Modified Toy Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Modified Toy Orchestra is an experimental music
group from Birmingham
, England
. Brian Duffy, the main member and creator of the orchestra
makes the group's instruments by circuit bending
sound making devices, such as toy keyboards
, and educational spelling toys.
New live members are: Laurence Hunt (Pram
), Darren Joyce (Dreams of Tall Buildings), Mike Johnston (Plone
, Mike in Mono), Michael Valentine West (Twiggy and the K-Mesons), and Chris Plant (Colour Burst). Together they have performed to packed houses and critical acclaim, for instance, at the 2006 Sónar
festival in Barcelona
and Supersonic
festival in the United Kingdom
. Previous performances have included the Royal Institute, and supporting bands as diverse as Heaven 17
and Melt Banana. Live sets have also been transmitted on Resonance FM
and BBC Radio 1
.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Brian Duffy, the main member and creator of the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
makes the group's instruments by circuit bending
Circuit bending
Circuit bending is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as low voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and small digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators....
sound making devices, such as toy keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, and educational spelling toys.
Members
- Brian Duffy
- Darren Joyce
- Laurence Hunt
- Sean Tighe
- Chris Plant
- Graeme Rose
Past members
- Mike Johnston (His last performance with Modified Toy Orchestra was on 15 October 2007 at the Birmingham Town HallBirmingham Town HallBirmingham Town Hall is a Grade I listed concert and meeting venue in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It was created as a home for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival established in 1784, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the General Hospital, after St Philip's Church became...
. He sang a cover version of KraftwerkKraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
's Pocket Calculator as his last song with the band.)
Live
In 2006, the Modified Toy Orchestra was expanded from a one-man project by Brian Duffy to a full six-piece band, to have more possibilities when playing live.New live members are: Laurence Hunt (Pram
Pram (band)
Pram are an experimental band who formed in the Balsall Heath/Moseley area of Birmingham, England in 1990.-History:Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Rosie Cuckston and Matt Eaton went to school together. They moved to Birmingham in the late 80s, schoolfriend Andy Weir keeping in touch...
), Darren Joyce (Dreams of Tall Buildings), Mike Johnston (Plone
Plone
Plone can mean:* Plone , a British band* Plone , a content management system...
, Mike in Mono), Michael Valentine West (Twiggy and the K-Mesons), and Chris Plant (Colour Burst). Together they have performed to packed houses and critical acclaim, for instance, at the 2006 Sónar
Sónar
Sónar is an annual three-day music festival held in Barcelona, Spain. It is described officially as a festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art. Music is by far the main aspect of the festival....
festival in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Supersonic
Supersonic Festival
Supersonic Festival is a yearly music festival in Birmingham featuring a combination of music, art, film and and other crafts. It continues to join boundaries between music and art, by inviting people to engage with both through a programme of avant garde sound and performance as well as hands-on...
festival in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Previous performances have included the Royal Institute, and supporting bands as diverse as Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and Melt Banana. Live sets have also been transmitted on Resonance FM
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
and BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Discography
- Pocket Calculator / TVOD (Limited Edition 7" vinyl, Warm Circuit Records, 2006)
- ToygopopToygopop- Track listing :# a grand occasion# had a farm# fantastic little blue world# monkey hands# clanger tibet# caramel accident# where is my sock?# this is the monkey# i am hula Barbie, hear me roar!# sometimes you dont...
(LP, Warm Circuit Records, 2006) - This is the Monkey (7" vinyl, Warm Circuit Records, 2004)