MGF stands for Mobile Glitch Factory, formerly known as Morning Gold Fix.
"This CD represents a culmination of events that began in 2001, when I circuit-bent the Casio SK-1, a common target in the circuit-bending community. I also bent a speak & spell, and destroyed a TR-505 drum machine, but it wasn't until the summer of 2004, when I found a german webpage about bending the Yamaha PSS-790, which I happened to already own, that I decided that circuit-bending was the future, or at least, my future. I realized that with the additional controls provided by circuit-bending, cheap instruments that were regularly quite limited could be used to create fully developed, exotic, interesting music, not just weird random noises or sound-effects for sampling. I also noticed that with circuit-bent controls I could make complex sounds very quickly that were similar to sounds that I was already using in my music, but it would normally take me a long time to program those kinds of sounds using the traditional programming interfaces of synthesizers. Using circuit-bent instrumentation allowed me to achieve the unique sounds I wanted quickly, so that I could devote most of my time and attention to other aspects of the music, such as the composition, orchestration, tonality, mood and flow. So I began seeking out suitable instruments for modification and over the next few years I amassed a vast arsenal of unique circuit-bent equipment. In the process I became a leading pioneer in the field, being the first to bend, and sometimes destroy, many different electronic instruments. And I documented them in a yahoogroup I started in order to share my findings with others, to try to save them from experiencing the agony of destroying good equipment, which is a necessary drawback of pioneering circuit-bending. Another drawback was that for several years there was always another item arriving on my work-bench for modification, preventing me from ever finding time to play with, make music with, and ultimately record the fruits of my labor. I think my debut CD showcasing this technique, _bitcrunch swirl_ demonstrates that it's all been worth it, though! I finally managed to put the soldering iron down long enough to begin the recording of this CD in October 2005, and mastering was completed by October 2006. " - Caffeine Charlie, Jan 02/2007, Vancouver BC Canada
Instrumentation:
Track 1 - Casio CT-670 *, Casio SK-1 *, NcNally Strumstick recorded with dual piezo contact pickups and Rode NT4
Track 2 - Yamaha PSR-48 *, NcNally Strumstick recorded with single piezo contact pickup
Track 3 - Yamaha PSS-480 *, Yamaha SY-22 *, Yamaha PSR-48
Track 4 - Yamaha PSS-140 *, Yamaha MU-5 *, McNally Strumstick recorded with dual piezo contact pickups and Rode NT4
Track 5 - Madwaves Madplayer, Yamaha MU-5 *, electric guitar direct with COSM amp simulation
Track 6 - Toshiba T3200sxc laptop (CPU:386sx/20mhz/RAM:9MB/OS:Windows 3.11/Software: Cakewalk 3.0, ICS Wavefront Synthesizer) 16-bit ISA slot fitted with Turtle Beach Maui wavetable soundcard (onboard RAM:8MB) with WaveFront synthesizer custom-programmed and manipulated in real-time (performed at the 2nd Annual Vancouver Laptop Battle, Oct 2005, the oldest and least-powerful laptop ever featured at an official Laptop Battle)
Track 7 - Casio SK-1 *, Yamaha MU-5 *, Yamaha PSS-480
Track 8 - Yamaha PSS-790 *, electric guitar through overdriven Radio Shack mini-amp and Danelectro Grilled Cheese distortion pedal *.
Track 9 - Casio SA-21 *, Casio SA-65 *, electric guitar direct with COSM amp simulation
Tracks 10,11,13 - Casio CT-360 *
Track 12 - Casio CT-360 *, Yamaha MU-5 *
Track 14 - Casio MT-100 *, Casio SA-21 *, electric guitar direct with COSM amp simulation, Coleco Electronic Quarterback
* - Denotes instrument being used with circuit-bent modifications in the form of extra switches, knobs or patch-bays.
100% DIGITAL - NO ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS WERE USED IN THIS RECORDING!
All instruments modified, programmed, manipulated, played, sequenced, arranged, recorded, edited and mixed by Caffeine Charlie
All tracks recorded, mixed and mastered at 24bit/44.1khz through a Roland VM3100pro interface except track 7, recorded at 16bit/44.1khz through a Digital Audio Labs CardD+ and mixed and mastered at 24bit/44.1khz. All tracks mixed/rendered in SawStudio and dithered and mastered in Steinberg Wavelab with Waves L3 Multimaximizer. Master CD image compiled and burned with Sonic Foundry CD Architect and duplicated with Alcohol 120%.
All engineering and mastering by Caffeine Charlie
Fractal programming to produce exclusive original cover art by Caffeine Charlie, using FractInt
Track 6 was performed live under the name 'Assault with Batteries'. MGF also performed as 'Assault with Batteries' on the track 'Flavor Country' on the Noise & Toys Volume 1 compilation put out by We Are Records in Feb 2006, the first compilation of circuit-bending artists ever released.
* * *
Celebrity endorsements:
"I liked it. I hear a LOT of perfectly boring music these days that sounds the same as a thousand things I've heard a thousand silly times before, but this music does NOT fall into that category."
- Kramer (NYC), 2006
(former ShimmyDisc producer/owner and fellow Skeptic)
"...a disgusting judgemental looser (sic) ...one of Vancouver's biggest LAMERS"
- cEvin Key, 1998
(fashion-victim in local hair-metal band)
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