= Folktek Arts =

= Folktek Arts = The works of Arius Blaze, Ben Houston and co.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Garden Winter tune by T.Heau

I was just sent a link to this video by a happy holiday player of the Folktek Micro Garden being played in a bit of a different way than most videos have displayed. A very nice composition of imagined snow, fire in the living room and a warm cup of the sweet life.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sin:Ned and Inter-face

A few flicks from relatively opposite us on the globe. In Beijing and Hong Kong Sin:Ned works this multi-player angle with the Folktek Harmonic Field on his project entitled properly "Inter-face"
Here: Beijing, August 25, playing with Yan Jun






and here, Hong Kong, October 2, playing with Alok


Neokitsch showreel

A very professional presentation of this mans sound design work, later displaying and talking about the Folktek Micro Garden (at about 3:45 in)...Proper

New Kegel videos

Here we have some showcase and abstractions by a prominent folktek instrument player = Kegel. Very nice - Enjoy!





Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Impressionist Drum Scape II

This is a co-mission piece based on the original "Impressionist Drum Scape". Huge drums, big bass and beautiful waves.








The original "Simian Drum Scape", of which the Impressionist is based, can be seen in action here:

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Time Scape Wave Sequencer video preliminaria

This is a brief preliminary video meant to be a visual presentation (not a sonic one) of the "Time Scape Wave Sequencer" by Arius Blaze. There will be more to come.

Sin:Ned = Dark Side of the Chord VII


A new release by Sin:Ned
in his email he wrote "it is my solo improvisation on folktek's folkchord 2 and modified om-84."
info below...go here for more info and to have a listen to a few tracks:
http://www.re-records.com/discography/re-cd-002r/





"Deeply influenced by the Tokyo Psychedelic Underground, Hong Kong experimentalist Sin:Ned created a never-ending and eternally self-referencing world of noise and extreme frequency. The two solo improvisations on modified Omnichord unleashed the full darkness hidden inside the bent circuitry of the instruments. A complex structure of razor sharp power lines running through an endless maze of psychedelic trans-configuration. Free and abstract. Forceful yet intricate. A brutal journey about the poetic of lost soul and dead spirit. "
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check it out and support the arts

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Time Scape Wave Sequencer



A brand new masterwork by Arius Blaze. The "Time Scape Wave Sequencer" is a sampler, processor and synthesizer with a built in 8 step sequencer. The touch board controls the polyphonic synth part which can be fed through delay or any combination of thousands of possibilities for wave shaping as well as the possibility of having the shape altered in time with the sequencer.
















The synth parts can also be sampled and the sample can be added to. The sample time has been greatly expanded to 4x that of the standard time scape (up to about ten seconds of high quality and more at lower quality). The built in color oscilloscope is not a standard oscilloscope but instead a synchronized display of odd textures with controls over the textures.






Sample retriggering to synch with the sequencer, methods for adding to the sample in real time, exessive low pass and high pass feedback options and literally thousands of possibilities for shaping the sample with straight connections or through the sequencer. Incoming sounds can be greatly altered as well - everything from strange time-based stuttering to ring mods and granulation...







All of that and loads of nice blinking lamps. Unfonrtunately, it is nearly impoossible to photograph the oscilloscope and so expect to see more in the upcoming videos. All of the lamps, switches and buttons are hand crafted. For more info on the original time scape see this post: time scape delay and sampler


More info and videos to come. Many thanks!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

New Time Machine Collaboration

Fresh out of the lab - a new co-mission collaboration by Ben Houston and Arius Blaze. A delay-based, sample remix murderer with the potential for excessive feedback and a broad range of tonal generation. folktek's own magnetic patchbay and all custom keys, switches and lamps, based on the original Time Machine.
The buyer of this work also purchased a scape sequencer accompaniment which greatly expands upon the potential of this piece.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

New book of Sound

New co-mission work by Ben Houston
Magnetically patchable odd/
freaky sound synth.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Matador and Bull


Arius Blaze 2009, ink on paper, 34" x 22"

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Folktek Garden videos by Izzy

A nice display of some of the micro garden potential. keeping it folk
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(you may consider playing all at once)

door number 11

folktek headquarters; downtown Portland, Oregon.



Go Blazers!

Kegel folktek videos

Some video proper from another player of extensive folktek works. Nice work Kegel!


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Ether^ra folktek videos

Some video proper from a player of extensive folktek works...Lookin good Ether^ra

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Analog Hands = collaborative work


A work by Ben Houston and Arius Blaze combining the synthesis from the subharmonic field by Arius Blaze, the hand plate of the electric hands by Ben Houston and a nice analog delay with slide controls. This was a co-missioned work by special request. The box is hardwood and custom. The Analog Hands is an extremely nasty thing with gut wrenching, ear piercing noise or nice fat analog tones that are altered by where you touch the plate, what points are combined as you press and how hard you touch the plate. We also added some optical controls for the delay in a custom resin lamp which is reminiscent of the old styles (mostly pre-2000) of Arius Blaze.








Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Radio Drum Scape

Created by Arius Blaze on Comission - one of the drum scape series housed in a beautiful antique radio test box.










Thick lush sound based on the same circuitry as the original "Simian Drum Scape":.