La Chambre des Machines and Jazari

In contrast with Kraftwerk's music, La Chambre des Machines seems to send a message of struggle between man and machine rather than union. Bernier and Messier give a sense of being vexed and at times frustrated by their instruments, which were inspired by the Intonarumoris created by the Italian Futurists at the turn of the 20th century. Although their aesthetic isn't exactly "techno," I find it fairly easy to imagine this system and the sounds they create in this performance being used in the context of techno music.

la chambre des machines | bernier + messier from Nicolas Bernier on Vimeo.

Jazari is an ensemble that I--as well as many U of M students--am already familiar with, but the connection between what we are trying to do and what Patrick Flanagan has done in creating his techno robot ensemble was strong enough that I couldn't pass up the chance to share. Flanagan constructed Arduino-based systems, a DIY MIDI-interface, and loads of Max/MSP patches that allow him to interface with an entire ensemble of percussion instruments, which he uses to make people dance. While Flanagan has more polished pieces, this video gives a great deal of transparency into his performance system.