FEATURE Brian Transeau, aka BT, has got the world minutes]. There are two pieces that have a 110- exactly where he wants it. Over 10 years ago piece orchestra on them; there’s a piece written he took on the superclubs of the world with a entirely in code; in one movement of another BT string of thumping dancefloor anthems. BT piece, I’m playing mandolin, glockenspiel, is also an accomplished muso, so he laces his concertina, cello, and acoustic guitar with records with his own guitar, piano, glockenspiel forks… and the whole thing alternates between THIS (and whatever else he can lay his hands on) 7/8, 5/4 and 6/4, and it doesn’t sound like performances. He doesn’t class himself as a a wanky Frank Zappa record. It’s insanely BINARY singer, but after being convinced to keep some evocative, with a ton of emotion in it. One vocal performances on his albums, many of the most exciting things, however, is each UNIVERSE would disagree. BT, likes the movies, so he’s piece on this album is being turned into a film. now a sought after sound track producer. BT So friends of mine who are videographers likes having a chat… so he’s courted by many and animators, have taken each piece and are a music/audio conference to discuss his take making them into a short film. BT might have made a name for on the latest in music technology. BT enjoys Gomez: So this isn’t your average DVD audio himself in the ’90s as a purveyor computers, so he designs his own sound- disc, it’s a full-on film DVD. What a huge generating devices – a couple of which you and project! No wonder you’re so proud of it. of dancefloor anthems, and in I will be able to buy pretty soon (much more recent years for his film scores… on this later). In short, BT is what Australians BT: Sure. And one of the most exciting things would lovingly call a ‘smart arse’. But it’s rare to for me was to play this record to friends of mine but now it’s his own line of sound find a 24-carat audio geek that’s so charismatic, who are pro musicians, and for them to turn to mangling ‘custom gadgets’ that’s and so insightful. So I jumped at the chance me 10 times or more during the listen and go to track down this passionate aficionado of all ‘what the hell was that noise!?’, and to literally ringing BT’s bells the most. things musical to his home studio in LA for a have no clue what it was or what instrument it Text: Gomez chat while he was stopping for a rare breather. came from. Ali from Deep Dish turned to me a dozen times and was like, ‘that’s spectacular, I Gomez: One of the two studio albums you’ve have no idea what that sound is’. I love that! recently been working on fascinates me. It’s in 5.1, and there are rumours that it’s more Gomez: It’s always good to have friends who computer code than instrumentation. Spill the can offer honest opinions and I’m thinking that beans! would have been especially valuable to you on such an unusual project. BT: Sure thing. The one you’re talking about is called This Binary Universe. It started out as a compositional idea, and I dabbled on the BT: That’s a really good point. It’s awesome edges of it with some of my score work. It’s playing music for your musician friends because based on three main thoughts. Thought ‘A’ is: they can appreciate it and understand the I wanted to take the classical music I’ve studied work that’s gone into it. Saying that, I also and write a piece of music that has an overt love playing music for my friends who aren’t classical influence. Thought ‘B’ is that I wanted musicians because the response you evoke is to write a bunch of classical music in the style entirely emotional and nothing to do with of the jazz music I’ve studied, which involves a understanding the technical proficiency or lot of asymmetrical meter and iso-rhythms, and knob twiddling… and as a musician that’s things outside the realm of 4/4. Thought ‘C’ is beautiful to witness, and I think, ultimately, I’m building these instruments that are capable more valuable. of making unbelievable sounds that people have literally never heard before and I wanted a stage Gomez: And you’re taking This Binary Universe to put them on. out live? Gomez: That’s some fairly out-there criteria to BT: I am. We’re taking it on the road later this start a composition. What next? year, and performing it in 5.1. And instead of performing in 5000-people halls and at venues BT: The first piece I wrote for the album is for dance parties, we’re choosing sit-down called Dynamic Symmetry, and after listening venues, with surround sound and surround back to it I was thinking that it was the projection. I’m going to encourage people to strangest thing I’d written in my whole life – I either sit or lay on the floor and I’m going to be didn’t know if it would make sense to anyone, sitting down for the whole performance playing but I loved it. I loved it so much, I couldn’t sleep all my custom gadgets and instruments. It’s – and that hasn’t happened to me for a long going to be myself, Ben Grossman that played time. I played it to my friend Patty [Jenkins, Ville â Roue (or Hurdy-Gurdy) – a 5th-century who directed the film Monster] and she said, string instrument on the Monster soundtrack, “You have to make this into a record Brian, it’s and lots of other guest musicians. I’m really brilliant. You have to write more of this music, excited about taking this on the road and even it it’s just for me to write to.” showing it to people. So I moved on and wrote the second piece GO GO GADGETS and the third piece, and before I knew it Gomez: Can you tell me more about the I was obsessively focused on finishing this electronic sound sources for This Binary record. And what’s so cool about this album, Universe? is it’s actually not an album, it’s seven full-on compositions [the shortest of which is 11 BT: A lot of the instruments begin in C- Sound Ensemble. C-Sound is a computer AT 50 AT 51 “ I’m building these instruments that are capable of making unbelievable sounds that people have literally never heard before” BT – HONORARY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN? programming language for dealing with sound stutter edit technique [something BT’s records BT’s other imminent studio album is decidedly more and I’ve started leaking some of my C-Sound are renowned for] and it’s meant to be used by mainstream than This Binary Universe and has a real codes in my blogs online ‘cause one of the pieces performing electronic musicians. I’m finding Australian whiff about it. in This Binary Universe is written entirely in that there are holes in what’s being made for BT: I was in Australia last September touring, and while code. Actually, it’s written and mixed entirely in studio technology for making sound, so I’m we were in South Australia we stayed in a small town C-Sound code, which is cool I think. making a line of instruments to do things that outside Normanville and made such good friends there. I like and want to see happen in music and that We rented a little house, set up a couple of rigs and I Gomez: The word is you’ve set up a company wrote 17 songs there! I can’t remember the name of the called Sonik Architects to develop and market I know are unique and cutting edge… and that place but the place was that small we knew everybody in your own ‘custom gadgets’. At what point did excites me a lot. I’m also making a line of plug- the first three days. It was cool. That album is definitely you realise that your own music needed your ins for performing electronic musicians because for the dancefloor and I had fun doing it as it’s been a I’m out there playing with a laptop and have while since I’ve done one of those. own software devices? been for seven years. So I want to see more tools BT: It happened about 10 years ago, but it’s put into people’s hands, giving them the ability taken me that long to get pissed off enough to to do true live remixing. Stutter Edit is the first, get off my arse, and say ‘you know what…? and is going to blow people away. I’m going to stop complaining, and make some Gomez: things that are really useful’. The development What platforms are these going to be process actually started happening about two available on? years ago and that’s when I was formally BT: We’re using XCode for the Mac, and we’re introduced to the program C-Sound, and I porting both to VST for the PC. I am also started to spend some time with it and learnt seriously thinking about making hardware how to code in it.