FM3 (sometimes stylized as FM三) is the
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China-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 creating meditative music by combining the sound of Chinese classical instruments with modern digital techniques. The duo is best known for its 2005 release, the Buddha Machine loop player.
History
A United States native, Virant moved to China in the 1980s to study Chinese Music and culture. In 1999, Virant joined Zhang Jian to form FM3, a project that allowed the pair to 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, the project evolved into a "meditative" sound.
In November 2013, Virant announced the release of a forthcoming FM3 album, called "Ting Shuo", on his
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel. During late 2013 and early 2014, FM3 presented live shows at events in China and Thailand, with most of the Thai gigs featuring Virant performing alone. On March 22, 2014, Virant played at the EESE Experimental Electronic South East arts festival in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
under the moniker "FM3v", used for his solo performances of the project's work. As part of his appearance at EESE 2014, Virant also conducted a workshop on 23 March, at which he spoke about the Buddha Machine invention.
Buddha Machine
![Buddha Machine 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Buddha_Machine_2.0.jpg)
In 2005, FM3 began work on a small
musical loop player that the group called the Buddha Machine. The Buddha Machine fulfills certain criteria of a
generative 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.
Historical background
In 1995 whilst working with SSEYO's Koan software (built by Tim Cole and Pete Col ...
device, while the idea of layering loops of ambient sound is credited to
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
, who worked similarly using tape machines for installations. Eno was himself an early supporter of the Buddha Machine.
Roughly the size of a pack of cigarettes, the device features a single toggle switch to cycle through samples, a combined power and volume dial, and an integrated speaker. The device contains a chip holding nine digitally encoded
drones, ranging in length from 1.5 to 40 seconds.
The name and idea is derived from a popular Chinese device that intones repeating loops of
Buddhist chant
A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to religious recitations of other faiths.
Traditional chanting
In Buddhism, chanting is the traditional means of preparing the mind for meditation, especially as ...
ing. In an interview with the public radio show
Studio 360
''Studio 360'' was an American weekly public radio program about the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and ''Slate'' in New York City. The program's stated goal was to "Get inside the c ...
, 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 its construction as a means of presenting his loop-based music.
Following the original version, two other editions of the Buddha Machine have been released: The second unit, released in 2008, features nine new loops and pitch control, while the third unit (entitled ''Chan Fang'' 禅房; translated as ''Zen Room'') – released in 2010 – replaced the electronic drones on the first two units with loops performed on the
Gu Qin, an ancient Chinese classical instrument. Following the release of the third version, the band also produced
apps for the
iPhone and
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
with similar functionality to the physical devices.
The pair collaborated with
industrial music
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
pioneers
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...
and Industrial Records in 2009 to make a Buddha Machine model entitled "Gristleism". According to the promotional material, the Gristleism features "thirteen original and uncompromising loops" and a “mix of signature TG experimental noise, industrial drone, and classic melodies and rhythms”. As of March 2014, the limited-edition product is no longer available.
In November 2012, the fourth-generation Buddha Machine was released, containing eight new loops and encased in a “
dayglo
The Day-Glo Color Corp. (also styled as DayGlo) is a privately held American paint and pigments manufacturer based in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1946 by brothers Joseph and Bob Switzer, Robert Switzer and is currently owned by ...
” case that was available in four colours. In 2013, FM3 collaborated with Japanese musician
Keigo Oyamada
, also known by his moniker , is a Japanese musician and producer who co-founded Flipper's Guitar, an influential Shibuya-kei band, and subsequently embarked on a solo career. In 1997, he released the album '' Fantasma'', which landed him prai ...
, better known as Cornelius, to produce a loop-playing device called “Ghost in the Machine”. The device contains three tracks from Oyamada's soundtrack for the
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
film ''
Ghost in the Shell: Arise''.
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, in his book ''How Music Works'', references the Buddha Machine as an early step toward a future where all types of music could be machine generated. Additionally, in his online journal, Byrne compared the device to both the work of composer
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...
and oral literary traditions, writing in 2011:
…a transistor radio sized device that plays endlessly changing sounds, chosen by the program, from a given set of notes and sounds. There is, as one would expect, no arc to these compositions – no beginning, middle and/or end. They are merely states of being, not substitutes for narrative. These indeterminate scores can be viewed a bit like the literature that emerges out of oral traditions – the great epics and sagas.
A Buddha Machine collaboration with Philip Glass, ''Philip Glass 80'', was released in January 2017 to celebrate the composer's 80th birthday.
The original Buddha Machine 1 was re-released in a slightly redesigned form in November 2017, available in four colors: green, blue, red, and orange.
Reception
The music of FM3 has been described as “poetic noise”, “confrontationally tranquil”, and “engagingly intimate”.
The original Buddha Machine, released in 2005, was positively received and has been described as “beautifully useless”, “mesmerizing”, and “addictive, spellbinding, hypnotic”.
Discography
In addition to the Buddha Machine, FM3 has a number of releases on CD and
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
formats, and their music appears in various film and television soundtracks in China and the
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
.
Albums
*"Hou Guan Yin" (with
Dou Wei
Dou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer.
Music
Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the hard rock group Black Panther (Hei Bao, 黑豹). In ...
), 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 Wei
Dou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer.
Music
Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the hard rock group Black Panther (Hei Bao, 黑豹). In ...
), Shanghai Audio Visual (CD), China, 2004
*"Bu Ke Neng" (with Yan Jun and Wu Quan), Kwanyin (CD), China, 2003
*"Ting Shuo (听说), CVMK (CD), Hong Kong, 2014
Spin-off albums
*Layering Buddha - On October 27, 2006,
Robert Henke
Robert B. Henke (born 1969) is a German computer music artist working in the fields of audiovisual installation, music and performance. He was born in Munich, Germany, and lives in Berlin.
Coming from an engineering background, Henke is fascinat ...
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 Girls
Sun City Girls were an American experimental rock band, formed in 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1981, the group consisted of Alan Bishop (bass guitar, vocals), his brother Richard Bishop (guitar, piano, vocals), and Charles Gocher (drums, voc ...
,
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bla ...
,
Thomas Fehlmann
Thomas Fehlmann (born 1957) is a Swiss composer/producer who lives in Berlin, Germany, and has been active in electronic music since the 1980s. He is currently active on the Kompakt record label based in Germany. Fehlmann is an on-and-off member ...
,
Jan Jelinek
Jan Jelinek is a German electronic musician who also operates under the names 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 s ...
with
Andrew Pekler and
Hanno Leichtmann,
Einstürzende Neubauten
(, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh (custom-made instruments; perc ...
's
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld (born Christian Emmerich, 12 January 1959) is a German musician who has been the lead singer of the band Einstürzende Neubauten since its formation in 1980. Bargeld was also a founding member of the Australian rock band Nick Cave a ...
,
Monolake
Monolake is a German electronic music project, initially 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 tog ...
's
Robert Henke
Robert B. Henke (born 1969) is a German computer music artist working in the fields of audiovisual installation, music and performance. He was born in Munich, Germany, and lives in Berlin.
Coming from an engineering background, Henke is fascinat ...
,
Alog Alog is a Norwegian musical group.
The musical duo Alog was formed in Tromsø in Troms county, Norway in 1997. Alog has been among Norway's performers of experimental electronic music.
The musical duo consists of Norwegian musicians Espen Somm ...
, and
Mapstation among others.
*Buddha Machine Music - In March 2011,
Jan Linton
Jan Linton is a British singer, musician and producer from Warrington who helped internationalise the music scene in Tokyo, Japan.
Biography
Jan Linton studied violin from the age of four, moving briefly onto piano, before discovering pop ...
released a mini album from Entropy Records called ''Buddha Machine Music'' a mini CD of 22 minutes which contains 6 compositions by
Jan Linton
Jan Linton is a British singer, musician and producer from Warrington who helped internationalise the music scene in Tokyo, Japan.
Biography
Jan Linton studied violin from the age of four, moving briefly onto piano, before discovering pop ...
using treated sounds from Buddha Machines 1.0 and 2.0, along with his performances on various instruments including the
zhongruan
The ''zhongruan'' (), is a Chinese plucked string instrument. The ''zhongruan'' has a straight neck with 24 frets on the fingerboard and 4 strings. It is usually played with a plectrum (guitar pick). It can also be played with fingers (index f ...
and
saz.
*He Xie Fu - A new version of the "Jukebox Buddha" remix compilation was released in November 2011 by FM3. The compilation features a lineup of all Chinese artists.
Tracks appear on
*"P.Pa, Zheng" Bip-Hop Generation
.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 nine-minute version of the track "P.Pa" appears in the 2010 installation "Ten Thousand Waves" by Turner-prize-nominated filmmaker
Isaac Julien
Sir Isaac Julien (born 21 February 1960Annette Kuhn"Julien, Isaac (1960–)" BFI Screen Online.) is a British installation artist, filmmaker, and distinguished professor of the arts at UC Santa Cruz.
Early life
Julien was born in the East End ...
.
FM3 band member Zhang Jian created the soundtrack for the 2016
Zhang Yang (director)
Zhang Yang (; born 1967) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He is the son of film director, Zhang Huaxun.
Zhang grew up in Beijing, studied until 1988 at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong, from which he graduated ...
film "Soul on a String" using music from unreleased FM3 material and live performances. The soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Film Score at the 53rd
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
.
References
External links
FM3 website for the Buddha Machine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fm3
Chinese musical groups
Experimental musical instruments