Synthesizer designer Peter Blasser (www.ciat-lonbarde.net) is coming to Rhizome to do a 10-day residency! As part of his residency he will be leading a special instrument-building workshop featuring his amazing Tocante touch synthesizers.
Each participant will be able to assemble one of Peter’s Tocante instruments (or if desired, a Mocante keyboard, Peter’s newest ‘Eurorack-compatible’ touche design). Some basic soldering and use of hand tools (mostly screwdriver) is all that’s required, you don’t need to be an experienced builder in order to participate...anyone is welcome!
The Tocante line of musical instruments is "about" and "touching" the materials of electronics. Each touchpad represents a pitch according to industry "preferred numbers," chosen by old wartime engineers for non-musical purposes. Here they form a unique and haunting musical scale, not unlike that of a gamelan or the neutral intervals of Persian music. Beyond these base pitches, three golden sandrodes flank each touchpad; touching these androgynous nodes yields intermodulation, pitch and timbral shifts, and emergent chaotic masses. The instruments come in three flavors: thyris the triangle, bistab the square, and phashi the circle. The oscillators sound like a bowed string, a most powerful clarinet, and a howling serene whistle, respectively. Each responds to touch differently. Solar panels charge the onboard batteries, that power the oscillators and a speaker. They are the perfect self-contained instrument for nightly music at the campground.
More info on Tocante instruments here: http://www.synthmall.com/tocante/index.html and about Mocante here http://synthmall.com/ifm/ifmMOC.pdf
Mocante keyboard
If you’d like to build a specific Tocante model, please let us know no later than September 20 so Peter can make the case for it. Otherwise you can select one from the assortment that Peter will bring, potluck style. Don’t sweat it.. they all sound great!
Tocante Touch Synthesizer Workshop with Peter Blasser
WHEN: Sunday October 16, 12 noon
COST: Tocante Touch synthesizer $275; Mocante $385 (normal retail prices are $420 and $589 respectively). Workshop fee includes all materials and expert instruction/help in building your synth from Peter himself.
Here is a brief demo video featuring various of the Tocante prototypes: