Category Archives: Theremin

Adding The Moog Theremini To The Paisley Babylon Live Show

October 3, 2014 paisleyb

So yesterday (October 2 2014) I took delivery of the Moog Theremini, which is a fun and intriguing re-boot of the traditional theremin. I am sure traditionalists would be violently ill at the prospect of a tone-lockable theremin that features built-in presets, effects and a USB interface, but I had a lot of fun recording with this yesterday and it definitely has a place in the Paisley Babylon live setup.

Pros–it has built in effects which can be bypassed, it has a CV out, and can be manipulated on the fly while performing with it. Cons–it requires some fussing to calibrate, the presets range from really cool to massively cheesy, and the built-in speaker feels a bit “training wheels” to me, but no matter. Paisley Babylon has, so far, found some inventive and fun uses for the Theremini in the recording studio.

Next time I plan on outputting the CV to the Paisley Babylon Moog Little Phatty to see what that does to for the recording process. Add some echo boxes and an Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy and you have the makings for some spaced out fun in the studio.

Also, I’ll be working on some demonstration videos of the Moog Theremini–stay tuned for that.

–Joe Wallace

Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Paisley Babylon News

October 1, 2014 paisleyb

Paisley Babylon is back in the studio again recording tracks for a new album–as outdated as that concept seems to be these days, it’s still the most economical one for those who have a smaller budget than say, The Cure.

One of the most exciting developments is the addition of the Moog Theremini to the PB gear list, and it will be great fun exploring and taking full advantages of the limitations and quirks of this new instrument.

PB has been an on-again, off-again affair for a long time now, but only recently do I find myself in the position to pursue Paisley Babylon music on a more fulltime basis. This should be quite an interesting journey to say the least, but one that’s been some time in coming. More details as they come, but suffice it to say that things should start getting more active around here in the meantime.

–Joe Wallace

Live Shows, Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Paisley Babylon Joins Comfort Films and The Logan Square International Film Series “Silent Films + Loud Music”

May 9, 2014 paisleyb

Paisley Babylon is proud to be a part of the film series “Silent Films+Loud Music” presented by Comfort Station Logan Square in Chicago, and the Logan Square International Film Series. On August 6, Paisley Babylon will be bringing live sound design, vinyl mash-ups and original music/atmospheres with theremin, sythesizer, melodica and more to accompany the silent film Aelita Queen Of Mars, a silent movie made in Russia about three years before the release of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

This is a pretty interesting experiment for Paisley Babylon and if the performance goes well, I’ll be looking to take this show on the road to perform in other spaces with the film and others like it. Silent films like this, depending on the print, exist in the public domain and it’s a great opportunity to take a work that hasn’t gotten much love (as opposed to Nosferatu and Metropolis) and bring a new dimension to it using technology old and new.

Stay tuned for details, I’ll provide times and location information closed to the event…

–Joe Wallace

Blog, Live Shows, Paisley Babylon news, Theremin

Paisley Babylon Performs @ CIMMFest 2014

May 3, 2014 paisleyb

Paisley Babylon was added as a last-moment stand-in act for a group that couldn’t make the Friday night CIMMFest Shorts From The Winnipeg Film Festival show at Comfort Station in Chicago.

Paisley Babylon has been absent from the stage for a variety of reasons lately, but last night marked a much overdue return. The show included the usual theremin performance, but added spacey harmonica and melodica into the mix–something that’s been needed for some time.

PB has been active at StudioLab in a variety of ways…more on the strange intersection of art and PB music there in another blog post…

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

Theremin Babylon At Capricon 34 Wheeling Illinois

February 5, 2014 paisleyb

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

Adventures in Stereo