building from time to time. And, the more the composition grew in our heads, the more gear appeared in the office. Which eventually become smaller and smaller. Cables, instruments, sound effects and metal rigs lying everywhere around, as always when we dive in the creative process. After few days, when we finally completed our project in the office was completely filled with kick, two toms, two snares, two drum pads, theremin, typewritter, efektor, dozens of cymbals, bells and coils, few effects, metal sheet, computer and, of course, our good ’ol friend, an angle grinder. Lots of toys for two pairs of hands.

The following days we finally took the sticks and tools in our hands and the basement area become loudly unsuitable for any serious work or even talk. Things couldn't get unnoticed and people started popping up, curiously checking what's going on. I appeared that Janez and I became quite an intriguing amusement during their work time. All of the guys seemed to be engineers, with some of them turned up to be musicians, so they quickly got an idea how to attach some sensors to our gear and visualize sound vibrations on their machines.

Finally, we had to incorporate one of those measuring devices into our composition. So, our team was briefly joined by new member Sašo who reprogramed their module into some kind of a rhythm machine which took a lead in a part of the composition.

Days flew by quickly as more and more fun escalated in our rehearsal room. One day we had an opportunity to meet Jure Knez and Andrej Orožen, the founders of the company. Duo, always sparkling with bright ideas, became quite enthusiastic about our work. It didn’t take long as they proposed a wish to perform with group of coworkers at the end of the conference. At first, quite surprised by their suggestion, we quickly picked ourselves up, got additional 20 barrels and held a special three-day workshop for them, to prepare their gig. Believe me, smashing a  metal barrel with XL wrench is not a piece of cake but Jure and Andrej didn't hesitate to get their hands dirty and easily learned the trick.

If you are interested in latest DEWESoft achievements, you will find the whole conference at a link bellow. Our performance starts on 27:00 and DEWESoft tribe rocks the place at the very end. Twice!

20. Kymaticon on Vienna Art Week

It's been almost 20 years since I work with sculptor Boštjan Drinovec on different sound and kinetic sculptures. Our collaboration started in the early days of Metelkova in Ljubljana, squated military complex with most vital artistic scene in 90's.

This year we were invited to exhibit two instruments/sound installations at Denise Parizek's gallery Schleifmuhlgasse 12-14 during Wienna Art Week. I've performed a short piece of music on efektor on the opening before leaving the machines to the audence. I think they had a lot of fun and for most of them it was the first time to see cymatics.

15. Children Of Adam and Eve

After succesfull collaboration on a short movie One Hundred Dogs, Jan Cvitkovič invited me again to make compositions for his project Children Of Adam And Eve, staged in National Theatre Nova Gorica. Shortly after begining of rehersals he asked me to join them with efektor. It was intense, focused, strict, upredictable and exciting.    I have to react very precisely, follow the rhythm of silences, words and gestures. So different experience from following musicians or playing on click. The play started to grow from Jan's text, dedicated actors become alive and words were slowly transforming into voices. My compositions were following them and becoming together with them. You never go so far as when you don't know where you're going. That's the principle of creativity and principle of human history. We all are children of Adam and Eve, walking through time, following ideas, falling into history.

13. Federmeister –' To Mechanics!' on MFRU 2014

 

Past autumn I was invited again to make a performance for International Festival Of Electronic Arts in Maribor, Slovenia. I was glad that organizers make some space for more analogue/mechanical/electro approaches in their programme so I took a chance to introduce less known but very meaningful manifesto of great slovenian avantgarde poet Srečko Kosovel, titled 'To Mechanics!'

Manifesto, which Kosovel wrote in July 1925, a year before his death at 22, begins: »Mechanics cannot die because it has no soul. Paradox is incomprehensible to mechanics because it transcends mechanical laws. Paradox is a leap from mechanics into life. Paradox is alive as an  electricity. But electricity is not mechanical. Electricity is an element. SO DON'T BE MECHANICAL, BE ELECTRICAL!«

As a metamechanic I am deeply intrigued by this visionary text and it's meaning in digital age. But more about that after July this year, when Federmeister's special performance will took place on his Bukovje Base farm to dignify 90th anniversary of creation of the manifesto.

One of the compositions I include into the performance was also 'Fail Better' which I dedicated to another visionary deeply connected to electricity – Nikola Tesla. It was performed for the first time and I used qoutes from his interviews as a text. This time in Slovene. English version will follow as a studio track... Stay tuned...

12. Concert for efektor and two 3D printers

  

I was invited to prepare a solo performance with two 3D printers for MFRU – KIBLIX 2013 (International Festival of Computer Art) organized in Maribor by Kibla. Initiator of the project was curator Jože Slaček and Jan Sterniša joined as 3D printer operator.

The project capitalizes on the acoustics typical of plastic wire 3D printing processes. Two printers will be printing two different objects, causing different sound effects, but due to the typical repetitive movements there is a chance of occasional synchronicity. The rhythmic background is enhanced by my performance on efektor. The entire performance is topped off by a video projection consisting of 3D animations and a live captured recording.

The story of 3D printing began in 1986 with the invention of stereolitography, which uses thermal lasers to manufacture individual forms from raw materials. This gave rise to the development of 3D printer models that represent modern-day desktop printers or “personal factories”. Today, 3D printers are the technology that anticipates some of future’s greatest changes. The expectations are immense: manufacturing of clothes, medicine, food and even human organs. The scheduled program will shed some light on the possibilities of 3D technologies and their creative use.

Videos and more information about authors are available on:

http://mfru-kiblix.si/koncert-3d-tiskanja-joze-slacek-ortotip-2013/?lang=en 

7. Federmeister turns on himself

After twenty four years of active drumming and sixteen years of leading The Stroj collective the time comes to do something strictly by myself. Past three years I was driven by idea to build a gear which will allow me to create music completely independant and against all odds.  I've started with a board, typewriter and some springs and mechanical toys to made my first soundboard named Efektor. It was a great fun at the beginning and I explored sound possibilities of my table orchestra like a small kid with big plans.

 

It sounded great at first, but when I connected it to the stronger PA first problems had begun. Feedbacks and crosstalk problems took me another year to find out proper pick up places, good preamps and audio interface capable of recording and sounding on professional level. When I managed to overcome problems with amplification I've connected Efektor with computer and midi controllers, which allow me to manipulate mechanical sounds with electronic effects, live looping, adding pre recorded parts and controlling a computer with my feet while performing. 

Finaly, as a drummer and rhythmanalyst, I could not resist to add my coil drums to the sonic arsenal of my own. 

Through this process and following the motto »Let's make something out of what they made of you!« Federmeister was born. Past six months he's rehersing hard and composing songs which I could not imagine before I've become him.

Federmeister is turned on and ready to go. Sound bless you, Federmeister! And keep the beat on the sonic highway of your becoming...
 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you want to experience how my retrofuturistic  metamechanical gear sounds live when Federmeister  takes over controls. Live acts, custom made performances, workshops, lectures, composing, cymatic visualizations... Name it, we make it!

6. Musical therapies on University Rehabilitation Institute

About a year ago I've managed to get  in contact with dr. Hermina Damjan, the Head of University Rehabilitation Institute Soča in Ljubljana. I wrote her about my idea to construct some simple electro mechanical instruments and percussions, adapted to their patients and my wish to collaborate with their institution and patients.

After inceptive meeting with dr. Damjan and her colleagues, they became interested in my proposal so I prepared a presentation for their patients to see if they were interested to join my programme. I decided to use theremin and efektor for the presentation because my experience shows they seem to be the most interesting instruments on presentations like this, when I usually have to break the ice of astonishment and suspicion.

 As you can see they became really enthusiastic about trying them out, so I've got the permission for two workshops per week, one for the children and one for adaults.
In next step I've managed to get some funds from Municipality of Ljubljana to built the instruments. I've built a small replica of efektor, amplified typewriter, simple string instrument in addition with theremin and a drum. I've also used some effects and a looper which allows anyone, no matter how weak his music abilities are, to create exciting soundscapes and improvised compositions where nothing can go wrong because it always happen for the first time. Therapists from the institute agreed that  performing properties of those instruments should have a positive effect on motoric abilities of their patients suffering stroke, traumatic brain injuries and neuromuscular diseases.

And so it all began...

 
I must admit I was a bit nervous before my first session with patients. During preparation of gear I remembered Jack Nicholson from One Flew Over The Cockoo's Nest which gave me a quick releif: I should just be a clever clown, showing them some fun with sound and invite them to participate and form a unique band. Interaction, awareness, response, feeling of power, getting the tune, falling in rhythm, tuning in and creating limitless world of sound in spite of limited abilities, that's all about...and it's all Rock'n'Roll!-)