Ostracon: Generative electronic landscapes and dynamic live percussion.


Ostracon is John Keston on electronics and Graham O'Brien on drums. The duo performs generative, improvisational compositions using John Keston's custom software, the GMS (Gestural Music Sequencer), that converts video input into musical phrases.

Keston captures, layers, loops and processes melodic segments in real-time out of the stream of notes created by his gestural input, tailored with probability distribution algorithms. O'Brien accompanies these angular, electronic structures, with dynamic playing that, at times, verges on the chaotic.

John Keston is a musician, composer, and sound artist exploring the synesthetic relationships between auditory and optical landscapes. He is also interested in evoking stochastic behaviors in compositional structures by translating visual or gestural input into sound. One example of how John is doing this is with the Gestural Music Sequencer (GMS). The GMS is an application that John developed in Processing.org that analyzes video input and converts it into a sequence of musical information in real-time.

Originally from the United Kingdom, John is currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he is an instructor in interactive media at the Art Institutes Minnesota. His work involves composition, experimental software development, music and sound art. He founded the sound design resource, AudioCookbook.org, where you will find more documentation for his projects and research.

On AudioCookbook John selects a few examples of work that he has produced recently. This will include audio works found under sound, custom built applications and digital art under images, and music releases under discography.

Graham O'Brien is a drummer, producer and composer. He has produced and recorded music for artists and groups around the Twin Cities and nationally, including Eyedea, Sadistik, Kristoff Krane, No Bird Sing, Moon & Pollution, Carnage, Kill the Vultures, and officially released remixes with Halloween, Alaska, Sadistik, Guante and Sole. In 2011 Graham released his solo debut as a producer & composer entitled "Live Drums". It was warmly received and released on NoEcho Records out of the UK.

You can find out more about Ostracon on their website.

  Ostracon

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Ostracon lives in Minnesota, USA.

Tagged as: Electronica, Experimental.


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