FM3
Encyclopedia
FM3 is the Beijing-based music duo of Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian. They are considered among the pioneers of electronic music in China.. Since 1999, Virant and Jian have been making meditative music by combining the sound of Chinese classical instruments with modern digital techniques.
Their music has been described as "poetic noise," "confrontationally tranquil," and "engagingly intimate." They are best known for their 2005 release, the Buddha Machine loop-player.
, Nebraska
, Christiaan Virant moved to China in the 1980's to study Chinese Music and culture. In 1999, Virant joined Zhang Jian to form FM3; a project where the pair could experiment with music that combined the sound of Chinese classical instruments with modern digital techniques. Starting out as “the ambient, chill-out band that played in the back room” of Beijing clubs and evolving into a “meditative” sound.
player dubbed the Buddha Machine. Roughly the size of a pack of cigarettes the device has only one button, an on-off dial and a speaker. The device contains a chip holding nine digitally-encoded (drones
) that range in length from 5 to 40 seconds. The name and idea derived from a popular Chinese device that intones repeating loops of Buddhist chanting
. In an interview with the public radio show Studio 360
regarding the creation of the Buddha Machine, Virant said he was inspired by a device found in a Buddhist temple. Attracted to its design, he applied it as a means of presenting his loop-based music.
Following the original, two new editions of the Buddha Machine have been released. The second unit, released in 2008, features nine new loops and pitch control. The third unit, released in 2010, replaced the electronic drones on the first units with loops performed on the Gu Qin
, an ancient Chinese classical instrument. Following these new releases, the band also produced iPhone
and iPad
apps
that have similar functionality to the physical devices.
device. The idea of layering loops of ambient sound goes back to Brian Eno
who worked similarly using tape machines for installations. Eno was an early supporter of the Buddha Machine
.
Their music has been described as "poetic noise," "confrontationally tranquil," and "engagingly intimate." They are best known for their 2005 release, the Buddha Machine loop-player.
History
A Native of OmahaOmaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Christiaan Virant moved to China in the 1980's to study Chinese Music and culture. In 1999, Virant joined Zhang Jian to form FM3; a project where the pair could experiment with music that combined the sound of Chinese classical instruments with modern digital techniques. Starting out as “the ambient, chill-out band that played in the back room” of Beijing clubs and evolving into a “meditative” sound.
Buddha Machine
In 2005, FM3 began work on a small musical loopMusic loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
player dubbed the Buddha Machine. Roughly the size of a pack of cigarettes the device has only one button, an on-off dial and a speaker. The device contains a chip holding nine digitally-encoded (drones
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
) that range in length from 5 to 40 seconds. The name and idea derived from a popular Chinese device that intones repeating loops of Buddhist chanting
Buddhist chant
A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to Hindu, Christian or Jewish religious recitations. They exist in just about every part of the Buddhist world, from the Wats in Thailand to the Tibetan Buddhist temples in India and Tibet...
. In an interview with the public radio show Studio 360
Studio 360
Studio 360 is an American weekly public radio program about media, the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by PRI Public Radio International and WNYC in New York City. The program's stated goal is to "Get inside the creative mind" and uses arts and culture as a lens to...
regarding the creation of the Buddha Machine, Virant said he was inspired by a device found in a Buddhist temple. Attracted to its design, he applied it as a means of presenting his loop-based music.
Following the original, two new editions of the Buddha Machine have been released. The second unit, released in 2008, features nine new loops and pitch control. The third unit, released in 2010, replaced the electronic drones on the first units with loops performed on the Gu Qin
Guqin
The guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family...
, an ancient Chinese classical instrument. Following these new releases, the band also produced iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
apps
App Store
The App Store is a digital application distribution platform for iOS developed and maintained by Apple Inc.The service allows users to browse and download applications from the iTunes Store that were developed with the iOS SDK or Mac SDK and published through Apple Inc.. Depending on the...
that have similar functionality to the physical devices.
Concept
The Buddha Machine fulfills certain criteria of a generative musicGenerative music
Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...
device. The idea of layering loops of ambient sound goes back to Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
who worked similarly using tape machines for installations. Eno was an early supporter of the Buddha Machine
Discography
In addition to the Buddha Machine, FM3 has a number of releases on CD and Vinyl formats and their music appears in various film and television soundtracks in China and the West.Albums
- "Hou Guan Yin" (with Dou WeiDou WeiDou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the heavy rock group Black Panther . His album Dark Dreams draws influences from The Cure and Bauhaus, was a landmark...
), Lona Records (CD, Dig), Hong Kong, 2006 - "Mort Aux Vaches" (Part of the Mort Aux Vaches series), Staalplaat (CD), 2005
- "Radio Pyongyang" Sublime Frequencies (CD), USA, 2005
- "Streets of Lhasa" Sublime Frequencies (CD), USA, 2005
- "Chuan Song" FM3 Zhang, Kwanyin (CD), China, 2005
- "Jing Hua Yuan Ji" (with Dou WeiDou WeiDou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the heavy rock group Black Panther . His album Dark Dreams draws influences from The Cure and Bauhaus, was a landmark...
), Shanghai Audio Visual (CD), China, 2004 - "Bu Ke Neng" (with Yan Jun and Wu Quan), Kwanyin (CD), China, 2003
Spin-off albums
- Layering Buddha - On October 27, 2006, Robert HenkeMonolakeMonolake is an electronic music act based in Berlin. Originally consisting of members Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke, Monolake is now perpetuated by Henke while Behles focuses on running music software company Ableton, which they founded in 1999 together with Bernd Roggendorf...
released an album called Layering Buddha which contains 10 tracks that have been created by "filtering, pitching and layering either the original loops, or new loops which were re-assembled out of parts of the originals."
- Jukebox Buddha - In November 2006 Berlin record label Staubgold released a 15-track album of Buddha Machine remixes entitled Jukebox Buddha. Contributors include Sun City GirlsSun City GirlsThe Sun City Girls were an American experimental rock band, formed in 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1981 the group consisted of Alan Bishop , his brother Richard Bishop , and the late Charles Gocher . Their name was inspired by Sun City, Arizona, an Arizona retirement community...
, Sunn O)))Sunn O)))Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
, Thomas FehlmannThomas FehlmannThomas Fehlmann , is a Swiss-born composer/producer who currently lives in Berlin, and has been active in electronic music as far back as the 1980s. He is currently active on the Kompakt record label based in Germany...
, Jan JelinekJan JelinekJan Jelinek is a German electronic musician who also operates under the names of Farben, Gramm and The Exposures. His music is usually categorized as minimal techno, glitch or microhouse, and is characterized by deep basslines, extensive use of samples from earlier jazz and rock recordings, and...
with Andrew Pekler and Hanno Leichtmann, Einstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
's Blixa BargeldBlixa BargeldBlixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
, MonolakeMonolakeMonolake is an electronic music act based in Berlin. Originally consisting of members Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke, Monolake is now perpetuated by Henke while Behles focuses on running music software company Ableton, which they founded in 1999 together with Bernd Roggendorf...
's Robert HenkeRobert HenkeRobert B. Henke is a German computer music composer and professor of sound design at the Berlin University of the Arts. He is a co-developer of Ableton Live music software and founding member of the electronic music project Monolake...
, AlogAlog-Musical duo:The musical duo Alog was formed in Tromsoe in Troms county, Norway in 1997. Alog has been among Norway's performers of experimental electronic music....
, and Mapstation among others.
- Buddha Machine Music - In March, 2011, Jan LintonJan LintonJan Linton is a singer, musician and producer from Warrington, England, who helped internationalize the music scene in Tokyo, Japan.-Biography:...
released a mini album from Entropy Records called Buddha Machine Music a mini CD of 22 minutes which contains 6 compositions by Jan LintonJan LintonJan Linton is a singer, musician and producer from Warrington, England, who helped internationalize the music scene in Tokyo, Japan.-Biography:...
using treated sounds from Buddha Machines 1.0 and 2.0, along with his performances on various instruments including the zhongruanZhongruanThe zhongruan , is a Chinese plucked string instrument. In English, it is sometimes called a “moon guitar”, because it has a round sound box. The zhongruan has a straight neck with 24 frets on the fingerboard and 4 strings. It is usually played with a plectrum...
and sazSazSaz can be a nickname for the given name Sarah, or may refer to:* Saz , a family of Iranian and Turkish stringed musical instruments* Sameh Zakout, rap artist* saz, the ISO 639-3 code for the Saurashtra language...
.
- He Xie Fo - A new version of the "Jukebox Buddha" remix compilation will be released in November 2011 by FM3. The compilation will be called "He Xie Fo" and feature a lineup of all Chinese artists.
Tracks appear on
- "P.Pa, Zheng" Bip-Hop Generation [v.7] (CD, Dig), BiP_HOp, 2004
- "Ambience Sinica" Very Best of the Far East (CD), Nascente, UK, 2004
- "Bitzen" Condominium (CD), Mousike Lab, 2004
- "Ruan" Mutek 05 (2xCD), Mutek_Rec, 2005
- "Part #1, Part #2" Radio Worm 59 (CDr), Worm Records, 2005
- "Untitled" Yokomono 02: 55 Lock Grooves (LP), Staalplaat, 2005
- "Monoqin" Minicomp2 (7", Comp, Ltd), Sneakmove, 2007
- "East 18b," Silent Room (DVD, PAL + DVD, NTSC + 2xCD, Comp + Box, Ltd), SK Factory, 2007
Film Soundtracks
An extended 9-minute version of the track "P.Pa" appears in the 2010 installation "Ten Thousand Waves" by Turner-prize-nominated fillmmaker Isaac JulienIsaac Julien
Isaac Julien is an installation artist and filmmaker.-Biography:Julien graduated from St Martin's School of Art in 1985, where he studied painting and fine art film...
.
External links
- FM3 website
- FM3 website for the Buddha Machine
- Boomkat Article/Interview
- Discogs.com entry for "Layering Buddha"
- Discogs.com entry for "Jukebox Buddha"
- December 2005 interview on Disquiet.com with FM3's Christiaan Virant
- November 2008 interview on Disquiet.com with FM3's Christiaan Virant
- Pitchfork Media article on Jukebox Buddha
- Wall Street Journal - An interview with Christiaan Virant and some comments about the FM3 Buddha Machine.
- PopMatters review of Buddha Machine
- PopMatters review of Buddha Machine II
- Groovesmag review of Buddha Machine
- Groovesmag review of "Jukebox Machine"