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Audio, Paisley Babylon news

Paisley Babylon Moves Into The Bridgeport Art Center

STUDIOLABback cover

Paisley Babylon has taken up residence in StudioLab, located in Chicago’s Bridgeport Art Center. PB is working on soundtrack and sound design projects there–some interesting approaches to visual art that include paintings and drawings that require accompanying soundscapes.

PB is also putting the finishing touches on a new album release called Sex Sells, But Who’s Buying?

There is a lot going on in the PB universe…updates coming. PB is branching out more into visual art than ever before…a PB show is coming this summer.

In the meantime you can follow me on Instagram or join me on Facebook for the latest.

Audio, Gear, Live Shows, Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Theremin Babylon At Capricon 34 Wheeling Illinois

 

theremin babylon performance

I always like to say that I am ALL of Paisley Babylon and HALF of Binary Partners, so when BP performs, technically speaking that’s Paisley Babylon up there albeit in a different band….but I am still playing the theremin.

SO, Paisley Babylon will be part of the insanity at Capricon 34 in Wheeling, Illinois when Binary Partners performs an all-ages live show on the 15th floor where the Capricon party suites are located. The show is Saturday February 8 at 9PM. More information is at

https://www.facebook.com/events/353530414774589/

–Joe Wallace

Audio, Gear, Live Shows, Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Theremin Babylon Live In Chicago Saturday 1 Feb 2014 @Jerry’s 1938 W. Division

Joe Wallace Theremin-Paisley-Babylon-Chicago analog moogAs all of Paisley Babylon, I write a lot of music using the theremin, and as half of Binary Partners I perform live using the theremin exclusively as of late. My last five shows have featured the theremin as my main instrument, and the one coming this Saturday 1 Feb is no exception.

I will perform theremin duties once more on stage as half of Binary Partners at Jerry’s, located at 1938 W. Division Street in Chicago. This show will likely be the most insane one to date as I’m running a ridiculous number of effects pedals and creating a theremin sound so large and threatening that some could mistake it for natural phenomena.

That’s NOT to say that this is a NOISE show per se–it is NOT that–but with this setup the theremin is capable of damn near weaponized volumes of sound. I prefer to use such things as punctuation, not as the whole sentence, as it were. But the loud-quiet-loud approach worked great for The Pixies, so why not with BP?

I’ve been using the theremin more and more in my soundtrack work and it’s gratifying that more people are interested in these sounds. It should be said, I’m no Clara Rockmore–I have no interest in playing sonatas with my instrument. Call me the J.G. Thirlwell of the theremin and you’re barking up the right tree.

Come out on Saturday to Jerry’s to see what all the fuss is about.

–Joe Wallace

Audio, Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Paisley Babylon Tracks You Should Hear

Audio

There has been a lot of Paisley Babylon studio time happening–this is a cross section of the sounds evolving in the last six months or so. A bit of dub here, a bit of Chicago industrial there, Theremin and Space Echo, it’s been a fun cocktail of sound to be immersed in.

I don’t know why I’ve been sitting on these for so long, they were immensely enjoyable to experience when they were created….indulge your choice of recreational consumption and have a listen to these:

Audio, Gear, Paisley Babylon news

Paisley Babylon = Theremin Babylon

Theremin Paisley Babylon Chicago theremin bandPaisley Babylon has long used the theremin, but as of late the instrument is finding its way to the forefront a lot more. I’ve been debating changing the name to Theremin Babylon, that’s how much I love this instrument. I’ve run Paisley Babylon more or less part time in the last two years due to a variety of concerns including my work in professional audio for film and television, but I feel that pull back into live performing, touring and recording. It’s time for a change.

So Paisley Babylon goes for a bigger footprint, more recording and touring, session work, etc. The theremin is a very big part of all that and I look forward to collaborating with other people on tours, recordings and other projects. The theremin brings such a unique sound to the process that I can’t help but think there are plenty of people out there who want to include it in their recordings.

If you are one of those people, do get in touch–I’d love to discuss your project and what it needs from the theremin. Feel free to e-mail me at jwallace242@gmail.com to talk about projects, shows, and collaboration.

The theremin can be a unique noisemaker and sonic texture instrument, but it also has a lovely instrumental quality all its own. It can be musical as well as noisy, surreal, and psychedelic.

–Joe Wallace