Content uploaded by Jason Joesph Bryce Hodgson
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Jason Joesph Bryce Hodgson on Jul 13, 2019
Content may be subject to copyright.
Circuit-Bending: A Micro History
Jason Hodgson
Introduction to topic of discussion
The topic of this discussion is to collect and analyse the evidence for Circuit-Bending as a
legitimate form of art and its place in the musicological canon. Further, there will be a short
examination on potential and current applications of this tool outside of the field of music
and art. Circuit-Bending in and of itself is not a musical genre or sub-genre; rather it is a way
of creating and building your own instrument by repurposing and augmenting electronic
objects such as toys. This practice can be likened to John Cage’s prepared piano
1
, or more
recently to Peter Ablinger’s Speaking Piano
2
, in that these artists have augmented and
subverted what is already in existence to create new and unusual sounds. Cage’s techniques
however, are in and themselves not as innovative and without precedent as some might
claim. Diane Nelson cites Richard Bunger in arguing that the preparation of instrumentation
is not a new technique, and has been used by composers such as Maurice Ravel
3
. Nelson also
describes that the creation of strange and synthesised instruments has also been used prior
to Cage’s preparations
4
. One could also, by extension, compare circuit-bending to the use of
1
John Cage Trust, ‘How the Piano Came to be Prepared’, John Cage Trust -
http://johncage.org/prepared_piano_essay.html - accessed 14th January 2017
2
Peter Ablinger, ‘Speaking Piano’ Peter Ablinger - http://ablinger.mur.at/speaking_piano.html
accessed 8th January 2017
3
Maurice Ravel, ‘L'enfant et les sortilèges: Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties’, 1919-1925
4
Diane Nelson, ‘An Introduction to John Cage's Music for the Solo Prepared Piano’ American Music
Teacher, Vol. 36, No. 3 (1987), 42-43, 49
extended techniques on acoustic instruments, thus placing Circuit-Bending within a long
history of subverting existing and other technologies and techniques.
Reed Ghazala, commonly referred to as the father of Circuit-Bending
5
, also likens it to
the creation of an instrument ‘made from a coconut washed-up on the shore.’, he continues
by listing instruments that could be created by augmenting this coconut, such as ‘a rattle
(idiophone)’, or ‘as a resonator for a stringed instrument (chordophone).’
6
. Further
examination of this idea will be made later, but for this researcher, the attraction of circuit
bending is rooted here. There is a great feeling of discovering lost and potential treasure
when one first opens a new “found” piece of electronic detritus and beginning to discover
how it can be manipulated, much as a sculptor may see the potential in a piece of driftwood.
The Circuit-Bending community in the UK defines Circuit-Bending at its most basic
level ‘the technique of rewiring the electronics of just about anything that makes a noise to
create a machine capable of sounds the original designers would have never thought
possible.’
7
. Circuit-bending can also be used to manipulate the visual output of an object.
Although it has a fifty year “history”, Circuit-Bending has only recently been brought to a
wider audience with popular groups such as The Chemical Brothers and Bloc Party
8
. Other
artists such as REM, My Chemical Romance and Twisted have been discussed on circuit-
5
Trevor Pinch ‘“Bring on Sector Two!” The sounds of bent and broken circuits’, Sound Studies, 2, 1
(2016): 36-51
6
Qubais Reed Ghazala, ‘The Folk Music of Chance Electronics, Circuit-Bending the Modern Coconut.’
Anti-Theory – http://www.anti-theory.com/texts/lmj/ - accessed 22 December 2016
7
Paul Norris, ‘Recycling Noise Since 2001’ – http://circuitbenders.co.uk – accessed 2 January 2017
8
Ibid
bending forums in regards to utilising circuit-bent instruments
9
. Such is the level of production
in these works, that the place of the circuit-bent items may not be immediately discernible to
the listener’s ear, but at this point, this element is not of prime concern to this discussion.
The concern however, is placed solely on the practical applications of this tool and technique
which has only recently been disseminated into the wider populaces knowledge.
One of the challenges in the preparation of this discussion is the discovery that
compared to other techniques or sub-sections of musical technique, except for the extensive
writings by Ghazala himself, little information exists that directly debates or discusses Circuit-
Bending in any detail, as opposed to, or as mentioned as part of a broader conversation about
music and instrumentation, hence the need for this discourse to boost the claim of legitimacy
for the art. Although there are a few limited resources, in order for this exploration to be
written, and for an argument in favour of this tool and technique, it was necessary to contact
some of the key people involved in the earlier stages of the development of Circuit-Bending.
Quite unusually the quotes will be larger than is usually utilised for such documentations, this
is partly because this was a condition of Ghazala granting an interview. The full conversations,
will be included at the end of this document in the form of an appendix in order to meet
Ghazala’s conditions in full.
9
Circuitbenders UK Forum, ‘Circuit bent devices used by popular musicians/bands?‘, Circuitbenders
Forum – https://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1305.0 (Replied on October 07,
2009) – accessed 27 December 2016
Reed Ghazala, the Father of Circuit-Bending
The origin of the technique of creating instruments from found electronic sources is difficult
to pin-down, with the art of electronic manipulation, and electronic instrument creation going
back at least 170 years with The Denis D’or, or the Golden Dionysis, being invented in 1748
by Václav Prokop Diviš
10
. However, in regards to circuit-bending, Reed Ghazala is commonly
quoted as being the father of circuit-bending
11
, and could also be considered as its earliest
and most fervent pioneer with his first being created when he was 14 between the years 1966
and 1967. Interestingly, and as with much of history, he was unaware at the time of the extent
of influence that his experimentations would have.
However, it wasn’t until 1992 that Ghazala coined the term Circuit-Bending in an issue
of Experimental Musical Instruments Magazine. Prior to this issue in 1992, EMI had initially
been dedicated to acoustic music, and therefore publishing it could be seen that Circuit-
Bending was starting to reach a wider audience roughly 25 years since Ghazala’s first
experimentation, or more appropriately his discovery.
On his website, in an expanded edition of a journal article he wrote for MIT Press he
describes his discovery:
In a rush to find a forgotten item for a lost-in-time project, […] I closed my desk drawer
and the world changed. […]
10
Simon Crab, ‘The Denis D’Or “Golden Dionysis”, Václav Prokop Diviš. Czech republic, 1748’, 120
Years of Electronic Music: The history of electronic music from 1800 to 2015 –
http://120years.net/1748-denis-dor/ - accessed 23 December 2016
11
Trevor Pinch ‘“Bring on Sector Two!” The sounds of bent and broken circuits’, Sound Studies, 2, 1
(2016): 36-51
In my drawer a small battery-powered amplifier's back had fallen off, exposing the
circuit. It was shorting-out against something metal causing the circuit to act as an
audio oscillator. In fact, the pitch was continuously sweeping upward to a peak, over
and over again.
12
Ghazala then talks about how ‘if this can happen by accident, what can happen by purpose?’,
and ‘what might happen if you short-out circuits that already make a sound, like keyboards
and radios and toys?’
13
The answer to this question can be seen in the breadth and depth of the Circuit-
bending community today, with forums, clubs, hobbyists and businesses all based around the
concept of Circuit-bending. With the introduction of microcontrollers such as the BBC micro-
bit
14
, and circuit building for sound into the schools’ current technology curriculum
15
if
anything, the opportunities for building the skills that could lead to a child exploring Circuit-
Bending with more pre-knowledge than Ghazala had upon his first explorations. This could
allow circuit-bending to become part of the mainstream arsenal of techniques and
instruments, and therefore accepted into the canon, is greater than ever.
12
Qubais Reed Ghazala, ‘The Folk Music of Chance Electronics, Circuit-Bending the Modern
Coconut.’ Anti-Theory – http://www.anti-theory.com/texts/lmj/ - accessed 22 December 2016
13
Ibid
14
For more information see: http://microbit.org/teach/
15
Just one example of the combination of circuit building and sound as a teaching tool can be found
at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/amplifier-speaker-project-step-by-step-guide-6197011
From discussion with Ghazala, it became clear that the act of discovery,
experimentation, and of chance, are all important elements of the art. This was later
reiterated in another interview with John A. Hajeski:
[…] the intuition and desire to experiment are important parts of circuit bending. […]
Discovering interesting sounds through the process is very rewarding as well as
developing new ways to create the sounds. Sometimes I go back to earlier projects and
discover new and different ways to create sounds that I had overlooked previously.
16
Further on, Ghazala describes in great length his process of the bending of his first instrument.
He mentions that he placed the circuit into ‘a larger housing’, and added ‘rotary switches to
short circuit paths’. Ghazala then said that he ‘could run the new circuits through various
resistors, capacitors, diodes, photo cells, and any other electrical component [he] could find.’.
It is clear that circuit-bending does not involve much pre-planning. Finding out how
the circuit is going to react is almost akin to making an instrument out of that coconut;
eventually people may end up doing similar things, or vastly different things, but the size of
the coconut, the shape, the density, and the exploration made by the maker is all needed to
shape the end result.
Ghazala continues, talking about how ‘[he] discovered places on the circuit that, if
touched, would make the circuit howl’. It is a fair statement, and one Ghazala would agree
with, that at the time he was creating his first bent instrument, he had no expectations, no
preconceived idea of what his instrument would sound like. At that moment in time, Ghazala
16
Interview with John A Hajeski, answer to question 5, Appendix 2.
was also learning about electronics and what new sounds he could make as he went along
17
.
There was no book that would teach him the things he was learning. This is probably the most
important factoid about circuit-bending; the person doing the bending, needs very little
knowledge. Yes, it could be agreed that basic health and safety is required, and even Ghazala
admits that when writing his guides he presumes the person on the other end has a basic
knowledge of how to solder
18
, but that is all that is needed. One does not require any in-depth
knowledge about the inner-workings of the toy they are bending.
Circuit-Bending as Canon
No-one can deny that Circuit-Bending exists, however it still leaves the question as to whether
it fits within the musicological canon, and if it does, where it belongs. It is not simply enough
to say that it is noise-art. This does not provide enough justification for its place in music
history. One argument that may provide this material is the concept that circuit-bending is a
continuation of instrument creation from discarded items. Referring back to the Coconut
analogy used in the introduction of this discussion, Ghazala says that:
Our society's electronic discards, like coconuts fallen to the sea, collect at the high-tide
lines of garage sales and flea markets, second-hand shops and garbage bins. Circuit-
bending sees these circuits as the island native saw the coconut. These circuits are
17
Qubais Reed Ghazala, Circuit-Bending: Build Your Own Alien Instruments, (Indianapolis, Wiley
Publications Inc.), 4
18
Qubais Reed Ghazala, ‘Circuit-Bending’ Anti-Theory – http://www.anti-
theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/ - accessed 22 December 2016
coconuts of our island. Adapt the coconut, adapt the circuit. Circuit-bending, seen as
art, was inevitable.
19
This inevitability of Circuit-bending can also be evidenced by the fact that Hajeski was
experimenting with a similar technique around the same time. In the interview, Hajeski
referred to this as ‘synchronicity’, Hajeski also mentions that ‘Reed coined the phrase circuit
bending and I was not aware of that until I met him after reading his work in EMI magazine’
20
.
A more solid argument can be sought by looking at how organisations, musicians, and
artist who have already established themselves as part of music history and its canon, have
and are reacting to circuit-bending.
At the time of writing this discussion, in 2016 Moog Music, a well-known proponent
for electronic instruments and music, hosted their 5th Annual Circuit Bending Challenge.
Furthermore, in their description page of the competition, they cite Ghazala as the art forms
pioneer
21
. This, if nothing else is enough to place circuit-bending into the canon.
In addition to this, a quick search on the internet will reveal hundreds of individuals,
and companies, including Moog, selling circuit-bent instruments and toys.
19
Qubais Reed Ghazala, ‘The Folk Music of Chance Electronics, Circuit-Bending the Modern
Coconut.’ Anti-Theory – http://www.anti-theory.com/texts/lmj/ - accessed 22 December 2016
20
Interview with John A Hajeski, answer to question 4, Appendix 2.
21
Moog, ‘5th Annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge’ Moog Music –
https://www.moogmusic.com/news/5th-annual-moog-circuit-bending-challenge - accessed 3
January 2016
Circuit-Bending: where does it fit?
As mentioned previously, circuit-bending is neither a genre or sub-genre; it is the art of
instrument creation, and circuit manipulation to create an output not originally intended by
the creators of the object. However, one of the topics of this discussion is to ponder where it
fits in the wider canon of music. In the previous sections, the history of the technique was
discussed, along with some of the impact it has had on the musical community since. If one
was to accept that circuit-bending does fit in the musicological canon, the question still
remains of where it fits. This is not as complicated as it sounds; after all, if a circuit-bent object
is only an instrument, it can therefore be treated like any acoustic instrument, in the respects
of where one could use it, and be used in any genre that the user so desires.
However, it must be taken into consideration that a circuit-bent instrument is
normally used in sound-art and sound-design
22
. But this may be because no-one quite knows
what to do with such experimental, and somewhat unpredictable instruments. After all, the
art of circuit-bending is often referred to as a chance based process (REF Int)
23
. With that
being said, recent trends are starting to change. Though there is yet to be any solid academic
evidence for popular groups such as REM, My Chemical Romance and Twisted using circuit-
bent instruments, the mention of these groups in forums discussing the topic should be of
note as the general populace believe these artists are using circuit-bent instruments. Whether
it is factual correct or not, should not be of huge importance to this exploration. Surely if there
is a consensus that artists use circuit-bent instruments, and that it is accepted as the norm,
22
Andy Farnel, ‘Sonarchy in the UK: is sound design a rebellious teenager?’ The New Soundtrack, 4, 2
(2014): 89-102
23
Interview with Qubais Reed Ghazala, answer to question 1, Appendix 1.
then this places circuit-bending into the wider musical community, beyond sound-art and
sound-design.
Also of note, is that Deadmau5, a well-known electronic/progressive house
performer/composer, can be seen in a video uploaded by a fan to be using a circuit-bent
speak-and-spell
24
, which can be heard in footage from the Sasquatch! Music Festival
(5/24/09) the following night
25
. Once again, although this is not traditionally an academic
resource, on this topic it has been seen that very little information from academic sources
exists, due to it being a recent (and even slow) ascent into the wider community, one might
even say that to an extent circuit-bending still hovers on the borders of having an
underground cult status. It therefore can be said that Deadmau5 enjoying and becoming
aware of such instruments, an included in a concert in an impromptu fashion, is ground-
breaking on its own, as it supports the concept that Circuit-bending is gradually becoming
accepted by modern mainstream popular musicians.
Not much more can be said on the musical applications of such instruments, for most
have yet to be discovered.
24
Ron Millar, ‘Deadmau5 playing with a circuit bent Speak & Spell I gave him’, Filmed [May 2009],
YouTube video, Posted [May 2009], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhaKb_950ZM
25
Deadmua5, ‘deadmau5 @ Sasquatch! Music Festival - 5/24/09’ Filmed [May 2009], YouTube
video, Posted [May 2009], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA0AHrhLzLE
Circuit-Bending and its applications, and Conclusion
However, whilst arguing whether circuit-bending should be considered a part of the
musicological canon, there has still been one element yet to be examined; its interdisciplinary
applications.
Whilst some may still dispute whether a circuit-bent toy could be considered a
“proper” musical instrument, it cannot be disputed that it’s practical applications outside of
musicking
26
are far from micro.
Firstly, as mentioned previously, one can consider circuit-bending as an easy entry into
the world of electronics. Further, MIT teaches this technique as part of their Music and
Theatre Arts programme
27
.
Secondly, one could consider circuit-bending as a BBC Radiophonic Workshop-esque
way of creating new sound effects for film and theatre shows. Jeffery Perkins discusses the
ground-breaking techniques used by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, in television and radio
shows such as Doctor Who, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Quatermass and the Pit,
among many others, as ‘a marvellous lash up of bits and pieces of gadgetry gradually picked
up over the years’
28
.
26
A term coined by Christopher Small in 1998 which refers to the of music as the activities
surrounding performance. See: Christopher Small, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and
Listening, Wesleyan University Press, 1998.
27
One example of an MIT lecture structure can found at: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-
theater-arts/21m-380-music-and-technology-contemporary-history-and-aesthetics-fall-
2009/lecture-notes-and-videos/MIT21M_380F09_lec17.pdf
28
Jeffery Perkins (ed.), Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio
Scripts, (London, Pan Books, 2003), 5
As has been seen, a discourse on the subject of Circuit-Bending and its place within
the musicological canon is needed in order to solidify the arguments made in this discussion.
Circuit-Bending is clearly starting to enter the mainstream with famous artists like Deadmau5
including bent toys in his concerts. Circuit-Bending can also be linked to the history of
instrument creation, instrument adaptation, and instrumental exploration such as extended
techniques. Its application in and music and other areas of the arts is also being recognised
with institutions like MIT including lectures and workshops with circuit-bending and
attendant skills as their focus.
In an interview in regards to circuit-bending as an extension of the canon, Mike
Hovancsek says ‘Then, some people came along who were willing to think in a totally different
way about the medium. That threw a lot of wild cards into the game.’ As has been
demonstrated in this discussion, the ‘wild cards’ are now entering the establishment once
again.
Appendix 1
Interview with Qubais Reed Ghazala – Dated 16th January 2017
1. Where do you see Circuit-Bending fitting into the canon of Music?
Naturally, I always recognized circuit-bending as experimental electronics, and its process as chance-based.
Working alone, and young, I wasn’t afforded much perspective. So, beyond the obvious world of batteries,
wires and solder, I was working a mystery which, at 14, was all I needed. The mystery was wonderful.
It came as a bit of surprise when I realized this transistor-based, chance-guided art was actually a folk art,
and it was around that time that I described it as such for the MIT Press in their Leonardo Music Journa in
an article under the title, “The Folk Music of Chance Electronics, Circuit-Bending the Modern Coconut.”
http://www.anti-theory.com/texts/lmj/ (Vol. 14, MIT Press)
From that article:
“Let's place this concept on more familiar ground. Earthlings "musicalize" things. An instrument will be
made from a coconut washed-up on the shore, eventually. The coconut could become the ball of a rattle
(idiophone), or halved, the shell of a drum (membranophone). A hole could be poked and blown over
(aerophone). The coconut might be used as a resonator for a stringed instrument (chordophone). It
depends on how you see the coconut. “Our society's electronic discards, like coconuts fallen to the sea,
collect at the high-tide lines of garage sales and flea markets, second-hand shops and garbage bins. Circuit-
bending sees these circuits as the island native saw the coconut. These circuits are coconuts of our island.
Adapt the coconut, adapt the circuit. Circuit-bending, seen as art, was inevitable.“ -LMJ
As to the canon, circuit-bending is also recognized as the first electronic art movement, “…part of the fine
art movement; Ghazala is the leading proponent” -New York Times
Significantly, the art is also capable of electrifying humans themselves via “body-contacts,” this way turning
flesh into the actual player interface.
Since neither human nor circuit stop “at their ends” anymore, I feel a new being is created, and I’ve named
this entity the BEAsape, or, Bio-Electronic Audiosapian.
So an instrument-being, as well as circuit-bending’s innate instrumentarium and music, is added to the
canon along with the folk-art practice itself.
2. Are there any non-electronic music practices that can be likened to this practice?
Two fields emerge: chance design exploration (the abandonment of conventional method in favor of
arbitrism) and chance composition (the output of the “bent” instrument is often aleatoric).
“Circuit-Bending and Living Instruments”, my 20-article-series in EMI (Experimental Musical Instruments
journal), covered lots of examples of non-electronic instruments designed to produce chance music. This
instrument is quite common (wind chimes, for example).
While chance is more common as instrument output (music) than input (design), it is, nonetheless, easy to
imagine the “folk” musician creating this instrument via chance, just as the circuit-bender explores the
circuit by chance. To see what it sounds like. But instead of circuit, the acoustic instrument designer
explores the landscape. Again, to see what it sounds like.
For example, imagine early man’s discovery of musical stone. While this evolves into the tuned lithopone,
early-on it was nothing more than banging on pieces of stone to see which pieces sounded musical. Or
larger stones of this rock were smashed to create, by chance, smaller pieces that produced a variety of
pitches.
These new pieces of stone are very like the new circuits one discovers while circuit-bending. Whereas our
obsidian musician arranges his fragments upon a log for striking, the circuit-bender adds toggle switches
to his “fragments,” (chance-found, creative short-circuits) and hits those switches with the same intent as
the litho-percussionist.
And should the percussionist hang the fragments under a tree, to be played by the wind, we then have a
powerful example of chance design, chance actuation and chance music, all key qualifiers of the
contemporary circuit-bent instrument.
A couple-million years have passed since that early lithopone was discovered and played, and many such
musical discoveries and methods have ensued. Accordingly, as illustrated by my “coconut principle,”
benders are simply applying ancient thought to modern technology.
3. I've read a lot about the practice (particularly Sound-Art) being interdisciplinary, would you say this is
the case?
Sure, like many arts, circuit-bending asks for extension.
How does one exclaim the material personality of a bent instrument? Many people feel the persona of
bent instruments is more organic than that of the store-bought instrument, the latter limited to its
programmed routines, each model of itself offering the same voice and control set. These are “dead end”
instruments as opposed to the “living” bent instrument, an instrument whose depth-of-vocabulary may be
so deep as to never all be heard. Like a person. Or animal.
Personally, I feel a need to expound upon this personality, and I do so sculpturally (as in reforming plastic
housings) and through various finishing techniques.
Should the artist record their bent instrument, the world of music production opens. And why would the
bent instrument performance differ from, say, the stage presence of Harry Partch with his gowned
ensemble articulating his gorgeous experimental instruments?
I’ve seen dance, spoken word, theatric sets and light shows designed around circuit-bent bands. Dadaist
street performance, simply for the sake of expression, as well as traditional busking-for-bucks, might now
involve circuit-bent instruments.
In my own work I’ve expressed many instruments through experimental film. Spoken word plays a part in
my recordings; poetry was immediately featured in my early music releases.
And it really should be noted that circuit-bending blows minds! Gets people really excited and, as I hint in
my book, encourages artists to apply the “anti-theory” perspective to other arts and design processes. So,
yes, this way of “seeing” can open doors everywhere, electronic and beyond.
4. Not to put words into your mouth, but I’ve found while preparing for the next part of my project (the
doing part), that whilst I wouldn’t consider myself very technical, I can still understand what is needed
to achieve the desired/undesired effects. Do you think this is a positive aspect of the art?
It’s hugely important. MIT has a program using my techniques to teach little kids how to circuit-bend, and
there are similar classes all over the world now, each taking advantage of my easy-way-in to electronics,
instrument design and experimental music.
After all, for the first time an alternate to design-oriented electronic theory has been achieved, and in the
form of a solid, viable practice that anyone at all can do, a radical re-think just as capable of producing valid
experimental instruments as any stack of drab and confusing texts dedicated to the laws of
semiconductors, and their slow-as-snails, huge learning curve methodology.
My way is immediate (I call this the “immediate canvas” of circuit-bending). It’s fun, way more fun, more
exciting, than reading the standard texts (and becoming standardized one’s self). And as you note, the
learning curve is easy, one really does understand not only the how-to, but the why as well, since it
becomes pretty easy to correlate changes in pitch with electrical resistance, voltage with light, skin with
conduction and so-on –– the reality of the circuit’s behavior comes to life under circuit-bending’s open-
rules.
Then what? Usually, with the flower blooming right thereon the workbench, artists become even more
curious. How do I fertilize this thing?
No longer scary, the circuit has become a friend. Electronics itself has become a friend. This relationship
often grows into a deeper understanding of electronics and, you guessed it, a desire to learn more. And
one begins to see that stack of semiconductor books in a new, and appreciative, light.
So yes, bringing electronics in from the cold is a good thing, a very important, very positive, aspect of the
art.
_______________________________________________________
Jason, thanks for asking me for assistance! To preserve context, please quote me in full, responding to the
ideas as fits your writing.
And as noted, if I can help with the tech project, I will, unless travels or time forbid.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the finished paper. Perhaps your perspectives will illuminate issues within the art
that might help me, or others.
I hope my answers help you!
Appendix 2
Interview with John A. Hajeski – Dated 5th January 2017
1. Where do you see Circuit-Bending fitting into the canon of Music?
I think with the use of sampling and computerized work at least some of it will be infused in avant-
garde music. John cage was the first to say music can be found anywhere. But I think the next level is
that musical instruments could be anywhere. I do hope someday that the instruments that circuit
Benders create will be seen as acceptable as synthesizers and other electronics
2. What prompted you to explore the creation of your own musical instruments?/
3. Also, are there any non-electronic music practices that can be likened to this practice?
I started circuit bending at a young age due to my curiosity of how things worked this started with
mechanical D construction and eventually lead to electronic deconstruction of devices. Once I realize
that a whole new sound could be created I begin utilizing as many different devices as I could find.
Another recording technique that I discovered where is the use of inductance microphones and finding
out different electronic devices that put out these EMF sound waves
I think the discovery of creating new and interesting sounds weather electronically or acoustically has
always been my true interest. I also have many recordings of deconstruction of other recordings of
music breaking down symphonies into bits and pieces or minute relation through other means such
as gates and affects boxes
4. In Ghazala’s book 'Circuit-Bending Build Your Own Alien Instruments' he says that you were
discovering this technique around the same time as him (1966). Did you know this early on?
Or was this a later discovery?
I think they call that synchronicity. I was working with small devices such as transistor radio's and
walkie-talkies and discovered the ability to make sounds through what I called cross Wiring. Reed
coined the phrase circuit bending and I was not aware of that until I met him after reading his work in
EMI magazine.
5. I've read a lot about the practice (particularly Sound-Art) being interdisciplinary, would you
say this is the case?Not to put words into your mouth, but I’ve found while preparing for
the next part of my project (the doing part), that whilst I wouldn’t consider myself very
technical, I can still understand what is needed to achieve the desired/undesired effects. Do
you think this is a positive aspect of the art?
Yes the intuition and desire to experiment are important parts of circuit bending. Getting over the fear
of failure is important too. Discovering interesting sounds through the process is very rewarding as
well as developing new ways to create the sounds. Sometimes I go back to earlier projects and discover
new and different ways to create sounds that I had overlooked previously.
6. Thank you ever so much for doing this, it has been very helpful. (I'm happy to send you the
final result if you so wish).
You're quite welcome thanks for the inquiry. I'm so happy that people are keeping the faith with
regards to circuit bending. And I with the Internet and computers in every corner of the globe people
are getting involved.
Appendix 3
Interview with Mike Hovancsek – Dated 5th January 2017
1. Firstly, Where do you see Circuit-Bending fitting into the canon of Music?
Electronic music took a really boring, sterile turn with the invention of digital synthesizers. Suddenly,
most of that music sounded the same. It lacked the humanity of other instruments because it was so
"perfect.". Then, some people came along who were willing to think in a totally different way about
the medium. That threw a lot of wild cards into the game.
2. Do you see a future in the art?
Yeah, I think the pendulum swings two ways: People get rigid about "the way things are done" until
someone else comes along and blows that idea to pieces. Then, people come along and construct
things out of those pieces. Eventually the new constructions take on rigid rules and the cycle starts
again...
3. Are there any non-electronic music practices that can be likened to this practice?
Sure. Rock music got more and more progressive in the early '70s with really complex rhythms and
chord structures. That was awesome. Then, it got out of hand. Rock musicians started composing rock
operas for orchestra. It got really bloated and silly. Then, punk rock came around and obliterated it
with three chords and torn jeans.
4. I've read around the subject of Circuit Bending in regards to Sound-Art. One term that keeps
being mentioned is 'interdisciplinary'; would you say this was true for circuit bending?
Yes. It combines music, sculpture, and instrument design/creation.
Bibliography
Ablinger, Peter, ‘Speaking Piano’ Peter Ablinger - http://ablinger.mur.at/speaking_piano.html
accessed 8th January 2017
Cage, John, ‘How the Piano Came to be Prepared’, John Cage Trust -
http://johncage.org/prepared_piano_essay.html - accessed 14th January 2017
Circuitbenders UK Forum, ‘Circuit bent devices used by popular musicians/bands?‘, Circuitbenders
Forum – https://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1305.0 (Replied on October 07,
2009) – accessed 27 December 2016
Crab, Simon, ‘The Denis D’Or “Golden Dionysis”, Václav Prokop Diviš. Czech republic, 1748’, 120 Years
of Electronic Music: The history of electronic music from 1800 to 2015 – http://120years.net/1748-
denis-dor/ - accessed 23 December 2016
Deadmua5, ‘deadmau5 @ Sasquatch! Music Festival - 5/24/09’ Filmed [May 2009], YouTube video,
Posted [May 2009], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA0AHrhLzLE
Farnel, Andy, ‘Sonarchy in the UK: is sound design a rebellious teenager?’ The New Soundtrack, 4, 2
(2014): 89-102
Ghazala, Qubais Reed, ‘Circuit-Bending’ Anti-Theory – http://www.anti-
theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/ - accessed 22 December 2016
Ghazala, Qubais Reed, ‘The Folk Music of Chance Electronics, Circuit-Bending the Modern Coconut.’ –
http://www.anti-theory.com/texts/lmj/ - accessed 22 December 2016
Millar, Ron, ‘Deadmau5 playing with a circuit bent Speak & Spell I gave him’, Filmed [May 2009],
YouTube video, Posted [May 2009], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhaKb_950ZM
MIT, ‘21M.380 Music and Technology (Contemporary History and Aesthetics)’ MIT OpenCourseWare
– https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-theater-arts/21m-380-music-and-technology-
contemporary-history-and-aesthetics-fall-2009/lecture-notes-and-
videos/MIT21M_380F09_lec17.pdf - accessed 16 January 2017
Moog, ‘5th Annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge’ Moog Music –
https://www.moogmusic.com/news/5th-annual-moog-circuit-bending-challenge - accessed 3
January 2016
Nelson, Diane, ‘An Introduction to John Cage's Music for the Solo Prepared Piano’ American Music
Teacher, Vol. 36, No. 3 (1987), 42-43, 49
Norris, Paul, ‘Recycling Noise Since 2001’ – http://circuitbenders.co.uk – accessed 2 January 2017
Norris, Paul, ‘Recycling Noise Since 2001’ – http://circuitbenders.co.uk – accessed 2 January 2017
Perkins, Jeffery (ed.), Adams, Douglas, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts,
(London, Pan Books, 2003), 5
Pinch, Trevor ‘“Bring on Sector Two!” The sounds of bent and broken circuits’, Sound Studies, 2, 1
(2016): 36-51
Ravel, Maurice, ‘L'enfant et les sortilèges: Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties’, 1919-1925
Small, Christopher, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening, (Connecticut, Wesleyan
University Press, 1998).
TES Resources, ‘Amplifier / Speaker Project Step By step Guide’, TES – https://www.tes.com/teaching-
resource/amplifier-speaker-project-step-by-step-guide-6197011 - accessed 15 January 2017
