THIDS IS HOW WE DEFORM: GLITCH PEDALS

New frontiers in glitchery. My TKOG MINI GLITCH is joined by my new Red Panda TENSOR, perhaps the most useful and expansive (but still user friendly) of glitch pedals. It loops, stretches and compresses time, goes forward and reverse, and is MIDI controllable amongst other things. Strung in a chain with the MINI GLITCH makes for all kinds of finger-manipulated aural fuckery,  and that is good thing for sure!

THIS IS HOW YOU DEFORM: Dwarfcraft SUPER WIZARD

The Dwarfcraft SUPER WIZARD is part pitch-shifter, random giver of glitches, and delay monger.  Try depressing the “bender” and  “dindindin” foot pedals at the same time and see what happens! It could mean some Valentine’s Day noise is in the offing. 

THAT SAID: SCOTT WALKER SUNDOG

SCOTT WALKER SUNDOG is a just published collection of selected lyrics from his various incarnations,  and it eludes any kind of certainty,  summation or comfort.  That said,  Walker’s songs ooze poetry as foreign substance where thought and feeling fray into itches that are not ever meant to be reached. Yes, it is art. Introductory essay by Eimear McBride.

OSCILLATIONS: THE PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY by OMD

OMD latest continues the winning streak they started with HISTORY OF MODERN (2010) and ENGLISH ELECTRIC (2013). THE PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY may be their best and most experimental release since 1983′s commercially undazzling, but artistically nuanced DAZZLE SHIPS, an album that showed that electro pop could manage electricity in new ways while succumbing to song. THE PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY may have lost some of their analog gravitas through digital sheen, but songs like the title track tackle consumerism and isolation in a catchy, thoughtful way. “Robot Man” may be the nadir here, but songs like “What Have we done”, “Isotype” “Kiss Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang” more than make up for it (the latter even emoting a hearty fuck you to conformity, etc.). To OMD this is a kind of electro blues, leavening what some my consider cliche with scorn. Thankfully THE PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY proves the forty years on OMD are certainly not an oldies act. Not many could claim that.

THIS IS HOW WE DEFORM: EarthQuaker Devices DATA CORRUPTER

Yes, noise can be addictive! The DATA CORRUPTER by EarthQuaker Devices mangles any input signal into the inevitable headache. It’s the mathematical equivalent of wildly uncontrolled multiplication. How this works with guitars is a mystery to me,  as I’m using this beast as an adjunct to my modular synths.

THIS IS HOW WE DEFORM: Keith McMillen K-MIX

Loving my new K-Mix by Keith McMillen Instruments,  except for one thing which I’ll mention later. This compact, multi-functional device is both mixer and control surface,  and can be used as a stand-alone unit or in unison with your computer. It allows control of several parameters including EQ, trims, VU metering,  panning and reverb. The last mentioned is where my problem lies. The K-Mix is advertised as indestructible,  yet I can’t get the VERB effects section to work! Hmmmmmmm… start packing this thing up! UPDATE: Evan at Keith McMillen Instruments kindly suggested that my problem might be that the K-Mix was in “surround” mode. He was right. I fixed this problem by holding “shift” and pressing “pan”. Thanks, Evan!

THIS IS HOW WE DEFORM: Dwarfcraft Devices HAPPINESS

Dwarfcraft Devices HAPPINESS pedal is a resonant filter that not only has the ability to modulate/mangle input signals, but can also self-oscillate with an amazing ferocity (listen to your monitors shrivel and die!). As an added bonus CV patch-points allow integration with your Eurorack system,  furthering control/randomness. Depending on your sensibility this may just be your version of aural pleasure.