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As part of my ongoing CCCL project I recently recorded a short video of some experimental sounds as a 'tribute' to the experimental work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who staged a performance in London on the 17th May, that I couldn't attend. All the sounds and loops originate from a BC8 synth, a Gakken SX-150 synth and BugBrand Weevil synths. All the effects and processing is done with Boss pedals.
Longer HD clip on Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/4706722
Shorter lo-res clip on Flikr: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3541773057/
Photo still with notes on what was used: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3541773771/
An audio only MP3 edit of the track can be heard > HERE <
So the TG USA tour is over and here I am back in front of my computer screen (not my laptop screen). The tour was fantastic, although the schedule was a little gruelling at times. I don't think Cosey & I have traveled quite so much in so little time since touring as Chris & Cosey in the 1990s'. Still, we all had a fabulous time and the shows were great and the response was overwhelmingly positive. We met some amazing people, reconnected with many friends we hadn't seen for a long while and made some wonderful new friends along the way.
During the trip I was documenting as much as possible with my cameras and feeding a (fairly constant) flow of information to Twitter for fans to keep up with our progress. The photos can be seen on my FLIKR pages, videos can bee seen on my VIMEO pages and here is my Twitter page
Right now I am going through all the live audio recordings I made of each show on my portable recorder, which we'll hopefully be making available as downloads from our web store, along with a few other merchandise items remaining from the tour.
Here's a short (very short) video clip of my ongoing/current preps for the forthcoming TG 2009 tour:
FLIKR video. Longer version here Vimeo video.
And here is a photo of what gear I will and won't be taking on the tour: FLIKR photo.
Descriptions and info are on the individual Flikr pages. More to come in the following weeks...
I've posted some photos (and a video clip) from Cosey's recent COH plays COSEY performance at the Brussels Electronic Music Festival on my Flikr pages.
Follow this link to view them: FLIKR
OK so I've succumbed to more technological doodabbery, namely Twitter. Honestly I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep up a constant, or even steady stream of Twits (is that the right terminology?) but I should be able to post a few a day (is that too hopeful? probably). As I'm mostly tied up with TG and Cosey FT related activities from now until we leave for the States mid-April most of my Twits (?) will be focused those activities.
My Twitter link: twitter.com/chris_carter_
A project I'm working on at the moment is a tribute to the late J.G. Ballard. This will (hopefully) take form as a double-sided 12" vinyl release featuring a track by myself on one side and a track by Richard H. Kirk on the other. My track is about 75% complete, more release details when I have the info.
Cosey and myself are still (yes still!) working on our Feral Vapours film, currently re-shooting and re-editing various parts but ultimately getting there. I'm hoping for an early 2010 release, but then again I said that this time last year. Ho hum...
I've been getting inundated with collaboration requests lately, well since the TG tour. So if you are reading this and you've written to me with a project proposal please bear with me and I will get back to asap, I promise: even if it's to say "sorry but no".
I really can't remember a time when we've been this busy, and so consistently throughout the year. Not that I'm complaining (much) as I guess we're lucky to be earning a living in a recession. But some time off for even a short break would be nice once in a while.
I recently found this shot in our archive on a strip of TG negatives.
It's my studio in our apartment in Crouch End, North London and was taken shortly after TG split-up (first time) in 1981. This was the TG / Chris & Cosey crossover period and a few weeks before I got my Roland MC-8 MicroComposer.
Everything in this photo was used on later TG material and early Chris & Cosey releases and while I no longer own the majority of the gear I still have the Boss pedals, the Auratone speakers and the chair.
The modular system on the right consists of three Roland 190 racks and two 191J racks containing: two 182 Step Sequencers, 121 Dual VCF, 130 Dual VCA, 112 Dual VCO, 150 Ring Mod/Noise/S&H/LFO, 110 VCO/VCF/VCA, 172 Audio Delay/Phaser/LFO/Gate Delay.
Also included in the Roland racks were a number of my own self-built modules, including a: Digisound Dual VCO, Digisound Dual VCF, Digisound Dual VCA, Digisound Dual ADSR, Digisound Dual RM, Blacet variable clock/divider, a Gristleizer module and (in the top rack) a flanger/delay and a dual phaser/flanger/delay.
Under the modular system is a Boss DR-55 Dr. Rhythm (sitting on top of) a Roland CSQ-600 Digital Sequencer, a Roland TR-808 (one of the first in the UK I might add), a Sinclair frequency meter (for tuning) and a Roland 181 Controller Keyboard.
To the right of the modular (top to bottom) are a small sub-mixer, a Sinclair mutli-meter, a Leak power amp, s Boss KM-4 a Leak FM tuner and a custom digital delay line and a custom 10-band EQ unit (both self-built). In front of those are two Seck 6.2 mixers.
On the far right of the desk are (top to bottom) three Accessit compressors, a Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo, H&H Slide Echo.
In the foreground are a couple of Roland Flanger pedals, a Boss micro Amp pedal and an Electro-Harmonix Gate pedal.
Also in shot are a Tandberg stereo reel-ree, a Tandberg cassette deck, a Warfdale cassette deck, a pair of self-built 8" speakers and a pair of Auratone 5C Super-Sound-Cubes.
Techy photo note: the photo was taken with a Nikon F2 using a 50mm 1.4 lens on Ilford FP4 film using available light.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3263010726/sizes/o/
As you've no doubt noticed it's been quiet on these pages for the last month, so my apologies if you dropped by seeking regular news, updates and gossip.
Apart from the hectic preparations and the eventual launch of Thirty-Second Annual Report (and simultaneously relaunching Industrial Records Ltd.!!!) we've been finishing off various Carter Tutti projects, collaborations, remixes, filming, editing etc. and traveling a fair bit (although nowhere exotic, shame!).
So... now Nick has returned home for Xmas we are essentially hibernating for a week, or so. With: brief forages to the supermarket to replenish the fridge, movies and TV on tap via AppleTV (as usual there's nothing worth watching on terrestrial TV), a big Xmas tree that looks as if it has landed from another galaxy (one of Cosey's many talents) and friends/neighbours popping round bearing festive and/or pagan cheer we are pretty well sorted. Well as long as we don't get any power cuts or run out of gas for the central heating!
As the wonderful Goons once said... "Ying Tong Merrily On High", to all!
Normal transmissions will resume sometime in January 2009
I recently bough a Lensbaby Composer lens for my Nikon. I guess I was taking a gamble as it wasn't exactly cheap, what with all the accessories and add-ons and stuff, and I'd heard the build quality could sometimes be suspect and they can be quite difficult to use, successfully. Well I found the build quality to be fine, maybe the earlier versions of it weren't so good but using it does indeed take a fair bit of practice and I'd say it's definitely not intended for novice photographers. But luckily with a DSLR I can just keep taking shots and adjusting the camera exposure and trying different aperture discs until I get the effect I'm after. I haven't taken any prize winning photos yet (not even close), just a bunch of shots from around the house and the garden, but even after a couple of days use I'm completely hooked on this lens system. It's amazing, quirky, sometimes frustrating but highly creative and utlimately very rewarding.
Of course I've heard the argument (a lot): "why use a Lensbaby when you can get a similar look using Photoshop?". The answer is that while the PS method has it uses (in post pro, for example) I feel it's a lackluster imitation of the real thing. That's not to say I won't be using Photoshop with my Lensbaby shots, I'll still be using it for further exposure adjustments, colour balancing, cropping and other such image tweakery.
But I'm also I'm pretty excited at the prospect using the Lensbaby with my D90 for HD video, something that would have been out of the question until recently. Shooting HD video with a Lensbaby looks far better than doing a simulated 'split focus' effect using a video application in post production. Even having to reshoot video to get the effect 'just right' it's still a lot quicker and better quality than hours spent experimenting, composing and then rendering in After Effects or FCP.
My first Lensbaby attempts are up now on my Flickr pages:
On our return from Poland me and Cosey both went down with bad head-colds and generally feeling shitty. I have a theory that the stale recirculated aircon on Ryan Air flights is responsible for laying us low. Though it seems that every time we fly with any 'low cost' airline we get ill shortly after. Anyway... the Wroclaw trip was interesting. The city was quite sombre and grey, as were many of the people but the festival organisers were great: friendly, enthusiastic and very professional. We also did the usual touristy stuff, wandering and snapping. It seemed as though there was a gothic church at every corner, so lots of photo opportunities.
The acoustics at the venue were a little off kilter because of the extremely high ceiling but the show sold out and there were lots of hard core fans screaming for their fave songs. The atmosphere was pretty charged and everyone had a great time, including us.
Flikr images from the trip are here
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