Today I gave a  Q&A session at the V&A it was part of the SAP Digital Design Weekend. There were loads of other events and talks by different artists like Memo Akten and Jason Bruges and the amazing Decode exhibit. I will be giving the talk again tomorrow same time same place.

I also ran a circuit bending workshop earlier that morning for NESTA as part of the idiscover programme which was really good fun and the students really enjoyed it too. They were able to create a fully working circuit bent keyboard for each of them to take home at the end of the workshop. You can listen to the sounds they made below.

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To celebrate the impending release of  “Observations” I have decided to release the full film of “Obsolete?” for you to enjoy. Note : “Function” is meant to be just a black screen, because it is scary.

I got to give a work in progress report to the researcher at the Institute of Astronomy about the “Observations” project, and play them a few extracts from the new piece and explain some of the ideas behind the work. Although it went down well, it was pretty tough for me because I wanted to dazzle them but I had to save all the really big moments for the performances on March 12th & 13th.

I am very excited about it, it is both new and yet linked to “Obsolete?” rhythmically in places.  The events on the 12th & 13th are free and are at the Sackler Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge between 7:30pm and 9:00pm which includes a performance and Q&A afterwards.

A lot of public talking today about four hours actually! Two events. First up was a visit to ATM Norwich which I am a patron of to talk about chip tune music, circuit bending with some level three students, who asked some very good questions and showed some good lateral thinking with regards to their own music. Secondly was “Decent Exposure” a Q & A on how to deal with the press, I was on a panel with Wendy Roby of Drowned in Sound, Bob Patterson of BPA Live Agency, Bobbi Coppen of All About Promotions and Alex Mann of the Musicians Union. It was very nice to do something for the Musicians Union, who have been very supportive of me in the past. Again good questions were asked and the crowd enjoyed the evening.

Observations from Pixelh8 on Vimeo.

“Observations” is an audio visual study of the people, machines and practices at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University. Culminating in two performances on 12th &13th of March, 2010 at 7.30pm during the Cambridge Science Festival.

The piece poses the question of “What does it mean to be an Astronomer?” and how it has evolved; from observations with the unaided eye and the first telescopic studies 400 years ago, to modern telescopes and satellites collecting data across the full reach of the spectrum, and the importance of theoretical study of astronomical concepts such as cosmology.

Following on from the successful “Obsolete?” in 2009 at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, Matthew C. Applegate aka Pixelh8 internationally renowned “chip tune” musician will be directing, composing and performing this entirely new piece.

All of the sounds in the music will be recorded from the machines, people and interpreted from the data they collect at the Institute. This includes electro-mechanical, mechanical, and ambience as well as interviews with leading scientists and curious visitors to the Institute.

The work is supported by the researchers at The Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge and the outreach officer Dr. Carolin Crawford and was funded by the PRS for Music Foundation Live Connections award.

The PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF) is the UK’s largest independent funder of new music across all genres. Widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, the Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity – from unsigned band showcases to composer residencies, from commissions for new music to experimental live electronica. Since March 2000 PRSF has given more than £12 million to over 3,000 new music initiatives.

These are the early production shots from the piece “Warranty Void” from “Childhood Remixed“, the piece is a circuit bent Nintendo NES. For me when I was around twelve this was my first experience with both chip tune music and circuit bending, after a “traumatic” accident involving my NES I believed I could fix it so I broke it open and started poking the the screwdriver in various places whilst it was still turned on to see what would happen, very dangerous in hindsight. I learned from that early experimentation I was able to freeze a sound or tone, turn some sounds on or off and scramble the graphics.  It was really good to “go back” and recreate that initial encounter with that machine and the very moment that got me into the music I make. The piece will be on display in the Town Hall Galleries May 29 – July 11th as part of my “Childhood Remixed” project, allowing people to have a hands on experience of circuit bending and alter the graphics and sound without the risk of electrocution.

Two days in a row I did a Q&A with two different schools the Academy of St.Francis of Assisi and Holly Lodge Girls College and others at FACT, it was great some good questions coming out of the students, I demonstrated circuit bending, discussed “Obsolete?” and did a short mini-gig where the participants could ask questions in between songs about how and what I was doing to create the music.

Photos courtesy of Anna Kronenburg and Louise Latter @ FACT, Liverpool

Today I did a Computer Graphics Workshop with two different schools the Academy of St.Francis of Assisi and Holly Lodge Girls College at FACT, Liverpool as part of the current Space Invaders exhibition. They were a fantastic group, so good in fact we even had time to make sound effects for the game as well. The space was perfect as we could beam the game on a huge cinema screen as we were making it.

The game will be all edited and back to them in a week for them to play on in school and at home. Next up tonight “An Evening With Pixelh8” all sold out!!!