Incredibly proud to have been involved with this #2!

kirke

So I said…

It would be great if you guys made a virtual version of your µFreak, since you make such great sounding virtual filters, and the rest is all digital anyway! 

They went me one better!

To be able to have deep involvement in this has been one of the most satisfying experiences in my career.

The miniFREAK-V  killer feature you ask?

The hardware acts as a perfect control surface for the software version so you get all the realtime hands on control of a hardware synth, but the multiple instances of a plugin.

Normally, you buy a hardware synth and have only 1 ‘Instance’ as its atoms!, but… This one…

Buy a very VERY fun poly synth with an incredible array of oscillator types, and a CRAZY useful arpeggator / sequencer, and get a software version you can use in your DAW, giving you as many ‘COPIES’ as your cpu can handle.

MusicTech magazine likes it! 

R.I.P a Gtr hero

kirke

Levene said in 2012: “People thought I was classically trained, which was bollocks. I knew the E chord, and ventured into E minor.

In 2021, the website the Quietus described him as “one of the architects of the post-punk sound, his guitar style occupying a space between angular abrasion and pop opulence”.

 

Interview: Keith Levene – the founding member of The Clash and PiL talks about his new book

THIS is a HORROR STORY

kirke

I have had quite a few experiences similar to this, but NEVER on anything even close to THIS scale!

Mick Gorden has been through the ringer…

AND A FUCKING HERO FOR STEPPING UP ! 

https://medium.com/@mickgordon/my-full-statement-regarding-doom-eternal-5f98266b27ce

Locals seem pretty smart here!

kirke

New Zealanders are known for their ingenuity and many local musicians have taken novel musical approaches to achieve international success. This creative attitude extends to local inventors and entrepreneurs, who have come up with some innovative gadgets to aid and inspire music makers in their creative process. This list attempts to capture some of the broad range of musical products that are designed, and often built, here in Aotearoa.

 

Incredibly proud to have been involved with this:

kirke

More than two years ago,  I bought a µFreak, it is easily the most fun synth I’ve had in 30 years… but I had a few thoughts…

So, I had a conversation with the brilliant welcoming people at Arturia.

That ended up with me being quite deeply involved in the development of this absolutely superb instrument.

The Arturia miniFreak,  If your a synth geek, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Arturia's MiniFreak is a 6-voice hybrid synth with analogue filters

 

And the lovely Loopop seems to like it !

 

 

 

 

 

A Slam Edit…  then the Exhausting version… 

kirke

A Review!  from the ever inquisitive sonic explorer Marc Weidenbaum who runs  https://disquiet.com/ an essential site and mail list for anyone interested in sonics.

“Thanks. I dig this. It’s spacious and succinct at the same time, It’s got a Bill Laswell vibe a bit.”

Just very VERY poorly edited (NeedleDrop) set of moments from a 2 and a half hour improvisational session with Patrick Higgins, aka…   Badrico.

We are both contributing synthetics, and percussion etc…  Patrick via a wind controller and keys, (I think), im playing Bass, El guitar, µFreak and percussion and sound effects.

Mix is a mess because its a live performance and we have to manage as we go…

Just Hit Play:  and trance out for 23 mins.

 

Or… if your a sucker for punishment, or need a longer time out…

The 90 min version, Still some bad edits…

Panama 1989

kirke

So back in1989 a friend (C Giles) and i did a STEINSKY inspired track, all done on a Tascam 4 track cassette, Ensoniq, SQ80, a DX7 and an Akai S900. We created a beat track, then performed the rest in live to tape then sampled bits of the radio news reports as it was coming in live.

The way the reporter was expressing totally justifiable fear, (understandable) but also some indignation that he was not ‘TOLD’ really spoke volumes about US entitlement!

We finished the track 45 mins after the news report had ended ran off a normal cassette and walked down to the national radio station, 2JJ.

We told the on air DJ what we had done, and he playefd it (unlistend) to Australia 10 mins later. One of the best experiences of my musical production life.

THIS WAS IT:

A Certain Throb… 

kirke

Sometimes things REALLY come together fast…

HUGE UPS to the always TOTALLY ON  @Badrico

How it Started…

Where we went…

Where we ended up.