You've got to admire the tinkerer, that solitary individual armed only with a soldering iron, a blog, and a fierce desire to explore those dark and dusty aural corners that corporations like Korg, Moog, and Roland usually avoid like a short circuit. While I very much enjoyed your Primer on the much maligned and celebrated Roland TB-303 (The Wire 303), I'd love to see you continue exploring the man/machine interface, but by digging a bit deeper next time. What I'm suggesting is an article about those seemingly fearless boys and girls who purposely cross wires, combine incongruous materials and ultimately embrace discovery. This seems to be the antithesis of the laptop sensibility, doesn't it?
A bit of fun also seems in order, and circuit bending certainly fits the bill (Speak & Spell from the depths of hell, anyone?). And let's not forget the scores of people who create limited edition pedals, exotic electronics, and sound art objects. There are even collectives like Folktek whose handmade, limited edition "instruments" provide a technological glimpse backwards and fowards, combining a dada-flavored modernity with a crumbling Victorian patina, all with sounds that seem right for 21st century ears.
What these artists/inventors share is that they are generally unheard and undocumented, and The Wire seems just the publication to give them a face and a history. Even a small Bite would do.
Arthur P.
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