Roboticist, Multi-Media artist, Techno Musician Moritz Simon Geist Announces Interactive and Music Performances, Talks

Media artist and robotic musician Moritz Simon Geist announces his new EP "Speculative Machine" special edition for his live appearances at SXSW 2019. Moritz is the world's-only techno producer playing entirely with his self-made futuristic robots.

His new 5 Track EP is released on his label SRR together with Kompakt Distribution and was produced by Berlinian sound wizards Mouse on Mars who he also worked with on his debut album Robotic Electronic Music (2018).

"The EP 'Speculative Machine' continues my work on robotics and music. I am building music machines which could lead to a future development of using more robotics in arts and music," says Geist. "As on my debut album 'Robotic Electronic Music', the sounds on this new EP are created enitrely with self-built DIY music machines".

The first track on his new EP, 'Maschyn' uses electromagnetic relays to make the melody; a futuristic robotic kalimba to play the bass drum; and various metal springs to play the percussions. Because all sounds on this EP are recorded live and with robots, the sonic output and groove is very different to sample-based digital computer-sounds: "When you listen to robots playing, you realize, that they sound precise, but in contrast to digital sounds they transport an immense organic feeling," says Geist. "No beat is like the other, everything is played with actual acoustic physicality and thus actual error. It's industrial and organic at the same time. The repetitive nature of the robots make it perfect for playing electronic music."

At SXSW and on his recordings, all of Moritz's sounds are played by robots: small motors that beat on metal, futuristic 3D-printed robo-kalimbas, salvaged parts from old hard drives that click and cut. It took Geist several years to build, tweak, test and play all his DIY robotic instruments. At his performance you can expect to hear metal-on-metal slammer, heavy drones, up-tempo club tracks featuring complex rhythmic textures and well defined robotic metallic percussion. You can watch Moritz perform live in the visual for "Entropy HERE, which chronicles the process of building a deep techno track from scratch with Geist's motorized sonic robots. As the rave-ready track becomes more layered, the room becomes increasingly filled with musical machines until the track peaks.

His 'Sonic Robots' try to push the boundaries of the imaginable. He did so already in 2012 with his well-known MR-808 drum robot. Now, Moritz Simon Geist goes even further to discover the unknown and futuristic world of techno robotics.