Artist Turns Ball Bearings on a Spinning Turntable Into a MIDI Drum Machine

Artist and musician Graham Dunning, who previously used a heavily modified turntable to create a mechanical techno song, placed ball bearings on a spinning turntable. This, in turn, triggered a MIDI drum machine to play a constant stream of 16th-note triplets.

The ball-bearings activate switches which play a TR-8 drum machine via MIDI.

This experiment is part of Dunning’s PhD thesis called “Mechanical Techno: extended turntable as live assemblage”, which looks at how electronic music can be created using unusual instrument systems

As a project Mechanical Techno uniquely bridges several fields of research: experimental turntable practice, electronic dance music, sound art, and new musical instrument design. The research project shows a new body of work developed across these areas. A portfolio comprises documentation of a live performance, studio recordings, musical instrument designs, and new collaborations.

More of Dunning’s Work

Turntable Plays Mechanical Techno Song

via The Awesomer