Music Banter - View Single Post

innerspaceboy · 09-17-2016, 02:17 PM

An absolutely brilliant afternoon. I met up with a fellow member of a music community I frequent who is a young prodigy of many fantastic fields of interest.

We had a rousing discussion of milestones and rarities of 20th century, electroacoustic and early electronic sound, East vs West Coast music philosophy, the philosophy of aesthetics, the ever-expanding human understanding of musical possibility, tape and process music, the standardization and democratization of analog synthesizer technologies in the 1960s, the benefits of open culture, the explosion of DIY culture in the digital age, Building Synths For Fun and Profit!, the incredible business potential of his effect pedal design and manufacturing projects, the early days of bulletin board systems, C64 and early computer culture, innovators of typographical illustration and design, dadaist and nihilist art and literature, audiophilia, and the joys of composition within the limits of retro technologies.

One of the most spirited discussions I've had in some time, and subjects which resonate with so many of my own interests.

Many aspects of his knowledge would make for a fascinating interview piece. We began just with the subject of the wonderful experiences he's had growing his hobby of pedal design into a business and the legendary musicians who've supported his work. That in and of itself was marvelous subject matter. But as the afternoon unfolded, it quickly became apparent that there was a far larger story to be explored. Perhaps one of the growing autodidactic culture of hobbyists like himself, empowered by the networking potential and informational accessibility of the digital age.

I'm looking forward to our next conversation and planning an interview for a future write-up. Stay tuned for this one!