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Generator Sound Art is an experimental arts and culture organization based in New York City, co-owned by the sound artists Gen Ken Montgomery and Scott Konzelmann.Goldsmith, Kenneth. "Stairway To Eight Track Heaven". ''New York Press''. December 20–26, 2000. It focuses upon the work of dedicated Sound Artists, and is an umbrella organization that either facilitated or continues to facilitate the activities of the Generator Gallery / exhibition space, the Generations Unlimited audio recording label, and a second, eponymous audio recording label. Generator as a physical gallery / exhibition space existed in the East Village and then in Chelsea from 1989–1992. The organization is non- commercial.Generator Sound Arts index.
Retrieved March 3, 2013.
Profits earned from Generator-related activities are split between the artists and a fund to support future sound art projects. Generator's emphasis on handmade, self-released audio works derives from the " cassette networking" or "
Cassette culture The cassette culture (also known as the tape/cassette scene or cassette underground) refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of music and sound art on compact cassette that emerged in the mid-1970s. The cassett ...
" milieu of the 1980s–1990s,. The embrace of spontaneity and unintended consequences is another recurrent theme within Generator-affiliated work.


History


Gen Ken Montgomery

Generator's founder and proprietor Ken Montgomery (aka Gen Ken Montgomery) (b. 1957) is a New York-based sound artist raised in Churchville, Pennsylvania,Dery, Mark, "Notes From The Underground." ''Keyboard.'' February 1990. where he studied violin in his late childhood and early teens. Since 1994, he has used the "Gen Ken" moniker for sound art / noise music (he also uses the
anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
matic moniker "Egnekn" for "more whimsical and especially lamination-based projects.")Pinsent, Ed. "Lamination Rituals: An Encounter with Ken Montgomery." ''The Sound Projector'' #17 (2008–2009). As to the latter, Montgomery's "lamination ritual" is a staple of his performance
oeuvre Oeuvre(s) or Œuvre(s) may refer to: * A work of art; or, more commonly, the body of work of a creator Books * ''L'Œuvre'', a novel by Émile Zola * ''Œuvres'', a work by Emil Cioran * ''Œuvres'', a work by Auguste Brizeux * ''Oeuvres'', a wor ...
, described by the artist as "a people-participatory activity and sonic listening experience which stimulates the mind and body in-the-moment, while producing an original, tangible, transformed personal object that will last…almost forever." Among Montgomery's formative influences are the theories of composer
John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...
– particularly those outlined in Cage's 1961 collection of writings, '' Silence''Pinsent, Ed. "Gen Ken Montgomery: Music That Others Would Call Noise." ''The Sound Projector'' #10 (2002.) – and the participatory work ethic of the German electronic musician (and Joseph Beuys
protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
)
Conrad Schnitzler Conrad "Conny" Schnitzler (17 March 1937 – 4 August 2011) was a prolific German experimental musician associated with West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement. A co-founder of West Berlin's Zodiak Free Arts Lab, he was an early member of Tangeri ...
(for whom Montgomery gave the first U.S. concerts, and first met during the sole German performance of 'KMZ' in 1982.) Having originally planned to work as a filmmaker – briefly studying at NYU for this purpose – Montgomery claims "I quickly discovered I was approaching ilmmakingwith the soundtrack already in my mind." Montgomery worked, from the early 1980s until 1991, with traditional electronic music instruments such as analog synthesizers and cheap toys, originally recording this material under the project name "Gen Ken & The Equipment." The artist also enjoyed a period of access to a professional
recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
with synthesizers, samplers and signal processing equipment. At the end of this period of creativity, an interval of flagging inspiration led Montgomery to experiment with the use of quotidian household devices as instruments: these included an 'Ice-o-Matic' commercial icemaker which was used both in concert and in the CD recording ''Icebreaker''. This was not an abrupt shift in methodology, but rather a return to an expressive style previously experimented with. As he explains:
"In my East Village apartment in the late '70s, I remember throwing parties and instead of playing music I turned on kitchen appliances, tape players, fans, radios and a TV tuned between stations…I made my first installations before I knew that audio installations and sound art existed."''Pondfloorsample'' (booklet). Ken Montgomery. New York, New York. XI Records, 2002. XI 126
Other forays into appliance-based sound works included recordings and performances made with a Keystone Model 16CC film projector, a
radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...
, a coffee maker, and a refrigerator (Montgomery claims that refrigerator recordings were originally made as a protest to his landlord about the excessive noise of the unit he then owned.) The 2002 double CD compilation ''Pondfloorsample'' collects much of the audio material created from re-appropriated devices and appliances. By 1994, citing another period of creative burnout, Montgomery took a sabbatical in Europe and then set up residence in rural Pennsylvania. This period saw the initiation of another project using found objects – the Eight Track Magic series of recordings – which were made of audio re-recorded from severely damaged eight track cassettes. Montgomery is also allied with the Kingdoms of
Elgaland-Vargaland Elgaland-Vargaland is a conceptual art project and micronation conceived and developed by Swedish artists Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Leif Elggren in 1992. It is also known by its acronym "KREV" (KonungaRikena Elgaland-Vargaland). Origin ...
micronation established by artists
Leif Elggren Leif Elggren (born 1950, Linköping, Sweden), is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm. Active since the late 1970s, Leif Elggren has become one of the most constantly surprising conceptual artists to work in the combined worlds of ...
and
Carl Michael von Hausswolff Carl Michael von Hausswolff (born 1956) is a composer, visual artist, and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices (camera, tape deck, radar, sonar) used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, arc ...
, for whom he oversees the Ministry of Lamination.


Generations Unlimited

The Generations Unlimited record and cassette label was co-founded in 1987Trina, Daniel. "Generator: A New Sound Wave." ''
Rutgers Review Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
''. November 20, 1990.
along with Boston sound artist David Prescott (who was also a partner in the Pogus Productions record label)Margolis, Al. “The Dave Prescott Interview.” ''Electronic Cottage.'' March 1990. and featured releases from an artist roster including
Conrad Schnitzler Conrad "Conny" Schnitzler (17 March 1937 – 4 August 2011) was a prolific German experimental musician associated with West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement. A co-founder of West Berlin's Zodiak Free Arts Lab, he was an early member of Tangeri ...
, Arcane Device, Iancu Dumitrescu and Morphogenesis. According to Prescott, the label formed in the wake of ongoing discussions between Schnitzler, Montgomery and himself, in which they "found that we had not only a lot in common, but particularly interesting differences which led to our each strengthening and developing out notions of music, art and life."David Prescott quoted in Margolis, 1990. As with other collaborative products involving Montgomery, the label was conceived as an alternative to both New Age currents of electronic music and also the more exclusively academic variations thereof (in a contemporaneous interview, Prescott stated that " urmusic exists between what is typically thought to be 'academic' and 'pop' oriented…the farther these labels have gone, the more it becomes apparent that this delineation doesn't exist." In lieu of an already existing musical categorization, Generations Unlimited products were marketed as "dramatic electronic music."


Generator Experimental Music Gallery

The Generator Experimental Music Gallery was founded on June 1, 1989 on 3rd & Avenue B in New York City's East Village.Generator Sound Art history.
Retrieved March 4, 2013.
Krause, Adam. "Tapes From The Underground." ''Signal To Noise.'' Fall 2012. This was a multi-purpose arts space that hosted exhibitions, installations and performances of sound art, while also functioning as a
boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...
shop and meeting place / information exchange. On this last count, the space was noted in particular for its connection to the 'Cassette Culture' networks of the 1980s and the 1990s, and for its status as a "centralized location where at least one segment of the cassette underground could congregate": a rarity in an artistic milieu that otherwise relied upon postal communication and mini-media such as
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
s to initiate and maintain contacts. Montgomery stressed, in addition, that the Generator space not be "reduced to any one of these things," and encouraged a concept for the space that involved "'turning is
apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
inside out'," or a blurring of personal boundaries in which "all the things he had previously done at home would be moved to a
storefront A storefront or shopfront is the facade or entryway of a retail store located on the ground floor or street level of a commercial building, typically including one or more display windows. A storefront functions to attract visual attention to a bu ...
where anyone could walk in off the street and see what was happening." The foundation of the Generator space was partially inspired by Montgomery's trips to Europe, in which he encountered likeminded multi-purpose venues (citing the Staaltape cassette shop in Amsterdam and the Gelbe Musik in Berlin as significant influences in this regard):Ken Montgomery quoted in James, Robin (ed.)(1992). ''Cassette Mythos''. Autonomedia. p. 92. . "I saw all these kinds of places and every time I came back to New York I got very frustrated, because it seemed like there was nothing like that here."Faulkner, Tony. "Folk Music for the Nineties." ''Barnard Bulletin.'' April 6, 1992. Some of the distinguishing visual and interactive features of the Generator space were cassette players attached to the walls for visitors to record on, while aural experiments (e.g. Montgomery's claim of "several sound systems running simultaneously") occasionally took the place of simple playback of recordings. The basement of the space was set aside for performances once local curiosity about the space was piqued, and performances here regularly took place in complete or near-complete darkness. This space would eventually close in 1990 (its 1-year anniversary) owing to a number of converging factors, including the economic situation of the neighborhood's residents (i.e. their operating on little more than a subsistence income), and the propensity of the potential customers or visitors to already be sound producers themselves, and thus presumably less interested in buying new sound recordings. A second iteration of Generator, existing from June 1991 until June 1992 on 547 West 20th Street in the Chelsea district, differed from the original space in many salient respects. As opposed to being a ground floor / streetside space in a commercial district – making it suitable for "walk-ins" – the newer space was in a heavily industrialized zone with scant pedestrian traffic. Exhibiting hours were from 12-6pm on Saturdays and 2-6pm on Sundays, while personal visits could also be arranged via appointment. Given this decreased likelihood of visits from strangers, the 'shop' aspect of Generator was de-emphasized in favor of its role as a performance and exhibition space. Like the original Generator, though, the inspiration for its establishment lay partially in Montgomery's trans-Atlantic communications and collaborations, and the perceived disparity in available performance and installation spaces in Europe. As he recalls,
"When I started thinking about the artists that I knew working with sound, and some of them had given shows in Europe and other places, and there was no real place for them in New York, I thought it would be exciting to invite these people to come and do it here."


Performances / live events

The following is an abridged chronology of public events to have taken place in the different Generator spaces from 1991–1992. Exhibitions *June 1 – July 31, 1991: The Reincarnation of Generator – Arcane Device,
Alvin Lucier Alvin Augustus Lucier Jr. (May 14, 1931 – December 1, 2021) was an American composer of experimental music and sound installations that explore acoustic phenomena and auditory perception. A long-time music professor at Wesleyan University in Mi ...
, CHOP SHOP, Gordon Monahan,
Laura Kikauka Laura Kikauka (born 1963, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian installation and performance artist. Kikauka is known for her sculptural installations and performances incorporating found objects and electronics. Career and work Kikauka is known for ...
, Mary & Bill Buchen &
Ron Kuivila Ron Kuivila (born December 19, 1955) is an American sound artist from Boston, MA. He is primarily known for his sound installations, performances, and recorded materials that make use of computers, and for his contributions to the SuperCollider ...
*August 23 – September 8, 1991: Entropy – Tim Sweet, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Luigi-Bob Drake, Mariano Airaldi, Roxy Middquendorf & Scott Konzelmann *September 14 – October 6, 1991:
Nicolas Collins Nicolas Collins (born March 26, 1954 in New York City) is a composer of mostly electronic music, a sound artist and writer. He received his BA and MA from Wesleyan University, and his PhD from the University of East Anglia. Upon graduating fr ...
, "Sputniks" *October 11 – November 16, 1991 Gordon Monahan ("Music From Nowhere"), Laura Kikauka ("Headspace") *November 24 – January 5, 1991:
Ron Kuivila Ron Kuivila (born December 19, 1955) is an American sound artist from Boston, MA. He is primarily known for his sound installations, performances, and recorded materials that make use of computers, and for his contributions to the SuperCollider ...
, "Dolci Mura" *January 25 – March 1, 1992: Ken Butler, "Man's Angles" *March 20 – April 5, 1992: Gen Ken Montgomery, "Icebreaker" *April 10 – May 23, 1992:
Chop Shop A chop shop is a business, often mimicking a body shop, that illicitly disassembles stolen motor vehicles and sells their parts. Chop shops are often linked to car-theft rings as part of a broader organized crime enterprise. In the United Sta ...
, "Velocity & Vibration" Concerts *June 26, 1991: "Live Sound Manifestation" – Gordon Monahan, Laura Kikauka,
Ron Kuivila Ron Kuivila (born December 19, 1955) is an American sound artist from Boston, MA. He is primarily known for his sound installations, performances, and recorded materials that make use of computers, and for his contributions to the SuperCollider ...
, Arcane Device, Charles Cohen, Bradley Eros, Jeanne Liotta, Leah Singer, Eric Schefler, Matty Jankowski, Gen Ken & Mariano Airaldi *August 23, 1991: If, Bwana (Al Margolis), Dan & Detta Andriano & Matty Jankowski, Trigger ( Fred Lonberg-Holm, Leslie Ross & Paul Hoskin) *August 24, 1991: The Haters, Gen Ken *August 25, 1991: Charles Cohen,
Conrad Schnitzler Conrad "Conny" Schnitzler (17 March 1937 – 4 August 2011) was a prolific German experimental musician associated with West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement. A co-founder of West Berlin's Zodiak Free Arts Lab, he was an early member of Tangeri ...
*October 11, 1991:
Nicolas Collins Nicolas Collins (born March 26, 1954 in New York City) is a composer of mostly electronic music, a sound artist and writer. He received his BA and MA from Wesleyan University, and his PhD from the University of East Anglia. Upon graduating fr ...
&
Ben Neill Ben Neill (b. November 14, 1957) is an American composer, trumpeter, producer, and educator. He is the inventor of the "Mutantrumpet", a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument. Early life, family and education Neill was born in Winston-Salem, North ...
, Ben Manley *October 12, 1991:
Ron Kuivila Ron Kuivila (born December 19, 1955) is an American sound artist from Boston, MA. He is primarily known for his sound installations, performances, and recorded materials that make use of computers, and for his contributions to the SuperCollider ...
, Arcane Device *October 13, 1991: Mariano Airaldi & Gen Ken *December 29, 1991: GX Jupitter-Larsen, Busyditch,
Monty Cantsin Monty Cantsin is a multiple-use name that anyone can adopt, but has close ties to Neoism. Monty Cantsin was originally conceived as an "open pop star." In a philosophy anticipating that of free software and open source, anyone could perform in his ...
*February 28, 1992:
Ken Butler Kenneth Lee Butler (born August 3, 1948) is an American artist and musician, as well as an experimental musical instrument builder. His Hybrid musical instruments and other artworks explore the interaction and transformation of common and uncommo ...
& Dina Emerson *March 24, 1992: John Duncan *March 28, 1992: Michael Schelle, Fast Forward & Ikue Mori *April 24, 1992: Paul Panhuysen *June 7, 1992 : Small Cruel Party / Wolfgang und Die Stuermer Upon the folding of the original Generator location, a Sunday evening performance series – "Generator at Webo" – was initiated at the Webo performance space as a means of offering further events in the spirit of the original Generator series. A CD-R archive of past Generator performances is also maintained by Montgomery, who makes these archival materials available for sale via the official Generator Sound Arts web presence. These discs are taken from the same source material as the original 'Live at Generator' cassette series, in which each release included a chrome cassette, a photograph, and a story relating to the performance from which the recording was taken. In 2015, Montgomery released a special limited edition cassette that he curated called ''Master Cactus''.


Artists Throwing Money Out The Window

"Artists Throwing Money Out The Window" is a Generator Sound Arts sub-label focusing more exclusively on conceptual recordings, non-music and "irritainment." Items in the catalog include a CD recording of WFMU disc jockey Fabio Roberti's car muffler, a CD of
16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
educational film soundtracks curated by AV Geeks, and a CD jewel case containing no playable media inside. Not all A.T.M.O.T.W. releases are done in this mold, however: the compilation release ''Links Outta Here'' is a selection of material recorded in tribute to the late Abigail Lavine.Various Artists: Links Outta Here CD compilation.
Retrieved March 4, 2013.


See also

*
Cassette culture The cassette culture (also known as the tape/cassette scene or cassette underground) refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of music and sound art on compact cassette that emerged in the mid-1970s. The cassett ...
* Sound art *
Conrad Schnitzler Conrad "Conny" Schnitzler (17 March 1937 – 4 August 2011) was a prolific German experimental musician associated with West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement. A co-founder of West Berlin's Zodiak Free Arts Lab, he was an early member of Tangeri ...
* Staalplaat


References


External links

*
Gen Ken Montgomery interviewed on the Belsona Academy podcast
(episode 3 on this list)
The Ministry of Lamination
* Kenneth Goldsmithbr>review
of Ken Montgomery's "8 Track Magic" audio project
Ken Montgomery interviewed about Conrad Schnitzler, ARTonAIR.org
{{Coord, 40.74536, -73.99887, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Art museums and galleries in Manhattan Cassette culture 1970s–1990s