Back in 2023 I was trying to learn how to use my amazing new sequencer, the OXI One (there’s a newer Mk II out now). There’s so much you can do with it, and it’s tons of fun to play with, so I set up a track that included sequenced drums, bass, synths, and some sample triggers. I was inspired by old Cabaret Voltaire and Berlin School electronic vibes, and for the first time ever, I wanted to control everything live. It was exhilarating, but also terrifying, and this cut is my favorite take.

The Music

The drums are a bit chaotic because of the probability settings, but I like how they provide forward momentum, along with a basic bass pulse that keeps everything together. On top of that are a couple of analog-style synths controlled by the Matriceal mode of the sequencer that allow note patterns of different lengths and speeds to play against one another, drifting in and out of sync with one another. That’s the “drift” part of the name. Throw in some mod wheel macros, echo throws, a bank of wild synth effects, and a fuzzy guitar riff, and I had my components assembled.

Then, I actually had to perform with them. I did take, after take, after take, and it was hard. I felt like a plate spinner, there was so much going on that I had to track and control. Is this what it’s like to be a traditional musician? I imagine that’s even more difficult, and I can see how important practice is because after all of those takes, I finally hit this one, and loved it. It felt good to perform this without a net, but it was so stressful that I ended up dropping it as a workflow. So there this track sat, in a folder on my computer, for years.

Fast forward to this time last year, when I was getting down on myself because I hadn’t released any new music since Obscured dropped in 2024. I needed a creative win, so I dug this track out, remastered it, made a cool retro cover for it, and stuck it up on Bandcamp. It was the softest of launches, though. I only mentioned it in the newsletter, and it didn’t get its own post. Until now.

Why now? Because it’s time, and I’d actually like to continue in this experimental electronic zone with some new sonic explorations, so I’ll be adding to this track to create a full six-track EP. It’ll be weird, for sure, but I’m excited about this new creative direction and hope you enjoy it, too. I’m currently trying to find a way to have Bandcamp add the rest of the tracks as they’re released, at no extra cost (it’s free anyway), so that you don’t have to wait until the whole EP is done to add it to your collection.

The Video

I wanted the video to keep the same experimental approach as the music, and boy, did it ever. This thing is weird. I decided to explore the nature of noise and fuzz, contexts that are mostly considered auditory and tactile, in video form. That’s why everything is constantly shifting and snowy, a kind of spectral pointillism. I think I like the pastel analog video noise from this effect best. I’ve also been thinking a lot about my old college radio days, when I shared a weekend psychedelic show (the “Anderson Council Freak Out”) with my friend Dave who recently reconnected with me. That’s why you’ll see a kaleidoscope (2:16), a slit-scan stargate (2:59), and a robot-cranked moiré sequence (4:31) in there.

I picked films from the Prelinger Archives that featured old-school technology and industry, along with loops from my library that include the incomparable Micah Buzan. I also have to give a shout out to Jason Szostek’s fantastic use of government film audio in Atomic Cabaret from his groundbreaking mid-80s Free World Amagi album with Steve Wytas. It’s still inspiring me, decades later.

This video was created with my new setup, where no generative image, music, or video models are used and the rendering is done entirely on my solar-powered computer, not in some remote data center. Claude builds the code to put everything together, we iterate on my ideas, and end up with the final result. The way it interprets my instructions adds a lot of interesting aspects to the process, because something completely unexpected will sometimes appear and be a perfect fit, like the pattern it chose for the robot to crank. I loved that, and immediately got excited thinking about how it could evolve throughout the sequence.

It’s a fascinating collaboration. What’s created isn’t just what I’ve specifically chosen, it’s what results from exploring options together during the course of production, sparking new ideas and sending me in new directions. I find that amazing. It also retains my strange ideas and not-quite-perfect choices, so it feels very “me” indeed, and that tracks nicely with the song itself, which is my first, and thus far only, live performance.

I haven’t let go of my desire to perform live; I just need to find a way that works for me. When I could finally take a breath after the take that became this release, it felt so satisfying. I’m not giving up!

Credits

  • Music: composed and performed live by Tom Gromak, August 18, 2023
  • Video: Tom Gromak, with code by Claude (Anthropic), rendered locally
  • Archival footage: Prelinger Archives: Threads of Technology (1970, Raytheon), including NASA Apollo imagery, and On Guard! (1956, IBM)
  • Animation: Micah Buzan
  • Cover art: Tom Gromak

No generative music, video, or image models were used for this track. The video and music were rendered entirely on my own solar-powered computer.