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Nov 24-26.
111 W. Hastings
Vancouver

Square Waves is an annual grass-roots electronic music festival based in Vancouver, B.C. last year's site_

Organized by contributing electronic music practitioners and interdisciplinary artists, the festival debuts an eclectic variety of works featuring new music performance and experimental multi-media collaborations.

This year's festival will be a two-day event with evening performances and a modular synthesizer symposium.

Schedule

thurs. Nov 24
8PM-Midnight

$10-$15 sliding scale

participants:

  • Ross Birdwise & Soressa Gardner

    A special synergy between performers Ross Birdwise and Soressa Gardner turns two laptops and two voices into a wide spectrum of sounds: composition and improvisation coexist in an elastic spacetime, where drones, minimalsitic polyrhythms, fragmented sounds and structures, and the interrelated forces of chance and determinism all influence the outcome.

    ross birdwise_

    soressa gardner_

  • Graham Meisner

    Vancouver composer Graham Meisner will perform '12 Bars of White', a vocals based electronic audio mockumentary.

  • prOphecy sun

    prOphecy sun is a siren: she creates ghostly, looping vocal drones, freestyle field recordings; breathing & throat singing, mixed with her theremin and small musical objects.

    prophecysun.ca_

  • Kristen Roos

    Kristen Roos is a Vancouver based sound artist/sound designer who uses his voice to create shimmering, glitchy dronescapes.

    kristenroos.com_

Fri. Nov 25th
8PM-3AM

$10-$15 sliding scale

participants:

  • Automuse

    Automuse is the Solo project of Vancouver based musician and producer Paul Finlay.

    website_

  • 30stone

    Organic bass music. Vocals, keys and drums.

    thirtystone.com_

  • Spell

    Kristen Roos and prOphecy sun create intense sonic washes created solely from vocals combined with beats channeled from the future / past.

    youtube_

  • Meek Odyssey

    "they have taken the trip-hop formula that Portishead concocted all those years ago, and have updated them for the 21st century, with heavily compressed sampled drums, atmospheric synth washes, hearty string samples, and of course the honeyed vocals of Megan Keetly" — The Metaphorical Boat

    website_

  • Sunskript

    With pulsating live looping, beatboxing, rhythmic rhymes and an arsenal of eclectic instruments from around the world, Sunskript delivers an engaging, passionate and inspiring musical experience.

    soundcloud_

  • Risa and Obediya Wonderful

    This electro-soul performance will be the official launch party and celebration for the release of R and Be, singer Risa and producer Obediya Wonderful's much anticipated full-length debut album. Risa's one-of-a-kind, vintage voice and Obediya Wonderful's rich, head-boppin' beats combine to create a unique and authentically soulful sound.

    website_

  • the Tailor

    The Tailor's music is sensual - wound from found sounds swept from the dusty floor. One part porch rocking chair stomp, one part dream folk, the Tailor has toured both acoustic main stages and underground electronic music festivals.

    thetailor.info_

  • Chariots

    drum machines, effect pedals and vocals. It's all hardware baby, Chariots explores dancefloor bass with polyrythym experiments. Drag/Noise/Supernatural Step. Which witch is which?

    soundcloud_

Sat. Nov 26th
1PM-6PM

Varies

participants:

  • Workshops are free and open to the public. Due to limited space participants may need to register. See below for workshop details.

  • BYOWTF

    Bring your own... Modular synths, vintage synths, noise synths, circuit bent DIY drum machines, ... you love it? We want to see it. And hear it. Space is limited so please contact us if you'd like to BYO WTF_

  • Optosynth Workshop

    Square Eyes Instruments demonstrates how to build a tiny optically controlled synthesizer. Kits available for $15/each.

    Square Eye Optosynth_

  • Intro to Synthesis

    Step through the basics of analog synthesis demonstrated on vintage instruments.

    contact us to register_

  • Open Workshops

    Have something to share? Contact us to register your own workshop_

Sat. Nov 26th
8PM-Late

$10-$15 sliding scale

participants:

  • Cracking the Cosmic Egg

    Cracking the Cosmic Egg is a tip of the hat to the "Kosmische Musik" scene in 1970s Germany, where Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel and Agitation Free, to name a few, pulverized the minds of concert goers and record spinners. Forty years later their musical vibrations are still echoing through the universe.

  • Brother Josef

    MC and DJ for the evening. Brother Josef DJs at Psych Night at The ANZA Club on Wednesdays.

    psychnight_

  • No UFO's

    "groove box drum machines laced up tight with every possible funk drone electronic beat you could possibly imagine. Every song comes off as some aspiring Cluster / Roedelius outtake, but then deforms into something completely its own..." Still Single

    link_

  • Corner

    musical vibrations are still echoing through the universe

    soundcloud_

  • Magneticring

    Joshua Stevenson performs on vintage synthesizers & analog equipment. A longstanding figure in Vancouver's underground music scene, Joshua has performed, collaborated and toured with numerous artists/groups from Vancouver, New York City, Montreal, Portland & Finland.

    soundcloud_

  • Sinoia Caves

    Sinoia Caves is another name for the analog synth wizard Jeremy Schmidt, who is also a principal member of the critically-lauded, maximal-rock band called Black Mountain. As one writer puts it, he has "the warmth and majestic epic swales" of Florian Fricke's Popul Vuh plus a "little Rick Wakeman and Kraftwerk."

    website_