By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer
Ugandan sound artist Brian Bamanya — better known by his stage name, Afrorack — brought his modular synth performance to Vancouver New Music on September 27 and the Red Gate Arts Society on September 28 following a seminar presentation with SFU’s music and sound department on September 26. Bamanya performed in Vancouver as part of his Canadian tour, which also included stops in Montréal, Saskatoon, and Edmonton from the end of September through early October.
Afrorack’s résumé includes inventing Africa’s first homemade modular synth, creating electro instruments such as a velocity-sensitive electronic drum kit, and showcasing his expertise in electro-mechanical music. Each of his instruments are made from a variety of recycled materials including old wires, metal, pipes, and wood. The modular synth is a massive DIY synthesizer made from a collection of metal knobs, copper wires, switches, and effect pedals. Effect pedals are electronic pedals that are connected to a pedal board and used by musicians to create different sounds, change frequencies, and add dynamics to a song or performance.
As an interdisciplinary artist with a background in sound art and electronic music, Afrorack has vast experience in building electrical circuits, rigging handmade electronic instruments, and keeping sustainability and renewable energy in mind. Bamanya is a master of his craft in music creation and instrument making, and in his performances, passion flows through his veins.
During the seminar with the SFU music department, Bamanya presented a demonstration of his work with his modular synth. As music and sound majors, we analyzed his work and watched an in-depth performance of DIY sounds and effects. Having taken place in the main music room at Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Bamanya’s lively presentation was followed by a Q&A session as music majors listened in awe of his creations.
Plugging in to the outlets and revving up his synth rig, Bamanya took us through a full two hours of sound art and music making. With stuttering resonances, intentional feedback, and effects typically only made by a wah-wah pedal — Bamanya curated these sounds via pedals and wires inside of a rubber storage container — the performance was packed with electro and experimental sound.
Bamanya’s velocity-sensitive electronic drum kit also came about from recycled and reused materials, formulating an instrument that functions off of high velocity pedal inputs as the name states. Although we didn’t get to see his performance with the kit, prior to the seminar, SFU music majors got a taste of his work via compositions and videos of the creative process.
Afrorack rocked the roof off the music room as the walls vibrated with electronic frequencies and experimental effects. His performance was a combination of rehearsed and improvised as he curated various elements in the spotlight of the Thursday morning seminar. From sounds sweet like flowing waterfalls, to the screech of squeaky wires rigged through pedals working in harmony to enhance the effects, and the rhythms of what could only be the backbeat of a night at the club, Afrorack showed us that making any sound is possible from any ordinary object. As we were left in awe by the sounds modulated from the amplifiers and through our ear canals, it was clear that Afrorack is here to put the rock in electronic roll as the soundwaves pump life back into repurposed materials.
Follow Bamanya @afrorck on Instagram to keep up with his creations.
