American author, photographer, composer, musician and experimental instrument builder Qubais Reed Ghazala is recognized as the "Father of Circuit Bending," having pioneered the technique in 1966. Over the years, he has built experimental instruments for luminaries including Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, The Rolling Stones and many others. Ghazala's work appears in international press and big-time museums, and circuit bending is more alive today than ever.

Ghazala will appear at Circuitastrophe, a circuit-bending symposium taking place September 4 - 7, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

According to Circuitastrophe Organizer Mark 1/2 Mang (in an interview on GetLoFi.com), "Circuitastrophe is a forum for people to present their Bent, Modified, Hacked, Robotic, and Electronic contraptions. It is designed to educate and engage critical thinking behind the designs, theories, and history of 'Electroniqueness' using presentations, installations, lectures, workshops, performances, and a panel discussion. Performance wise we have circuit-benders, a couple of eight-bit performers, and some musique concreters (not that circuit-bending isn’t musique concrete). Many performers have visual components to their performance."

In conjunction with the event, Reed has organized a circuit bending Be-In at a nearby campground on Sunday the 7th. Details on that appear on the Be-In page at Reed's site. Reed encourages people to download the hi-res poster and post it everywhere. "The Be-In is a meeting place. A day for benders to hang-out, make connections, discuss ideas, show instruments, jam together, and simply BE," Reed says.

Gearwire spoke with Ghazala about some of his observations on the current trends in the practice he founded, as well as what he's looking forward to with this event.

What are some of the most interesting bent items you have seen and heard recently? Why are these so interesting to you?

I’ve been getting back into the Harmonic Window device, on the cover of my book. Its mini version (Intermodulation) is super-portable, and like the big one, it re-orchestrates raw sounds (samples, like tapping it with a pencil, shouting a vowel, etc) into thick layers of abstract, crazy rhythms. Beyond this, my last student brought in a kid’s version of the Korg Kaossillator (it holds drawing paper above the note pads and plays scales as the markers travel). Flip the board and you’ll find a SMD resistor to replace with a pot for slowing things way down, turning the tunes and beats into deep new entities. Ectoplastics and the magnetic patch bay are still being fooled with, for obvious aesthetic/tech reasons. See them below:

Describe Cincinnati's experimental music scene. What are the standout elements for you?

It’s fresh and vibrant -- and full of great musical minds. Cincy is a small enough town that artists meet often at common venues, get to know each other and all kinds of great collabs happen. This is how I do work with Backlight Braille; word is out that I have a world instrument collection, and if someone needs something bamboo-ish, well, I get a call. This is also a city of 'Seven Hills' – meaning that the area is surrounded with rolling, wooded topography. Many of us use this woodland for study, meditation, performance and meetings (if I tell people I’ll be at my 'office,' they know I’m talking about a picnic table someone lugged deep into a local forest, and are accustomed to hiking there to join discussions, play instruments or watch bugs).

What are you looking forward to at Circuitastrophe?

Seeing everyone’s work! Hearing the performances, meeting all these fellow bentheads; we are a tribe, and we understand that. Our meetings increase the solidarity; we share things. And this is the first bent festival to happen here in the home town of bending. What a long way, from getting my butt kicked for doing this, to Cincy being bent city-wide! Really, it’s pretty amazing. Oh, gosh -- I just want people to have a good time.

What will you be doing / showing / playing at Circuitastrophe?

For sure, I’ll be doing my talk, “The Folk Music of Chance Electronics,” or How to Start an Art Movement Without Really Trying. This is just a behind-the-scenes look at what happened to me, my life and the social/tech connections that ended-up establishing this revolution in music and design. It’s a “slide” show, maybe with a few surprises.

And the Sunday of the span, I will arrange the first Bent Be-In, a free welcome-all in the woods for the tribe to meet, talk, share ideas, barter, sell and jam. This will be recorded (by the players themselves) resulting in a CD / DVD / booklet of the scene. Like the first Be-In (San Fran, 1967), this will be an “open” event –- no real schedule at all, this year (I'm sure folks will bring instruments to play -- there will be music). If we continue this next year, it will become multi-day with performance areas, foods areas, etc. Private land is being looked into. We do have two spots ready for this year. This is NOT a planned segment of Circuitastrophe. It’s my own invitation to meet with benders in the open air. Might appeal to a few, I hope. I’ll announce it in the bending circles as it solidifies –- maps and such will get posted. Could be really fun. But yeah -– still in planning stages!

What's in store for you in the near future?

I'll be meeting with Nine Inch Nails again, this time to surprise them with a too-wild instrument. All I'll say right now is that it will be electrifying if it works out (and once they get it, I'll send pics around, around Circuitastrophe time, and might have a version at my talk). And I also forgot to mention that the first 100 through the gate at my talk will get a circuit-bending trinket from me that will become, as time passes, legend. Funky, but legend.

Listen to some of Reed's Bentastic Instruments here