.WAFL (l0M0e^LWziN .uNOX=3LaO?1/2ntry(?aeaLo`oLL rAEi`}NtziN .uNOX=3LaO?1/2"dvurl Phttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/may2004/arcane_karnow.htmlmime text/htmlhvrsdata Leonardo Digital Reviews
Leonardo Digital Reviews
 LDR Home  Index/Search  Leonardo On-Line  About Leonardo  Whats New






Reviewer biography

Current Reviews

Review Articles

Book Reviews Archive

Arcane Devices: Engines of Myth

by David Lee Myers
ReR Megacorp, Thornton Heath, UK, 1988-2003 (CD)
12.50
http://www.rermegacorp.com.

Reviewed by Curtis E.A. Karnow


David Lee Myers bemoans J.S. Bach. Myers makes closed electronic feedback loops, and so even the Moog keyboard violates the implied rule: No outside input. "[E]lectronic sound is a pulse of the cosmos which never heard of J. S. Bach, much as I might appreciate the genius of that other music. The electron rules its own universe" (http://www.pulsewidth.com). Myers fabricates machines, including the Feedback Workstation, which he used to make most of the Arcane Devices' tracks. The "improvisations for feedback" album was originally released in 1988 and re-mastered for the current 2003 CD.

These are not free-range electrons, though. Myers very carefully massages their stream, and bits of the music are indeed indistinguishable from early Moog, such as Dick Heyman's Electric Eclectics. To be sure, Myers is far more abstract and industrial than popular Moog, but the tone intervals and timing are surgically composed. Imagine patches contributed by Jimi Hendrix, arranged on the fly by an infinitely flexible metronome. But this is little more than a proof of concept, though: Perhaps because Myers works alone, the tapestry is thin, no more than one to two tracks. A guy in a junkyard, hammer in one hand and tongs in the other, starting up motors, shredding cables, methodically smashing hoods and breaking glass, just to see what he can come up with.

top

 







Updated 1st May 2004


Contact LDR: ldr@leonardo.org

Contact Leonardo: isast@leonardo.info


copyright © 2003 ISAST




postziN .XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXcate ?aeaLziN .LOIN1/41OLA^?"d!nntry(e^?(R)iL(C)(C)a^%NU`NrEI+mENnL,^O`/u`ENurl Ahttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/ldrlogo.gifbsrlPhttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/may2004/arcane_karnow.htmlmime image/gifhvrsdataGIF89a3/4:PPPfffoeoeoefff333,3/4:P1?03/4I?uN8I^?eLP`(o`dir?L%1/2iLyLes\ QaLtoe*"A^e?? UNc?EL?0'?`??e`:tZEN\J aNB?aCSWtf a`\YN~rsshyNymu8l[<8`??Ww ?eNO`;6ONrqYL h?>o`qqD{o^9_ctVaLo^qL aLWOa`?s?e`oL?3/4nAaaLIL cY98jDaIL[0GYL2}YN1`PAOE3d SGfbd20w%?u>i^sha`aL~?h?[hsN? u^\a^?(TM)?t3/4I`.?LIaN1/4KZoe1/4a^?iuNmq?AN$?A^?ON zYNFEe`a`=gJhsL\FR?EIL(R)u^j>{AL,?o^?L21/4E^4$;6YL?zU`\?h(C)rUNOL(TM)??aca[?3/4yL. I`6*oe-Xsk=vWc+Cssq1do`ZU3n]CFZZCE`OL5c hYNa`#w]8?EN(TM)-YNa?(R)E`aLhx|o`[ILAAU^@?}YN1I`?iLW&o5AAL|eL1/4}?BNe`O`L?J?LAEPAN#?|cI#e?cr~UO`?| oLt?v,?dQYLU`?bPiYNS~}A~#ouN% weN Bss?e^??1\1/4yN%aaL???wWe`gv(C)c|=a^(TM)ON??1/2(R)AEo^!aedcSsA18(R)H1/4NEL&INILNt9yNeiNA??iL5Zu-8y1/2iLa(R)hOL`?NEL?UNG1/2aL* 1/2exln?!o20s_-P#MaeJcA^YLss?$A^iU^_?ELONiNAEu`I`5?UL! (~,dEL)i`(u^@U^c?bNtY+(C)?E`OJi?|?+x e`gPUa^I`?u7^Y(r?NWGo^~]?POANE^u^piLuXE?1AOEe`eILae qELLYNINl@aLAyLFOEMr`eLENss^caOo?qPo^? 7a?L!8Jo`?WloN?rILLoNNwaoN- ?,u`?$'iNNe`%U^au`3/4,au`?.{"^v3-yLo`f7?sFA^AA^ae1/4? 3[,??sI`F2YN.a`eFiLDM(R)sC?\C_- c?[43uCZ)INaLy QIN9dgDEe^%a^L|o.mc8hYNc1ESU^XE^-fIN?[u^C^N;??3y??{u`??~YL~yLN}n\[yJ0$|IL?Ai^ELogo`uaL(TM)A^:B[o^a`CiN}e^kYN2a?aNLsiL1AL?;-oL?yL]JYLoLrAmnYB/~AL?<oL/@neqaL?BKOcA?/A`ELONoyNU^?ao?/PANuL~oPOA`U`oq;postrEIXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXcate e^?rEI#eL?1/4rOLA^aeALLntry(?)OEs3/4O@)yN/2qHwyN\"?-tILs%BfpeLjurl Khttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/operations_amazon.gifbsrlPhttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/may2004/arcane_karnow.htmlmime image/gifhvrsdataGIF89au^-xxxU^U^U^888PPPorAAAce`haANa^oA`ANuL2OOANccc???,u^-P !o`dirhE`lI^OLO^gtm?xO+ce`aepH,NoLrlAE(R)eA^tJ%B??avk1rENA?2<Ac?\ tnQo<wkO`pjpjP 2qkO`iYL|bssA^+ rl$ qj|sjLttgzip cviNzpp|vt$?aLreL|si`?|O3h2(C)3o|rwq2??#?xi`\"-?$??I^ooLqh7?*Efe`qcg; e`Qo^P9mI^8PWae`I?i^X@ LyL-YN?$iN~)BPYL8`?mdHHffaaL*'MRdfcHOLz35@N(3DOCgi^) ?(3/4Db3|aLA^OEUN?(R)EuqLSA`N(TM)UE^3Vi^8P;TlZ?A^?(C)E^PAEE^;1/4??EN} Lo^AL1/2iL'ae`YN}N-(R)#KrLILi^O^?ygLbgaeC?M1CULhA^S?(C)ILU`EF?@Da^?INM?NuNa`6nENq? ssINo?O?\yaN?a1/2Oss1?^e^?k?M|xnaN?>{x?sSUL?OILnAagENOca^a^aa`g_}AEUN~rs1y'?xuLY?Pt1/2U`E^|a^oNcTLSELW??.ht o`7A1/4ac?aL?? |01/4E:L,&NQja}XQwXaL?Cc?}L65ULcn?C3/4LPhO^aLssDU`|eL0e`+RB)eLM??YLi^i)@?i^]%PHoeeiNkTe`Gi2INi`!UB?a`l2 1/4qaN?eYLiE`(TM)sYLsHILU`a`?X9e`#WbyNi`cLe%O^X&@iLshoeZb?i`?[AULYL @(TM)|ONiL `%AL1cJIB??A^?oNoei`i`aNyN?ku`AENONENAL)U^a`e^@ON3/4f@}u`?AE\?a^?o^3? Pi`1ZfRiLiNAGZ"??"|yNiLONiL[aLU^OEH(C)hi^OErELE`nE`vIa^INna`U^AL}AEKULiNe^83/4?gi`yALAEvJ1/4A^;NJE`u`IND/i`?YLaI`ULo`?u^koNEN"I`e?1?JpALU^a`ALx"e`geL?>1zE-NONA^Li??o`aE`-q~o^0O`L43O^va`i`,gaLrUNʁe3oN6[nYL?1/4oeyLniAN&?\2A31N1<|gI`ssuLA*;UNO`U^oL1+%#3/4eO`i`Ne3/4?(R)(R)1EL5Ni^oLEL?NMxz$LCuLeLC?lo uLrLNe^4ae@e`@?OE?(R);k-(e`{ puL3QO'aeYNAOE@U`qg@oNg?OauL*$PuNA`U`?oe`AILANAE? ?wENANy|$I`9%e`,`} I`AyNLuN1UNtfae4?A-u?1/4OLA^aej!Lcat L?aeaLziN .LOIN1/41OLA^?"d!ne^?rEI#eL?1/4rOLA^aeALL?)OEsHwyN\)wOeN1/4OLA^aej!LPPaux WSURLOhttp://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/may2004/arcane_karnow.html