Giselle A. (eventvibe): In one sentence how would you describe Soul in the Machine?
Soul in the Machine is a live electronic dance music act that combines music, technology, and sculpture.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): SitM stands out as a unique way to present electronic music, how did the concept for the band come about?
St(br)ainless: Erik (Stauber) and I used to be jazz musicians back in the roaring nineties. When I would go to see jazz shows at the time I was there to see the musician’s chops. The two of us attended a rave-style event where, for first time, I understood why people liked electronic dance music. When I watched a DJ for the first time, I realized there could be a market for an act that combined the electronic dance sound with visually stimulating instruments played by live musicians.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): To you, what characterizes a visually stimulating instrument?
St(br)ainless: We chose our instrument designs based upon visual appeal first and practicality second. The most practical way for playing electronic music is, of course, with turntables, CDs or laptops, but those aren’t very visual. The best vantage point for seeing what the DJ/performer is doing is from above and the audience isn’t above the performer – they’re in front of the performer. Same goes for keyboards/piano, the instrument upon which Erik and I were trained. Even though that was where we felt most at home, we have tried to minimize the amount of keyboard in our live performances because it’s difficult for the audience to see what a keyboardist is doing. All of our custom instruments light up and have a vertical face so the crowd can see everything we are doing.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): From watching your performance it’s clear that there are custom technologies being used. Where did they come from?
St(br)ainless: When we first attempted to build our instruments we tried using commercially available equipment that you could buy at any music store. Over time it became evident that we needed more features than the commercial units provided. These limitations required us to build our own custom electronics that allowed us to link the lighting of the instruments to what’s being played. We applied for, and received, the patent for that technology.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): How many members are involved and who has been the unifying force behind it all?
St(br)ainless: Erik and I started the group in 1999. Currently we are only two of three instrumentalists, the third instrumentalist is drummer, Nucci Cantrell. We also have four vocalists Chrysta Bell, Zosia, Kristin Behrmann, Sarah Ingraham. In addition we work with music producers J. Scott. G, Chase Costello, and Anthony Ross.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): What skills were required to build all that stuff?
I studied computer science in college and Erik studied mechanical engineering. For the purposes of the band I do all of the sculpture and Erik does all of the electrical engineering. To make a long story short, we have evolved away from our formal training in order to develop these other skills which have been necessary to bring this project to life.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): What role does art play?
St(br)ainless: We wanted the act to look beautiful as well as sound beautiful. The instruments, all of which are electronic, are sculptural metaphors for their acoustic counterparts. For instance, the laserharp doesn’t make any sounds on its own. It only sends a signal to the synthesizer when the musician plays it. It’s just a basic controller that sends signals to the computer, but since sculpturally it resembles an acoustic harp, everyone says, “that’s a laserharp!” without being told what it is.
Giselle A. (eventvibe): What is the vision for SitM as the band moves forward in the years to come?
St(br)ainless: Our personal goal is just to be able to wake up in the morning and be excited about the work we’re going to do that day. As for the act, we’ve got mental lists of ever more grandiose instruments and shows we could develop. There is no limit. We have the knowledge, it’s just a matter of resources. There isn’t really a plan because this business is so unpredictable. Opportunities come and go at the blink of an eye.
