We’ve just learned of the passing of Achim Szepanski, founder of Mille Plateaux and Force Inc. labels, icon of glitch, “Clicks + Cuts,” and a visionary beacon of experimentalism across Germany and internationally. And just as importantly, a dissident. Here is a collection of remembrances in English and German.
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Roland JUNO-D is a feature-packed mobile keyboard starting at $899
Roland’s JUNO-D may not be flashy, but it runs off USB-C and has features from the company’s flagships – ZEN-Core engine, sequencer, and Wave Expansion support – at a fraction of the price, starting at $899. There’s even the hammer-action D8 at $1299.
Arturia AstroLab keyboard updates: more instruments, more presets
Arturia has quietly updated the AstroLab keyboard, their surprisingly economical stage piano that runs the V Collection. There are new presets, new artist tributes, and most importantly, some of the instruments you may have been missing.
Give Ableton Live 12 a new look with free Themes: Dark, Retro, Remixed
Ableton Live 12’s new Themes do look great, but is that enough choice for us obsessive DAW users, working on productions into the wee hours? Absolutely not! And so we’re grateful that Madeleine Bloom continues to do the great work of producing terrific themes, all available as free downloads.
Turmoil and Turbulence modules are all about disrupting your gates
Nervous Squirrel’s latest modules focus on adding unpredictability to gates, whether internally generated or external. And you have to love that big “disruption” knob.
Andrea Cichecki’s live “In Nature” series brings modular into open air
There’s no reason synthesizers have to always appear in dingy industrial spaces – love those spaces as we do. Musician Andrea Chichecki has just completed the release of a three-part outdoor series of live performances on modular, and you can expect the same feeling of calm you might get from going along yourself.
DivSkip: multimode rhythmic processor from DivKid, Making Sound Machines
You’ve seen plenty of gate sequencers and Euclidean generators. DivSkip is something different: It takes four channels of triggers and transforms them via eight different musical, performative modes. It’s a do-everything rhythmic wunderkind.
Mayss “On this Land” video, inner stillness, Mike Banks, David Lynch
Against a backdrop of daily horror across the Levant, there are voices like Mayss from Jordan. Her video “On This Land” accompanies the compilation for Palestine I covered earlier this summer. Now is also a time to discover her far-reaching mixing and podcasting work, including conversations with David Lynch and Underground Resistance co-founder Mike Banks. And now may truly be a time for inner stillness.
Chicago’s KnobCon, wrapped: DivKid walkthrough, more highlights
Don’t just call it a Second City to Berlin: Chicago’s epic KnobCon has become a major stop on the world’s synth and modular circuit. DivKid gives us the feel of the place, and here are a few highlights of what was introduced earlier this month.
Muse Kinetics new moniker to carry on the Keith McMillen legacy
Following the death of founder Keith McMillen, his company, Keith McMillen Instruments, has announced it will continue as Muse Kinetics. They’ve also got updates on stock in the latest versions of their tools.