This month’s podcast is another in the Remote Variations series, featuring BioMeSS. Its a journey into deep sonic space; ranging from subtle drones to angular blasts of noise and amazing textures.
BioMechanical ShapeShifters (or BioMeSS for short) is the project of Floyd Bledsoe from Trenton, New Jersey. The name has been used for his electronic music experimentations since the early 1990s. The concept is that BioMeSS is not solo but a group consisting of various devices that create the soundwaves. The 2010s saw recordings start to appear on the internet and now there are over 90 albums available on the Bandcamp website with many containing several hours of music each. Styles range from quiet droning atmospherics to chaotic abstract noise and many spaces in between.
BioMeSS performing at Quinn’s in Beacon, NY Nov. 2019
This isn’t Floyd’s first appearance on the Errant Space Podcast! He was also part of podcast 59 with Quanum Elf.
This month’s podcast is another in the Remote Variations series featuring Modulator ESP from Nottingham, UK. Its super-spacey, droney stuff!
Modulator ESP is an adventurer in sound. He produces improvised experimental soundscapes, using synthesizers, sampling,sequencing, looping and processing to create strange worlds of sound somewhere between ambient, berlin school, drone, space music and noise.
This month’s podcast is from the final Space Out, Outside of 2020. It took place on a still not too cold afternoon in October and features synthesists David Mason and Michael Lutomski.
David Mason and Michael Lutomski. That’s my stuff in the foreground.
We covered a lot of sonic territory that afternoon; there are some great electronic textures, weird noises, and so much spacing out. Open your ears, and enjoy the journey.
This month’s podcast is from a July 2020 Space Out, Outside performance featuring Bob Brass, and John Lutz.
It a weird one!! All electronics with plenty of noise and drone, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
The experiment continues, more remotely than ever, as this month’s podcast is the first to feature a collaborator that I’ve never met, Scott Metoyer.
Scott Metoyer is a synthesist, experimenter, software developer, and visual creator from Southern California. His work explores the hidden symphonies all around us, locked away in the mundane artifacts of daily living and consumerism.
Scott uses custom-built controllers, modular synthesizers, and algorithmic processes to capture and manipulate reappropriated data into intricate and evocative soundscapes. He self-releases projects on Bandcamp, has many open source projects available on GitHub , and is currently designing a small range of boutique Eurorack modules.Learn more here: music.scottmetoyer.com IG: scottmetoyermusic
This month’s podcast is an experimental music experiment. Inspired by Al Margolis’ concept for podcast #57, and the desire/necessity to collaborate with musicians in distant locations, REMOTE VARIATIONS was born.
Here’s how it works: I recorded an improvised piece, keeping in mind that it would be sent to a collaborator (or in this case, two collaborators) to add to in any way they wanted. After the collaborator has finished with what I sent them, they take inspiration from that experience and create a new piece which they send to me to add to. Those pieces then go together to form the podcast.
My two (remote) collaborators this month were Irman Peck (Philadelphia, PA) and Michael Lowe (Denver, CO).
Irman Peck at Xfest 2020
Irman starts the podcast adding subtle synthesizers to the piece I sent him. Then around 15:45 we get more abstract with Irman’s response piece where he returns to his primary instrument, bass.
Michael Lowe (L) and Dean Sharp in 2011, this was the first time I met these guys!
Things begin to get glitchy and textural around 31:30 when Michael adds guitar to the piece I sent to him. Its fascinating how different two people’s response to the same piece of music can be! At 47:38 Michael’s response piece starts, which I add to on baritone guitar to close out the podcast.
This month’s podcast is a solo studio experiment inspired by the concept of Slow-wave sleep. It’s an exercise in extreme slowness and is best experienced at a barely audible volume, while horizontal. Hopefully it will send you someplace restful and pleasant.
This is also podcast sixty; that’s five years of Errant Space podcasts! Thanks for listening, and please revisit some past podcasts to see how (if) things have evolved.
Here’s my current pedal set up, for any of you (nerds) who are interested.
This month’s podcast features experimental musician Tom Law.
Tom uses Max/MSP to create his own instruments and to manipulate live audio. Our collabo gets a bit noisy and has some brutalist aspects; there are some fantastic textures! Open your ears and enjoy the ride.
This month’s podcast features the return of Al Margolis! Al told me he had an idea he wanted to try out, and when Al Margolis asks if you’re interested in trying out an experiment, the answer must be YES.
Al Margolis at work.
Here’s the concept, in Al’s words:
The basis of this session uses the three long drone works composed and performed by Leslie Ross from her drop by drop, suddenly CD on XI Records (you can find this on Bandcamp). I had been practicing my reed instrument playing to these multiphonic bassoon drones, and then decided I would record (in a sort of Exquisite Corpse way) each of my wind parts (clarinet, alto clarinet, alto and tenor saxes) to Leslie’s piece, but without listening to my previous playing.
I was describing this to Craig, and also my desire to perhaps play these pieces live – with one performer listening to the recording in headphones and playing along, and the other performer(s) only playing to what they hear – in other words, the person playing under headphones. (This is something I am still hoping to do live at some point.)
Craig was interested in the concept and being involved and so this is how the podcast recording happened. So “Air” is Craig listening to Leslie and me playing to Craig, without hearing Leslie. “Sea Soil”, for technical reasons we cheated a bit – we both played to the recording and did not hear each other (allegedly). And “Water” has me playing to the prerecorded material and Craig playing to me.
I have to admit that I came in thinking we would just both play drones to Leslie’s drones. I got a great surprise when right away in the first piece Craig did not drone, thus immediately forcing to think outside my pre-conceived box. This actually made for a much more interesting session…so thanks Craig!!!
All our performances on this podcast are roughly the same length as the pieces on Leslie’s CD with very little editing.
We start with our version of “Air” and the mix includes Leslie’s recording in addition to Al and me.
“Sea Soil” begins at 16:30 and is just Al and me, Leslie is not in the mix. If you’d like to hear Leslie’s recording, you can find it HERE. (If you’re adventurous you can play her recording along with ours and make your own mix!)
Finally, “Water” starts at 44:17. Leslie’s performance is back in the mix. This section has some manipulation and processing applied to Al’s and my parts, while the previous two are sonically unaltered.
Al Margolis played tenor sax on “Air” and “Water”, and alto clarinet on “Sea Soil”.
Many thanks to Leslie Ross for the composition(s) and permission to use her recording in this.
Leslie’s album, drop by drop, suddenly CD is available on XI Records. And on Bandcamp: https://xirecords.bandcamp.com/album/drop-by-drop-suddenly
This month’s podcast features selections from three soundtrack projects I worked on this year.
The first part is the entire score for the experimental theatre piece, Enki, which explored the Sumerian creation myth.
Next (starting at 21:04) are 2 tracks from the soundtrack for the adventure card game Dark Venture. Its a bit different than my usual work, as it involves a lot more synthesizers and also a fair amount of field recording and sound design. But these are two of the more abstract tracks. You can hear (and purchase) the entire soundtrack HERE.
Finally (starting at 38:46) there are some selections from the soundtrack for the documentary Baato, which is currently in post-production. Here’s a brief synopsis: ‘Baato’ (n. [Nepali] 1. path, trail 2. way 3. road) is an observational film that documents a young village family on an annual migration along the route of a planned trans-national highway. Partially complete, the highway project will transform this roadless Himalayan valley permanently and open up a direct transport route between Nepal and China – bringing new challenges, new opportunities, and ultimately a new way of being to those who live along its path.
Learn more here:
This month’s podcast is a solo studio experiment inspired by the concept of 
