The Art Department, a new column by arts writer Robert Ham, offers weekly picks showcasing talent from Portland's visual arts, film and music communities.
The Monome is a deceptively simple, gorgeous device. Each one is a perfect square (the size depends on the purchaser) covered on the top with evenly spaced silicone buttons that, when pressed, give off a handsome glow. Attach the machine to your computer, and you can set up each button with a different tone, note, or beat. Pressing the buttons in different orders changes the pattern and rhythm in infinite combinations.
If this still isn't making sense to you, watch the video below to see one in action or play around with this online version that works on the same principles as the Monome but features set rhythm and sounds.
Electronic musicians have quickly embraced this fun new toy, using it as their sole instrument onstage or as a piece of their vast puzzle of noisemakers. Four such artists will be on display at the cozy Ella St. Social Club this Thursday.
The performers are as varied as the sounds that any user could eke out of their personal Monomes. Automatic Thoughts, making his Portland debut after moving here from Indianapolis, shows off a bit of hip-hop/dubstep flair in his creations, but he lets shards of shapeshifting noise and melody creep in to the mix for a fractured and dazzled effect. Tim Lower, who performs as Renfield, takes a more minimalist approach, layering subtle beats atop em-dash-like samples.
Somewhere Else by Automatic Thoughts
9 p.m., November 3rd @ Ella St. Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl. $3
Ella St. Social Club
714 SW 20th Place
Portland OR 97205
