Soul in the Machine - Biographies

Incept Date: Sometime in 1999:

The Dark Ages: a not-so-original idea that DJs are great to dance and listen to but provided poor visual stimulation (and something should be done about it) popped into the neuronal axis of Stainless. Performance Electronica. Easy to conceive, less easy to execute. Sandman and Mr. Technology bought into the project with no reservation, but the next two years were spent exploring various dead-ends in instrument design or wallowing in sound synthesis incompetence. The project was
extricated from this quagmire of ineptitude when Mr. Technology acquired and learned all the inner workings of one of our Synths. We could now transform the vibrations from whacking hunks of steel and rubber and laser beams into aural/visual Electronic Mayhem.

2005: Over 5 years later: After countless hours of grinding, cutting, welding, polishing, soldering, sequencing, practicing, designing, and re-designing we're there. Visual Performance Electronic Dance Music. It's been a long haul and it's a representation of nearly all of our collective skills. It's a gamble, for sure. If it works, we will be ecstatic. If not, well, we gave it all. Bonne route.



Mr. Technology:

Hometown: Los Altos, California

Schooling: UC San Diego, Mechanical Engineering

Musical Background: classical and jazz trombone in secondary school. Switched to piano while at UCSD. Took a few music classes in college, but was more focused on engineering. Private piano jazz study upon graduation. After switching to electronica has become a master of sound synthesis.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Technology is very knowledgeable about all aspects of music theory, from composition, to the physics of sound, and most importantly to this project, the programming and massaging of synthesizers to achieve a desired effect on the listener.

Band Function: Designs and builds lighting controllers.
Programs lighting profiles into embedded microcontrollers, fabricates circuit boards. Co-designs instruments, is the resident 'expert' in stainless steel polishing using Fruit of the Loom tighty whitey waistbands.

Instruments: Marimba, keyboards, drumwall, laserharp.

Stainless:

Schooling: UC San Diego, Political Science & Math/Computer Science

Musical Background: Classical piano during childhood. Switched to new age, blues and jazz in college and post graduation.

Ironically, got a 'C' grade in electronic music class at UCSD (couldn't get a grip on the analog non-MIDI synth). Does better with modern MIDI controlled synths. Private study w/ Rick Helzer (Associate Director of Jazz Studies, SDSU). Switched to electronica after experiencing first clubbing 'rave' type event (If Rick ever finds out he will not be impressed). Musical influences through the different periods of life are in line with the musical training - hasn't listened to much of anything but electronica since 1999 in an effort to better understand the sub-genres. Enjoy merging non-electronica influences into dance songs.

Band Function: Designs and builds stainless steel structures. Co-designs instruments, is the welder and resident "expert" in dreaming up outlandish instruments, most of which will never see the light of day.

Instruments: Laserharp, violin, keyboard, drumwall, slide.