Barrio Drop

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Saronni

I’ve had the week off from work so I’ve been able to spend some late
nights in the studio. This piece was recorded and produced
In only two session, long ones. I put aside my usual spastic bass
playing and used a different left hand muting technique making
for a more earthy or woody tone. I wish I could say I was even close
to having a vintage synth collection such as John Keston
does but I’m not even close. In this track I’m mainly using Analog
Factory. All of the drum sounds were sampled and then
programed with the exception of my skillfully played shaker! Barrio
Drop is just a working title for now.

Barrio Drop by ten72

DKO Performance Tonight at Acadia

Posted on January 6, 2012 by John Keston

Tonight (Friday, January 6, 2012) DKO is performing our first concert of the year. We’ll play two sets at Acadia, 329 Cedar Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55454. This little gem of a venue has one of the best beer selections in the city. There’s no cover and all ages are welcome. Here’s another segment from our December 16, 2011 performance at the Kitty Cat Klub. This one starts out with some Pro-One arpeggios then moves into Rhodes playing with a solo at 4:43 and then a Pro-One solo at about 9:25.

Excerpt from a Recent DKO Performance

Posted on January 2, 2012 by John Keston

This improvised piece from my trio DKO was recorded live at the Kitty Cat Klub on December 16, 2011 (live mix by Ryan Olcott and post mix by John Keston) and features Jon Davis on bass, John Keston on keyboards (that’s me), and Graham O’Brien on drums. For more music, information about DKO, and booking please visit dkomusic.tumblr.com. My rig on this track included two of my favorite standbys; the Rhodes electric piano and my newly calibrated Pro-One. I also had my Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Delay on a send and used the Korg Monotron for some atonal synthesizer textures.

Pro-One Self Oscillating Kick

Posted on December 6, 2011 by John Keston

This Pro-One kick sound was whipped up quickly during a session with Michael Moline, Miditerranean using the self oscillating filter property.

Pro-One-Self-Oscillating-Kick

Roland MKS-80 Lead

Posted on December 5, 2011 by John Keston

I recently came across this lead produced on the MKS-80 with the GMS during a performance last August. Throughout the recording you can hear the LFO speed changing along with my usual real-time filter adjustments made with the Bitstream 3X.

MKS-80 Lead from Live Set

COMPOUND Kickstarter Project

Posted on December 2, 2011 by John Keston

There is a Kickstarter project that I would like you to e aware of titled, COMPOUND. This is a book project by graduate students at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). The title of the project comes from the huge studio space that we share in South Minneapolis, affectionately known as COMPOUND.

COMPOUND is a 156-page publication compiling 22 artists and designers. The book is broken up into two sections: the first section of the book includes artist reviews, interviews with COMPOUND members, and pieces of writing that the artists and designers consider influential or inspirational to their work. The second section correlates the text section with the individual contributor’s visual practice. Samples of each artist’s and designer’s work is presented in full color on high quality matte paper. In addition to the two sections there is a secondary narrative that runs through the publication that timelines the development of the studio space that we all share: our COMPOUND. The book ends with a detailed index that includes a brief artist statement from everyone involved.

Pro-One Calibration and J-Wire Cleaning

Posted on December 2, 2011 by John Keston

I recently cleaned the j-wires and re-calibrated my Sequential Circuits Pro-One. I cleaned the j-wires and the contact bar with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swaps, although proper contact cleaner is recommended. I also gently bent a few of the wires to improve the connection to the contact bar.

I knew about the calibration problem prior to any of this maintenance, but I noticed it even more after cleaning the j-wires. I’m not sure why this would be the case, but I resolved to take a stab at the calibration myself having not attempted it before. Looking on the scope I could see that an octave on the keyboard was actually a quarter tone sharp and therefore unplayable. I made the necessary adjustments for both oscillators and now it sounds great.

After the calibration I produced this sequence entirely on the Pro-One in a single take by programming two short sequences into the on-board sequencer. The first sequence was played at several pitches to create a progression. I also switched off the oscillator sync at the same time I switched to the second sequence to create an octave doubling of the melody then re-enabled the sync at 1:41.

Pro-One-Sequence-Calibrated

Ostraka with Miditerranean

Posted on November 29, 2011 by John Keston

I recorded this all analog synthesizer jam recently while my friend and fellow synthesist Michael Moline, otherwise known as Miditerranean, was visiting. I played an arpeggio on the Roland MKS-80 while Michael made noises on my Pro-One. In addition I played a few notes on the Roland Juno-106 for some additional melodic content.

Ostraka_with_Miditerranean

D.O.G. (DKO/Ostracon/Ghostband) Debut

Posted on November 28, 2011 by John Keston

Don’t miss the debut of D.O.G. Three people, three bands, three totally distinct concepts. This event features performances by DKO, Ostracon, and Ghostband, Wednesday, November 30 at the Honey Lounge, 205 E. Hennepin, Minneapolis, MN (Doors at 9:00pm, 3 bands, $5 cover, 18+).
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