Modular music may be associated with densely-layered, sometimes-indecipherable ambiences, but Jimmy Edgar weaves funk and synthesized electro-dance into songs fed by his Detroit roots. (Jimmy’s now on Hotflush, formerly Warp Records, !K7, Poker Flat) In a studio tour with boutique analog maker KOMA Elektronik, he shows off their FT-201 sequenced filter and gestural control on the recently-introduced Kommander X/Y CV controller. I hope Jimmy’s natural musicianship also comes across; having watched him make some quick connections in the studio, this really is a rack he plays like an instrument, not just a fascinating spaceship control panel for sound design. (Not that that isn’t great fun, too, of course.)
Modular or no, you could use this filter sequence and X/Y control with any musical source. But what a modular Jimmy’s got: it’s not the biggest rack setup ever, but it’s full of some of the nicest recent offerings in Eurorack form.
CDM joins KOMA for a second video, looking closer at how he makes use of the filter, in a vid just launched today. (I know, because I did the final edit while on a visit to KOMA’s office, to share some of the moments I wanted to see with our readers.)
This is also a perfect time to look at some of the Michigan native’s latest musical efforts. Apart from being a producer and dance floor mainstay, Jimmy has made a name for himself in photography and design, too, and his hand is in this music video’s visuals as well as in what you hear. (The video, as a reader notes, is modeled on the opening title sequence from the film Enter the Void.)
[warning: not for people who are disturbed by rapid flashing text, and not ideal for work!]
From the Hotflush release Majenta, released this year.
And, for making filters dance with the wave of a hand, the second installment of the studio visit:
About that KOMA Kommander:
And yes, in case you’re wondering after watching said music video, a filter sequence will definitely make you a sex machine.
http://jimmyedgar.com/
http://www.koma-elektronik.com/