Thursday, 27 February 2014

daydream machine

So what exactly is a Dream Machine?

    Artist Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs's (Beat generation writers) "systems adviser" Ian Sommerville created the Dream Machine after reading William Grey Walter's book, The Living Brain.
    In its original form, a Dream Machine is made from a cylinder with slits cut in the sides. The cylinder is placed on a record turntable and rotated at 78 or 45 revolutions per minute. A light bulb is suspended in the center of the cylinder and the rotation speed allows the light to come out from the holes at a constant frequency of between 8 and 13 pulses per second. This frequency range corresponds to alpha waves, electrical oscillations normally present in the human brain while relaxing. (read more at WIKI)

And here's the Portland, Oregon band 'Daydream Machine' who must have been a little inspired by that device. They describe their sound as - darkwave drone moon music neo-psychedelic space rock. Which is all about right. A joyous rumbling fuzz they make too. This self titled mini album of 3 tracks sounds like it's a live recording with some post production. Here's their thundering track "Spacement", pick it up for a dollar. A good underground vibe to this.