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:
Paisley 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
Joe Wallace performs as half of Binary Partners when he isn’t working solo as Paisley Babylon. Binary Partners is playing a show at Spectrum in New York City on Friday . Wallace is playing Theremin, tape manipulations, and echo machines on Friday as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Thanatos album “This Endless Night Inside”.
Paisley Babylon ideas, imagery, and aesthetics are well represented by Binary Partners, but BP features more Burroughs and more emphasis on sound design as music. It should be a pretty heady evening indeed!
Tonight, September 7, 2013, DJ Paisley Babylon spins a set as part of tonight’s Constantly Consuming Culture art show put on by Mapanare.us. The show opens at 6:30 PM tonight (September 7 2013) at 222 North Desplaines Chicago, IL on the lower level. Artists in the show: John Airo, Julia Hamilton, Elyse Martin, Gretchen Hasse, Serena Toxicat (San Francisco) John Schedler and Mikey Peterson.
DJ Paisley Babylon is part of Turntabling.net, which archives, sells and performs with rare, weird and hard-to-find sounds on LP and CD. Paisley Babylon shares the decks tonight with Tim Larson from Chicago’s own Tim Larson and the Owner Operators. The DJ Paisley Babylon set includes Ennio Morricone remixes, Italian lounge, dub, some electronic industrial, and an extended play set of Binary Partners tracks and unreleased material.
Turntabling and Paisley Babylon have been involved in a number of Chicago art and media events including shows by OhNo! Doom! and the Paisley Babylon Beautiful Chaos project which was featured at the 2010 Music Box Massacre and in the Not The Film Room at Capricon 32 in 2012.
The Constantly Consuming Culture art show opens Saturday September 7 2013 at 6:30 PM. It’s located at 222 North Desplaines Chicago, IL on the lower level. The Turntabling set features DJ Paisley Babylon, AKA Joe Wallace.
For more information, see the Mapanare official Facebook events page for the show.
DJ Paisley Babylon is available for booking: I do art shows, film festivals, media events, private gatherings and similar events. The Paisley Babylon experience includes a specially curated collection of retro sounds featuring dub, Italian lounge, gothic/industrial, new wave, and unusual vinyl. This isn’t your typical party DJ experience–it’s a retro groovy/sinister flashback experience that covers a wide range of sounds and atmospheres ranging from pure chill-out to Halloween party-creepy depending on the event.
For booking, contact jwallace@turntabling.net
The Constantly Consuming Culture art show runs from September 7 to September 13. Gallery hours are September 9 to 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday September 8 or other times by appointment. For more info on the show itself or to book an appointment to see the work, go to ConstantlyConsumingCulture.com.
The Paisley Babylon album Chemical Erotica is finally in its finishing stages and will be available for purchase and download within a week or two. There are 14 hallucinatory tracks that promise unusual journeys into inner and outer space.
Look for more details on the album soon including free downloads, exclusive tracks and more…