Something to look forward to…Thanks to Mike Una.
The premise is simple:
1. Wait until October 28th with growing anticipation.
2. Bicycle, walk, or swim to your nearest secondhand store.
3. Locate and purchase a cheap electronic noisemaking (or video) device.
4. Take it home and bend it!
5. Document the process and end result, then upload it to the internet in some fashion- Youtube, Flickr, etc, all with the tag “circuitchallenge.” (and createdigitalmusic, of course)
6. We will gather the results and feature them on createdigitalmusic.com and on www.getlofi.com.
The winner will receive, um, a token prize of low value, to be decided later. Something though. And we’ll publish your picture on the internet for the universe to see.
Of course, it’s not about winning, oh no. It’s about getting off your keister and bending some circuits!
Never bent a circuit before but always wanted to? Now’s your chance!
– Mike Una
I, CM will be participating as well but will not be claiming any prizes. Just the sheer joy of a participating. Good luck.
* Prizes Update *
Currently there are 4 Sponsors willing to donate some nice prizes:
* HighlyLiquid – Choice of MIDI Decoder or a MIDI retrofit.
* TigerClaw Records – 2 Bent Compilations + 1 Igor/Igloo Martian Split + T-Shirt and Stickers!
* The Squarewave Parade – One Parasite Module + Stickes and Buttons!
* FutureKomp – CDs.
Why nerd? Why couldn’t it be a beret-wearing artist or a grungy musician?
I bent the keyboard you have in your picture in July — does that count?? I’ve even already blogged it!
http://futureeelectrode.blogspot.com/2007/07/jungle-gear-clone-ii-high-frequency.html
What nerd? There’s just that nice picture of me. Which are you talking about?
I’m in
i’m going to cheat but not tell anyone
Awesome!
I’ll donate a copy of each of the 3 releases out on Tiger Claw plus a T-Shirt and some stickers to the first prize winner. Playing for the big prizes…LOL!
Wait, so are we supposed to wait until the day before buying the thing? Does buying it on ebay and not opening the package count?
Well from my understanding, you are supposed to get the device on that day.
Actually I would say that not opening the package would count as OK.
Cool, all the thrift stores in my area are church-ran, so they’re closed on Sundays.
what we need to do is hold a circuit bending convention,or do they have these already?anyways i will give it a go on the competition,but i already know im not as accomplished as some people out there.
I love it. Patrick and I have had long….ok…short discussions on this idea.
Let me address the issue of stores being closed on Sunday:
If that is the case, then please do get your toy the day before. But do not open in until Sunday. Its like xmas back in the day. Cheers. –CM
not sure if everyone can get a newspaper or something but maybe you can take a photo of the unbent board and the date to kind of prove you are playing along. that might be overkill though
Sounds like a good challenge!
Awesome awesome awesome idea
This should be fun I am in. I am excited to see what other people make.
What an awsome idea! This is great for the scene. I’m playing a show the next day so it’s a busy time but I’m in!
P.S. I’ll donate a copy of my upcoming C.D. “The Art Of Science” to the runner up.
arrr i’d love to do this but i have a wedding to go to the day before so my head will be pounding on the 28th
maybe i’ll just cheat
shit can i retract the parade parasite and compete for the HighlyLiquid midi kit?
Oddly enough, I will be at a Hamfest/Electronics Swap Meet on the 28th of October, so I won’t be able to compete. But, I will be rummaging through boxes and boxes of old wares and electrojunk. I was thinking, even though I am not a retailer or looking to advertise, that I would like to donate something as a prize… I’ve got a bunch of equip that I have rescued from the scrap heap and repaired, but have yet to put on eBay or trade to anyone. Who should I contact to donate a prize?
D’oh. Forgot to leave my contact information on the above comment. bsom at bsom dot org.
i’m super in!
2 Questions.
#1 Would it be OK to post the days work (photos, text and such) on my own website, or does it have to be on a more “public” site.
#2 I thought about making this a group thing with some of my friends who have never bent anything before. If I did that I documented the whole day would that count for my entry, or would we need to do each bent piece individually ?
Man I’m excited!
Kevin
[...] I’ve decided to accept the “Circuit-Bending Challenge” put forth by Circuit Master from GetLofi and createdigitalmusic. See links for more info, but basically on Oct. 28th I’m going to get a bending target, bend it while documenting progress, and post the results up on the internet all in the same day. [...]
since when is circuit bending necessarily digital music…
Well, truth be told at some point you do have to convert it to digital, unless you are one of those analog cassette toting hipsters.
Calling some of this stuff music is also a pretty far stretch.
Kevin,
You can post to your website, but it would also be nice if you could post it to flickr, that way we can stream this stuff as it comes in. Versus remembering to check your page.
I don’t see a problem with a group setting.
Im going to take up the challenge!!
But the problem is .. the charity shop where i usually get my supplies is closed down .. DAMN!
I might have to try and find something before .. if that isnt against the rules …. i will do all the rest on the 28th.
Cooli!! i cant wait!!!!!
Excellent!
There will definitely be some youtube action to stream, and I’ll see about getting a flickr up and running.
Thanks!
-Kevin
i think its already been said that you just need to not start bending until the day of, but be able to prove it somehow
Everything is honor system based.
I really like the idea of having a newspaper (with the date) in the same picture as the unbent instrument. I think that would be the most practical way to prevent cheating.
the world needs this challenge! I translated the rules in french to maximize the impact
http://urzhiata.emoc.org/Circuit-bending
emoc your site design is great
My wife is due to give birth that day, and I live in Australia. Due to different timezones and babies, I may do my circuit bend on a slightly more convenient day. I understand the spirit of the event and I shall try my best to stick to the “one day” rule/guideline.
Blarg…it’s looking more and more like I’m going to have my noodle full with work!
I get a head start! I am in South Korea right now so I get an 8 hour jump of the west coast and 11 hours on the east coast. I might be finished before some of you even get started. The set back is that I just got here: I don’t know where to get a cheap toy, I barely have any supplies for bending (in some random store a guy had two 50k pots and in a car supply store they gave me an on off switch. I plan to make the kick nastiest thing ever. Cirtcuit Bending Challenge Day should be an international holiday.
For anyone that is just starting:
If you go to alloverthewhere.org we posted a small zine we made as an introduction to circuit bending and there are tons of resources online.
The anticipation, it grows.
@emoc: I am opening my chakras and meditating on the zen of op-shopping.
@El Colin: I have an extra 1 hour head start on you! Better get up early and find some garage sales.
Yep it’s official I’m working sunday and cannot compete for prizes. Can I still post a bending session say tuesday?
Sure! I’m sure everyone would love to see it.