Album: FB01
Author: Guy Montag
Publication: KFJC (source)
Date: 05/27/2006

Oscillating low frequency modulations & pitch shifts entirely made using a first generation digital Yamaha synthesizer module the size of a car stereo called the FB01. It has only eight buttons, an 8 bit arcade game sound chip, and a midi-data processor but it can compute highly elaborate and intricate sound waves and sequences quite easily.

The German born ?pure electronic? music composer Frank Rothkamm used computer algorithms as an ?instrument? for creating digital sounds and both irrational & binary rhythms that toyed with flux inversions of complexity and primitive technology. My understanding is that the FB01 was a conduit environment that allowed these ambient avant digital schemes to play out.

It creeps at a relatively slow pace, has brief electronic bleep interludes, and cascades in a gently rotating spacey movement through your speakers. It comes across like looming vibraphone tones, phasing with sci-fi sound effects, and Atari Pong blips. No actual melody is reproduced, just intelligent programmed atmospheric electronic sounds in its most basic, albeit unpredictable and incomprehensible, form.

FB01 is highly cerebral, both in its presentation and composition. You?d have to at least understand advanced arithmetic and sophisticated computer program methodology to fully appreciate this recording? or you could just listen in sheer amazement.

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