Variations A Released
My typical way of working in the studio for some time now has been to create a patch (the set of connections of a modular synthesizer), explore it until I’m satisfied, make one piece from it, then remove all the connections to start over from scratch for the next piece. For Variations A I decided make one patch with which I would then make multiple recordings. Even within one simple patch, there is a lot of potential for variety and I wanted to explore the continuum of similarity and difference.
Even More Less Exquisite Released
Our earlier album Less Exquisite continued the original pattern that we developed for Exquisite Coast where we created pairs of solo pieces asynchronously. The subsequent More Less Exquisite was our deep exploration of Less Exquisite in real time. While the goal of More Less Exquisite was to bring our process to a live context, during the preparation for each rehearsal we continued to record solo versions of each patch before coming together in performance. Our latest release, Even More Less Exquisite, is a selection of the tracks recorded ahead of these live sessions.
More Exquisite Released
The latest release in the Exquisite series, my collaboration with John O’Brien, is now available. More Exquisite continues and expands on the work done for Exquisite Coast, which used a tight set of technical constraints as an artistic challenge to encourage a deep exploration of an instrument. While Exquisite Coast focused on a single instrument (the Make Noise 0-Coast synthesizer), with More Exquisite (as we did with Less Exquisite), we have expanded the concept to allow for a second synthesizer, the Moog Werkstatt, as well as a small complement of external synthesizer modules. Though the sonic palette has grown, More Exquisite continues in the same spirit of sonic creation within a strictly defined set of constraints. As before, a prompt piece is created, then the connections and settings of the instruments—the patch—are shared and used to create a response piece.
Learn more and get it now on Bandcamp.
Slower now Finished
Though you may have seen the album develop over the past three months, I am now declaring the album Slower finished so you may now get my latest release in its entirety. Clocking in at just over an hour, it’s my longest solo release since 2004’s Adams & Bancroft! I enjoyed the process of releasing the album over time rather than all at once. That this is possible is a great benefit of a platform like Bandcamp, so much thanks to them for creating a platform that can host experiments like this.
April is going to find me working on other projects, but I will return to this idea soon. In the meantime, I’ve got another similar experiment going with John O’Brien in our Exquisite series that you can watch develop on our Bandcamp.
Both albums are free/pay-what-you-want, as all my releases have been for some time now.
Thanks for listening.
Less Exquisite Now Streaming
Less Exquisite is now available on select streaming services.
And of course it’s still available at Bandcamp for those who prefer a download to a stream.
Another New Release (in progress) – More Less Exquisite
John O’Brien and I have a new release in our Exquisite series – More Less Exquisite. While the original Less Exquisite (also available on our Bandcamp) continued the original pattern of creating pairs of solo pieces asynchronously that we developed in Exquisite Coast, More Less Exquisite is our deep exploration of Less Exquisite in real time. Twice a month, until we decide we’ve had enough, we will record a new version of the piece and add the track to this album.
Get it now on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned for more Exquisite releases coming in 2023!
New Release (in progress) – Slower
I’m ringing in the New Year with the first track of an album that will grow over the coming months. Slower is a continuation of the work that started with the Character Weekend and 1 Vox series. This time, however, each track proceeds at a more measured pace. Not quite drone, not quite ambient, Slower develops sounds with patience. A new track will be added every week or so until…well, I decide that it’s done.
Get it now on Bandcamp.
little words
no notifications
no achievements
no stats
no streaks
just little words
little words is a jigsaw puzzle with letters. it’s a game with a simple goal: to break big words into smaller words. the game resets at midnight and noon local time.
little words is the second game from rustle works, a software studio created by betsy nagler and me.
Less Exquisite Released
A new release in the Exquisite series is now available. Less Exquisite is an evolution of the game developed by John O’Brien and I for Exquisite Coast One and Two that uses a tight set of technical constraints as an artistic challenge. The instrument has been expanded – the Make Noise 0-Coast is now augmented by the Moog Werkstatt and a handful of Eurorack modules – and we’ve added a conceptual constraint. In the original Exquisite Coast we had defined only the instrument and a rough time limit. For Less Exquisite we came up with a textural/formal constraint that we came to simply call “slower.”
Get it now on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned for one more Exquisite release coming in 2023!
Bandcamp Pricing
All of my Bandcamp albums — solo, the Exquisite project (with John O’Brien), and Donkey (with Hans Fjellestad) — are now available at the “pay what you want” price tier. Have at it.
Disting mk4 Quick Guide Update
My Disting mk4 Quick Guide — a web-based cheat sheet for the Expert Sleepers Disting mk4 — has been updated for the latest firmware (4.23).
Moog Mavis Added to Exquisite Coasts
The Moog Mavis synth has been added to Exquisite Coasts, a shared patch game I developed with John O’Brien that uses a tight set of technical constraints as an artistic challenge to encourage a deep exploration of your synthesizer(s). In addition to the Mavis, you may play Exquisite Coasts with the rest of the compact semi-modulars from Moog (Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Werkstatt) as well as those from Make Noise (0-Coast, Strega, 0-CTRL).
Learn more and join in at ec.rustle.works.
0 Plural Album and Limited Edition Prints Release
I’m excited to announce the release of my new album, 0 Plural. My excitement is twofold. First, the album is a return to longer form works after a decade of nearly obsessive focus on the short character pieces that comprise the Character Weekend and 1 Vox series as well as most of the Exquisite series (a collaboration with John O’Brien). But this release is also different since it introduces the first sets of limited edition prints to be produced with Tentacle, an algorithmic drawing program that I developed with Amir Hariri. Three editions are available – one 12”, from the cover art, plus two 7”, one for each track on the album.
The album and the prints are all available on on Bandcamp.
Thanks for listening.
Bandcamp Friday/Labor Day Sale!
Feeling Bandcamp Friday fatigue? Then enjoy a free gift from us. All albums from the Exquisite series (Damon Holzborn and John O’Brien), Donkey (Hans Fjellestad and Damon Holzborn) and my solo releases are free/name your price through the holiday weekend.
Have a great Labor Day! Thanks for listening.
Second Set of Tentacle Prints Now Available at the Artling
A new batch of Tentacle prints is available at The Artling. More Tentacle related projects coming soon, including limited edition prints. Sign up for our email list to be kept in the loop.
Tentacle Prints Now Available at The Artling
Earlier this year, Amir Hariri and I released the first sets of images from Tentacle, an algorithmic drawing project that creates gestural abstractions using contour drawing techniques. We have now made the first set of prints available at The Artling. More prints will be released over the next few months and look for more Tentacle related projects later in the summer, including limited edition prints. Sign up for our email list to be kept in the loop.
1 Vox, Vol. 2 Released
Better late than never, the follow up to 1 Vox, Vol. 1 finally makes it out into the world. 1 Vox, Vol. 2 is the second set of etudes that employ tight constraints to encourage focused exploration of the capabilities of my small modular synthesizer. Each piece uses only one voice (that is, one sound generator) plus the small set of modulation and utility modules in my rack. In order to center my attention on the capabilities of the system, I used no external controllers or sequencers. I’ve long focused on radical constraints in my work, so while this performance interface is more limited than many of the instruments I’ve built, a tightly controlled possibility space is a natural place for me to explore.
Available now on Bandcamp. Coming in June to select streaming services.
New Project: Tentacle
I’m excited to introduce Tentacle, an algorithmic drawing project created in collaboration with Amir Hariri that creates gestural abstractions using contour drawing techniques.
A few years back, my friend Andrew West was visiting me in New York. While he was here, he also had plans to visit Amir, an old friend from his art school days. It occurred to Andrew that Amir and I might have similar interests in art and technology so he introduced us. We started getting together from time to time to talk about art, particularly algorithmic art. The conversations weren’t limited to visual art; George Lewis’ interactive music system Voyager featured heavily in early conversations. It turns out Andrew was right, Amir and I shared a similar aesthetic and approach. Soon enough, philosophical discussions started to turn into design discussions and those designs eventually turned into code. We’re now ready to start sharing what we’ve been working on. Learn more >>
Exquisite Two Released
Sneaking in just before the end of the year, Exquisite Coast Two is the second in a series of albums of synthesiser improvisations created in collaboration with John O’Brien. In the spring of 2020, as the Covid-19 lockdown got under way, John and I started talking about ways to collaborate remotely after realizing that we both owned a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. By sharing patches—the state of the synthesizer, including the positions of the knobs and how the signals are routed from one part of the synthesizer to another—we created pairs of solo pieces that shared a common configuration. Each week, we made two recordings: one based on an original patch—the Prompt—and then a Response based on the other person’s patch.
You can get it now on Bandcamp.
Exquisite Coast One Now Streaming
Exquisite Coast One is now available on all major streaming services.
And of course it’s still available at Bandcamp for those who prefer a download to a stream.