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.

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.

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!

Anthony Child better know as the mighty Surgeon, who we feel is one of the most consistently brilliant (and under-rated) players in electronic music scence. “Youknowiloveyou” is sheer, head-screwing dark twisted and full of weirdness track but still very listenable even if it’s a uncomfortable, just how we like it. Detroitrocketscience (Alan Oldham) is one of the old school Detroit players who has recorded classic tunes as HardSignal, DJ T-1000 and Signal To Noise Ratio. Here recording under Detroitrocketscience, he is in slyly ambient mood with “Babymaker”, tweaking a simple two step beat into slow motion funk mind worm.

Tracklisting
1. Anthony Child – Youknowiloveyou lo hi
2. Detroitrocketscience – Babymaker lo hi
3. Onmutu Mechanicks – Ancient Rites lo hi
4. Quantazelle – Mental Zilch King lo hi
5. iPassenger – Unborn lo hi
6. DNCN – Dust To Dust lo hi
7. The Black Dog – Floods v1 lo hi
8. The 65D Mavericks – Wire Tap lo hi
9. Fabrice Lig – Access Denied lo hi
10. Betaville – Surface Tension lo hi
11. Slit – Alone and Cutting lo hi
12. System 23 – Firebomb lo hi
13. Regis and Female – C/Chaos lo hi
14. Carl Taylor – Scanner (Auterform Mix) lo hi

Anthony Child better know as the mighty Surgeon, who we feel is one of the most consistently brilliant (and under-rated) players in electronic music scence. “Youknowiloveyou” is sheer, head-screwing dark twisted and full of weirdness track but still very listenable even if it’s a uncomfortable, just how we like it. Detroitrocketscience (Alan Oldham) is one of the old school Detroit players who has recorded classic tunes as HardSignal, DJ T-1000 and Signal To Noise Ratio. Here recording under Detroitrocketscience, he is in slyly ambient mood with “Babymaker”, tweaking a simple two step beat into slow motion funk mind worm.
Arne Weinberg is best known for otherworldly melodic techno but for this release he has expanded his palette and here we find him working with Niko Tzoukmanis as Onmutu Mechanicks. “Ancient Rites” is a downward-sloping slice of dark ambience that is very satisfying. Quantazelle is a fresh, female artist from Chicago with a sparkling new take on the city’s traditions. Liz McLean-Knight’s anagramatical “Mental Zilch King” is a beautiful, lively collection of cyclic mechanical pianos and distorted drums which are themselves melodic.Something of a standout track and definitely an artist who deserves greater attention. Our latest signing, fellow Steel City man iPassenger, has given us some great melodic techno so far but this one is a real head-turner. “Unborn” has skittering mid-tempo rhythms and delightful gamelan keyboards and a terrific hook. Watch out for more from this artist on Dust Science. Another new face, this time from over the Pennines in Manchester, is the hugely talented DNCN. His “Dust to Dust” does all kinds of things to your head when played loud – that shimmering, fizzing bass is just too much.The Black Dog’s track “Floods” has proved hugely popular at recent gigs and marks a bit of a departure to their usual recognised sound. Presented here as the v1 re-edit, it’s still as troubling, obsessed and dark as ever. “Wire Tap” by The 65D Mavericks is the perfect follow-up – sweetly infectious synth washes and skipping beats make this a lush 3am number. Fabrice Lig, takes it slightly darker with the infectious “Access Denied”.

Betaville are Lee Graves, better known as the fantastic Derailleur, and Varial Records boss Mat Carter, and the result is “Surface Tension”, a killer slice of twisted electronics, emotions and cinematic qualities that Dust has always loved about both artists. But perhaps the biggest shock of the album is Slit – a totally unknown new female artist from Sheffield. Alone and Cutting is a brilliant piece of shimmering industrial ambience from a very promising new artist.

Stepping up a gear, Regis and Female’s “C/Chaos” is a strikingly effective slice of dark, funky techno recorded live at the Orbit club, Brummy techno at it’s very best. “Firebomb” is a thoroughly road-tested System 23 dub that nods at the Berlin sound and stick the jacks up to modern sound of Sheffield. Watch out for new EP from System 23 very soon. Closing at the top of the speedometer is Carl Taylor “Scanner”, here in it’s Auteform mix. It’s an awesome full-fat techno monster and will pulverize your head on the dancefloor.

Really good techno for the listener with some dance floor grooves. Surgeon’s track is a nice surprise. The Black Dog’s label is really setting its stall out as the vanguard of current British techno (despite some artists not being British) but with labels like Warp, Soma, Ferox, GPR, and Peacefrog either dead, dying or shite these days it is good to see some quality electronica with the old union flag behind it. – M8 Magazine

June 6th 2007 release date

Amg, Atm, iDJ, Klub Knowledge, Bizarre, Good For Nothing,Plan B,Bleep43, Blowback, Blues & Soul, Clash Magazine,Collective,BBC.Co.Uk, Daily Telegraph, Dazed And Confused,Diva,Uncut, Record Collector, Amazon, Echoes, Eq Mag, Fact, Fail,Future Music, Good For Nothing, Hold It Down,M8, Hot Press, I-D, Idj,Independent, Independent On Sunday,Knowledge, Kultureflash, Men’sHealth, Mojo,Q,Kulture, Week, Nme, Uncut,The Times, Ctcl, Notion,Omm, Guardian,Dummy, Plan B, Independent, Record Collector, Xlr8r,Rocksound, Skrufff, Spill, Telegraph, Teletext, The Observer, The Wire, Time Out, Times, Eye, Omm, Uncut, Touch, Trust The DJ, Uncut,The Wire, Undercover, Update, Urb, Vice, Uncut, Word Magazine, The Star, Telegraph, Littledetroit, MilkFactory, Future Music, Exposed,Sandman, Crash, Hotpress, Update and many more…

Charted in ZZUB charts at number 10, Charted in Blowback Black Dog Charts in HotPress and URB, Charted on DJ Mag Playlist, News pieces in iDJ, DJ Mag, Update, Notion, Blues & Soul, BBC Collective, Wire,Future Music, HotPress, Mixmag, Teletext and URB