Quantazelle: “Unlawful Furniture” [320kbs MP3]
Quantazelle: “Braking (Broken)” [192kbs MP3]

[DOWNLOAD .zip]

“Always / Never / Now” is a storytelling game adventure that’s somewhere between James Bond and William Gibson in its action and intrigue. There’s a the street samurai with the metal legs and the one-time-professional bodyguard with the metal arms to the the cat burglar with the reckless guile, in over his head. Always/Never/Now translates these characters into ready-to-play action heroes on a mission that stands to change their dystopian future forever.

The designer, Will Hindmarch, an old friend, asked me for a track to use for the promotional video that was kind of “something befitting international espionage, action-adventure, and slickly classy near-future dystopias,” so I recommended Unlawful Furniture.

When I wrote Liz, seeking music for this, my first Kickstarter video, I gave her just the barest rundown of the adventure’s atmosphere and subject matter and she immediately pointed me at “Unlawful Furniture,” the track you hear in the video. I totally thought ‘Unlawful Furniture’ would work when you mentioned spies,” Liz wrote. “[T]hat was the first piece I did where I mentally said “[Okay], let’s go minor chords and dark and not be so chipperty dippity.” That the lyrics for the song encourage listeners (and thus game players) to do “whatever you want to do” only made it feel more apt.

[UPDATE 12/17/11: Wow! A/K/N has majorly exceeded its original goal, and Will is not only taking it in stride but creating even more content to keep up with demand, while still keeping it under a Creative Commons license. I personally love to see projects like this take off, and I'm glad to be a part of it!]

You can download the track by subscribing to my mailing list below. Enjoy!

Download Now Get an email with download instructions when you subscribe to our mailing list.

Already on our mailing list? Check your confirmation email for the link and password.
Can’t find it? Contact us.

I curated a Chicago-artists-only compilation of innovative electronic music for my label, subVariant called Frequencity, and contributed a track as well. Read more about it and download it here.

TRACKLIST:
01. Beanbake: “A Bicycle In Your Mind” [Melodic Electronica]
02. Belmont and Clark: “Dark Compression” [Analogue Electro]
03. Ella Laurence: “aaaAH” [Acid]
04. [esc]APE: “Square Fingers” [Dark Electro]
05. Polyfuse: “Blood on the Urinal” [Electro Industrial]
06. Foe Paw: “Dos Otros” [Prog Rock]
07. XYZR_KX: “Home” [Folk IDM]
08. Mike Gonsior: “Reflections” [Downtempo Electronica]
09. Quantazelle: “Polychromatic Tomatoes” [Melodic Electronica]
10. Lokua: “Hue” [Minimal Techno]
11. Drasla: “Moonlight Somnambula” [Neo-Classical IDM]
12. Elock: “Ari on Acid” [Chiptune]

See the resemblance? Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

I’ve always admired the artist Cindy Sherman for her self portraits in photography, and it’s great to see that her work has become so in-demand to this scale. I thought the action of staging photographs and then composing and shooting them herself was both liberating and resourceful.

Like Ms. Sherman, my creative process involves being alone, thinking, devising, mentally-sketching, tweaking, re-tweaking, re-thinking; sharing for feedback, and then re-tweaking some more. It’s emblematic of the contemporary, technology-enabled artist, in a way. Creative types have so many resources available: so many mediums to muck around in, so many visual sandboxes (like Adobe CSx–Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier); audio playgrounds (like Reaktor, Ableton, FL Studio) and platforms for interdisciplinary / cross-medium work (like Max/MSP, etc).

I, for one, am excited about the future.

In my music projects, as Quantazelle, which is my production alias, I try to always push sounds and expectations into a new place. I use “weird sounds” in place of traditional instruments, but with always a melodic and structured approach (using a sample of a plastic chopstick hitting a wine glass as an open hi-hat, with effects). But, I do like dancing and club culture, and sharing songs that I feel are really testing the boundaries. So I DJ as Liz Revision, and play those songs that I feel fit where I’m going.

So, I felt that to do an homage to Ms. Sherman, but with a circuit-bent Speak And Read and headphones would convey my direction. I play with sounds, I screw around with them, I share them. I play. But I know the context in which I present my work, just as Ms. Sherman does.

And the uber cool thing is that, for the average person, all the tools are available for getting it out there. It’s mega-DIY, FTW. If you have an idea, it’s considerably easier to get it out into the world than it was at any time before now. I can manipulate a photo, create a 3D mockup, and write the next hit pop song from an internally-complex, but user-friendly 15″ x 12″ box with pushable letters, a box that correlates to an arrow and a screen that gives me feedback.

When I applied to art colleges, I was so disheartened by the rampant insistence that I choose a medium. I didn’t like the feeling of being forced to create within an established “language” (medium) that could be critically evaluated (by critics who specialized in media). Then I found California Institute of the Arts, was accepted, and played and played and played and finally found my voice. A voice that was me, and not limited to choice of media, but one that used media to express the ideas I wanted to introduce to the world.

And that, I feel, is true contemporary artistry. Knowing that the clay of the world is yours to play with and yours to enjoy.

And screw the critics.

PS: I have prints available of my version here.

You can see what I’m working on here.

And sign up for my mailing list so you stay in the know.

“So You Wanna” is a track by en.Code aka Sage Krause featuring Quantazelle vocals from the free Quantazelle Sample Pack.

The vocals are a cover of Tricky’s “Overcome” / Massive Attack’s “Karmacoma.”

Check out our Soundcloud Meetup at Transistor. The folks from Transistor, a cool music and bookstore in Uptown have kindly agreed to host this Meetup. Also, this Meetup will be a bit tricked up. There will be Soundcloud swag and wi-fi, so people can share their tracks.
From the Soundcloud Meetup Group:
Also, the folks from Soundcloud would like for us to record some audio (music, interviews, whatever) from the meetup to share with the Soundcloud community.

I made a Group on Soundcloud where you can post your tracks: Chicago Innovative Electronic Music Soundcloud Group

When: Wednesday, February 9, 2011
7:00 PM
Where: Transistor, 5045 N Clark St
Chicago, IL

If you need gifts for electronic musicians, or feel like adding some cool stuff to your wishlist, Check out the Electronic Musician Gear section at my geek boutique, Fractalspin. In particular, the Electronic Musician’s Emergency Adapters are pretty frakking useful. There’s also a bunch of free IDM compilations from subVariant up, too.

And in case you missed it, earlier this year I released a bunch of samples I use in my Quantazelle project under a Creative Commons license, so feel free to download and play around with them. And, yes, I have t-shirts.

PLAYLIST of the 690th radio show « Le Vestibule » October 2, 2010 from 9:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.
Hosted by JEAN-FRANÇOIS FECTEAU on CFOU 89.1 FM

1) Gabriel Johnson: “No Words” (ELECTROFONE MUSIC)

2) Thievery Corporation: “Shadows Of Ourselves (Feat. Lou Lou)”
(EIGHTEENTH STREET LOUNGE MUSIC)

3) Crocodiles: “Mirrors” (FAT POSSUM RECORDS)

4) Breakbot: “Baby I’m Yours (Feat. Irfane) (Aeroplane Remix)” (ED BANGER RECORDS)

5) Unkle: “Country Tune (Feat. Gavin Clark)” (SURRENDER ALL)

6) Dark Dark Dark: “Celebrate” (SUPPLY AND DEMAND)

7) Deerhunter: “Earthquake” (4ad)

Opera Multi Steel: “Fureur en Asie” (WAVE RECORDS)

9) Exit Calm: “You’ve Got It All Wrong” (CLUB AC30)

10) Klangstabil: “Vertraut (Ostball Remix by Synapscape)” (ANT-ZEN/MHZ RECORDS)

11) Surface Of Atlantic: “Tear Garden” (METROPOLE RECORDS)

12) Peace Orchestra: “Shining (Feat. Chilli Bukasa)” (G-STONE RECORDINGS)

13) theYage: “Devils & Angels” (DYSTOPIA RECORDINGS)

14) Young Galaxy: “Lost In The Call” (ARTS & CRAFTS)

15) Lindstrom and Christabelle: “Lovesick (Fan Death Rework Remix)” (SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND)

16) Joe Galen: “Fish And Chips” (CREAKED RECORDS)

17) Auditory Canvas: “Lost and Found” (SUMMER RAIN RECORDINGS)

18) Quantazelle: “Digital Love” (SUBVARIANT)

19) Handful Of Snowdrops: “Astronaut” (NANOGENESIE)

[DOWNLOAD HERE]

There are 12 slots open. The first 12 people who RSVP and pay will be guaranteed a slot. Playing order will be determined on the date of the performance.

You are also absolutely welcome to bring friends, or just come as a spectator!

There is a suggested donation of $5.

Live visuals & Digital Art Showcase by the members of The Chicago Digital Art & Multimedia Group.

CONFIRMED:
Metrofunk
Quantazelle

TECH STUFF:

* You will be plugging in to an open channel on the mixer with one RCA cable from your gear. We will have 2 people set up on the table and then use the mixer to fade between people when they are ready to go, without dead air. Please try to stick to the 20 minute limit so everyone gets a chance to play.

* There are no monitors, but the room is not huge and the space is carpeted.

* Please note that there is not a lot of room at the front of house, so try to keep your gear footprint to the smallest you can manage (ie: there is no room to set up a full drum kit, so don’t bring it). The ideal setup would be a laptop plus one or two pieces of outboard gear / MIDI controllers.

* You will be plugging into a Beringer mixer so you will need to have L/R 1/4″ mono plugs out

Scroll to MULTIKULTI on the call box to get buzzed in and go up to the 4th floor. The space is an art + media collective and gallery. BYOB.

Text / call me personally at (312) 869-4647.

Multikulti
1000 N. Milwaukee Ave, 4th Fl
Chicago IL 60647
7pm-11:30pm

Please say OPEN CHANNEL at the buzzer or door so you can be directed to the right room. See you soon!

Winners of the Quantazelle remix contest were announced last week by the Chicago laptop jockey herself, aka Liz McLean Knight. The idea behind the project wasn’t to turn a Quantazelle track into Ibiza-grade bubble foam but to make use of odds and sods from the extensive sample library she’s assembled over the years. The winners, production duo Technobears, have previously won remix contests held by Yoko Ono and the Pretenders.

Read more:“Girls Rock! Chicago needs volunteers, local bands bond over KARP, White Flag’s belated Chicago debut, and more”