Generator Sound Art is an experimental arts and culture organization based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, co-owned by the sound artists Gen Ken Montgomery and Scott Konzelmann.Goldsmith, Kenneth. "Stairway To Eight Track Heaven". ''New York Press''. December 20–26, 2000. It focuses upon the work of dedicated

Sound Art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...

ists, and is an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

that either facilitated or continues to facilitate the activities of the Generator Gallery / exhibition space, the Generations Unlimited audio recording label, and a second,

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous audio recording label. Generator as a physical gallery / exhibition space existed in the East Village and then in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

from 1989–1992. The organization is non-

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

.Generator Sound Arts index.
Retrieved March 3, 2013. Profits earned from Generator-related activities are split between the artists and a fund to support future sound art projects. Generator's emphasis on handmade, self-released audio works derives from the "

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

networking" or " Cassette culture" milieu of the 1980s–1990s,. The embrace of spontaneity and

unintended consequences In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. The term was popularised in the twentieth century by Ameri ...

is another recurrent theme within Generator-affiliated work.

History

Gen Ken Montgomery

Generator's founder and proprietor Ken Montgomery (aka Gen Ken Montgomery) (b. 1957) is a New York-based sound artist raised in

Churchville, Pennsylvania Churchville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,128 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Churchville has a total area of , of which , or 0.98 ...

,Dery, Mark, "Notes From The Underground." ''Keyboard.'' February 1990. where he studied

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

in his late childhood and early teens. Since 1994, he has used the "Gen Ken" moniker for sound art / noise music (he also uses the anagrammatic moniker "Egnekn" for "more whimsical and especially

lamination Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materia ...

-based projects.")Pinsent, Ed. "Lamination Rituals: An Encounter with Ken Montgomery." ''The Sound Projector'' #17 (2008–2009). As to the latter, Montgomery's "lamination ritual" is a staple of his performance oeuvre, described by the artist as "a people-participatory activity and sonic listening experience which stimulates the mind and body in-the-moment, while producing an original, tangible, transformed personal object that will last…almost forever." Among Montgomery's formative influences are the theories of composer John Cage – particularly those outlined in Cage's 1961 collection of writings, ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the c ...

''Pinsent, Ed. "Gen Ken Montgomery: Music That Others Would Call Noise." ''The Sound Projector'' #10 (2002.) – and the participatory work ethic of the German

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

ian (and

Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...

protégé) Conrad Schnitzler (for whom Montgomery gave the first U.S. concerts, and first met during the sole

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

performance of 'KMZ' in 1982.) Having originally planned to work as a

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

– briefly studying at

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

for this purpose – Montgomery claims "I quickly discovered I was approaching ilmmakingwith the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

already in my mind." Montgomery worked, from the early 1980s until 1991, with traditional electronic music instruments such as

analog synthesizer An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of ...

s and cheap toys, originally recording this material under the project name "Gen Ken & The Equipment." The artist also enjoyed a period of access to a professional recording studio with synthesizers, samplers and

signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as sound, images, and scientific measurements. Signal processing techniques are used to optimize transmissions, ...

equipment. At the end of this period of creativity, an interval of flagging inspiration led Montgomery to experiment with the use of quotidian household devices as instruments: these included an 'Ice-o-Matic' commercial

icemaker An icemaker, ice generator, or ice machine may refer to either a consumer device for making ice, found inside a home freezer; a stand-alone appliance for making ice, or an industrial machine for making ice on a large scale. The term "ice machin ...

which was used both in concert and in the CD recording ''Icebreaker''. This was not an abrupt shift in methodology, but rather a return to an expressive style previously experimented with. As he explains:

"In my East Village apartment in the late '70s, I remember throwing parties and instead of playing music I turned on kitchen appliances, tape players, fans, radios and a TV tuned between stations…I made my first installations before I knew that audio installations and sound art existed."''Pondfloorsample'' (booklet). Ken Montgomery. New York, New York. XI Records, 2002. XI 126

Other forays into appliance-based sound works included recordings and performances made with a Keystone Model 16CC

film projector A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Modern ...

, a radiator, a

coffee maker A coffeemaker, coffee maker or coffee machine is a cooking appliance used to brew coffee. While there are many different types of coffeemakers the two most common brewing principles use gravity or pressure to move hot water through coffee gr ...

, and a refrigerator (Montgomery claims that refrigerator recordings were originally made as a protest to his landlord about the excessive noise of the unit he then owned.) The 2002 double CD compilation ''Pondfloorsample'' collects much of the audio material created from re-appropriated devices and appliances. By 1994, citing another period of creative burnout, Montgomery took a sabbatical in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and then set up residence in rural

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. This period saw the initiation of another project using found objects – the Eight Track Magic series of recordings – which were made of audio re-recorded from severely damaged eight track cassettes. Montgomery is also allied with the Kingdoms of

Elgaland-Vargaland Elgaland-Vargaland is a conceptual art project and micronation conceived and developed by Swedish artists Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Leif Elggren in 1992. It is also known by its acronym "KREV" (KonungaRikena Elgaland-Vargaland). Origins V ...

micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified ...

established by artists

Leif Elggren Leif Elggren (born 1950, Linköping, Sweden), is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm. Active since the late 1970s, Leif Elggren has become one of the most constantly surprising conceptual artists to work in the combined worlds of ...

and

Carl Michael von Hausswolff Carl Michael von Hausswolff (born 1956) is a composer, visual artist, and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices (camera, tape deck, radar, sonar) used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, ar ...

, for whom he oversees the Ministry of Lamination.

Generations Unlimited

The Generations Unlimited record and cassette

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

was co-founded in 1987Trina, Daniel. "Generator: A New Sound Wave." '' Rutgers Review''. November 20, 1990. along with

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

sound artist David Prescott (who was also a partner in the Pogus Productions record label)Margolis, Al. “The Dave Prescott Interview.” ''Electronic Cottage.'' March 1990. and featured releases from an artist roster including Conrad Schnitzler, Arcane Device,

Iancu Dumitrescu Iancu Dumitrescu (born 15 July 1944) is a Romanian avant-garde composer. Life and works Dumitrescu was born in Sibiu, Romania. He received a master's degree in composition in Bucharest, where his teachers included Alfred Mendelsohn. Later, ...

and

Morphogenesis Morphogenesis (from the Greek ''morphê'' shape and ''genesis'' creation, literally "the generation of form") is the biological process that causes a cell, tissue or organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of deve ...

. According to Prescott, the label formed in the wake of ongoing discussions between Schnitzler, Montgomery and himself, in which they "found that we had not only a lot in common, but particularly interesting differences which led to our each strengthening and developing out notions of music, art and life."David Prescott quoted in Margolis, 1990. As with other collaborative products involving Montgomery, the label was conceived as an alternative to both

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

currents of electronic music and also the more exclusively academic variations thereof (in a contemporaneous interview, Prescott stated that " urmusic exists between what is typically thought to be 'academic' and 'pop' oriented…the farther these labels have gone, the more it becomes apparent that this delineation doesn't exist." In lieu of an already existing musical categorization, Generations Unlimited products were marketed as "dramatic electronic music."

Generator Experimental Music Gallery

The Generator Experimental Music Gallery was founded on June 1, 1989 on 3rd & Avenue B in New York City's East Village.Generator Sound Art history.
Retrieved March 4, 2013.Krause, Adam. "Tapes From The Underground." ''Signal To Noise.'' Fall 2012. This was a multi-purpose arts space that hosted exhibitions, installations and performances of sound art, while also functioning as a boutique shop and meeting place / information exchange. On this last count, the space was noted in particular for its connection to the 'Cassette Culture' networks of the 1980s and the 1990s, and for its status as a "centralized location where at least one segment of the cassette

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

could congregate": a rarity in an artistic milieu that otherwise relied upon postal communication and mini-media such as fanzines to initiate and maintain contacts. Montgomery stressed, in addition, that the Generator space not be "reduced to any one of these things," and encouraged a concept for the space that involved "'turning is apartment inside out'," or a blurring of

personal boundaries Personal boundaries or the act of'' setting boundaries'' is a life skill that has been popularized by self help authors and support groups since the mid 1980s. It is the practice of openly communicating and asserting personal values as way to ...

in which "all the things he had previously done at home would be moved to a storefront where anyone could walk in off the street and see what was happening." The foundation of the Generator space was partially inspired by Montgomery's trips to Europe, in which he encountered likeminded multi-purpose venues (citing the Staaltape cassette shop in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and the Gelbe Musik in Berlin as significant influences in this regard):Ken Montgomery quoted in James, Robin (ed.)(1992). ''Cassette Mythos''. Autonomedia. p. 92. . "I saw all these kinds of places and every time I came back to New York I got very frustrated, because it seemed like there was nothing like that here."Faulkner, Tony. "Folk Music for the Nineties." ''Barnard Bulletin.'' April 6, 1992. Some of the distinguishing visual and interactive features of the Generator space were cassette players attached to the walls for visitors to record on, while aural experiments (e.g. Montgomery's claim of "several sound systems running simultaneously") occasionally took the place of simple playback of recordings. The basement of the space was set aside for performances once local curiosity about the space was piqued, and performances here regularly took place in complete or near-complete darkness. This space would eventually close in 1990 (its 1-year anniversary) owing to a number of converging factors, including the economic situation of the neighborhood's residents (i.e. their operating on little more than a subsistence income), and the propensity of the potential customers or visitors to already be sound producers themselves, and thus presumably less interested in buying new sound recordings. A second iteration of Generator, existing from June 1991 until June 1992 on 547 West 20th Street in the

district, differed from the original space in many salient respects. As opposed to being a ground floor / streetside space in a commercial district – making it suitable for "walk-ins" – the newer space was in a heavily

industrialized Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

zone with scant pedestrian traffic. Exhibiting hours were from 12-6pm on Saturdays and 2-6pm on Sundays, while personal visits could also be arranged via appointment. Given this decreased likelihood of visits from strangers, the 'shop' aspect of Generator was de-emphasized in favor of its role as a performance and exhibition space. Like the original Generator, though, the inspiration for its establishment lay partially in Montgomery's trans-Atlantic communications and collaborations, and the perceived disparity in available performance and installation spaces in Europe. As he recalls,

"When I started thinking about the artists that I knew working with sound, and some of them had given shows in Europe and other places, and there was no real place for them in New York, I thought it would be exciting to invite these people to come and do it here."

Performances / live events

The following is an abridged chronology of public events to have taken place in the different Generator spaces from 1991–1992. Exhibitions *June 1 – July 31, 1991: The Reincarnation of Generator – Arcane Device, Alvin Lucier, CHOP SHOP,

Gordon Monahan Gordon Monahan (born 1956 in Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian pianist and composer of experimental music. He has been active since at least 1978. Along with his own work, he has performed works by other composers such as John Cage, James Tenney, ...

, Laura Kikauka, Mary & Bill Buchen & Ron Kuivila *August 23 – September 8, 1991: Entropy – Tim Sweet,

GX Jupitter-Larsen GX Jupitter-Larsen (sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juppiter-Larsen'') is an artist, based in Hollywood, California, who has been active in a number of underground art scenes since the late 1970s. Jupitter-Larsen has been involved in punk rock, ma ...

, Luigi-Bob Drake, Mariano Airaldi, Roxy Middquendorf & Scott Konzelmann *September 14 – October 6, 1991:

Nicolas Collins Nicolas Collins (born March 26, 1954 in New York City) is a composer of mostly electronic music, a sound artist and writer. He received his BA and MA from Wesleyan University, and his PhD from the University of East Anglia. Upon graduating from ...

, "Sputniks" *October 11 – November 16, 1991

("Music From Nowhere"), Laura Kikauka ("Headspace") *November 24 – January 5, 1991: Ron Kuivila, "Dolci Mura" *January 25 – March 1, 1992: Ken Butler, "Man's Angles" *March 20 – April 5, 1992: Gen Ken Montgomery, "Icebreaker" *April 10 – May 23, 1992: Chop Shop, "Velocity & Vibration" Concerts *June 26, 1991: "Live Sound Manifestation" –

, Laura Kikauka, Ron Kuivila, Arcane Device, Charles Cohen, Bradley Eros, Jeanne Liotta, Leah Singer, Eric Schefler, Matty Jankowski, Gen Ken & Mariano Airaldi *August 23, 1991:

If, Bwana If, Bwana is the pseudonym of the influential noise music artist Al Margolis. History Al Margolis has been working under the musical pseudonym If, Bwana since New Year's Day 1984. The moniker is an acronym for "It's Funny, But We Are Not Amused." ...

(Al Margolis), Dan & Detta Andriano & Matty Jankowski, Trigger (

Fred Lonberg-Holm Fred Lonberg-Holm (born 1 October 1962) is an American cellist based in Chicago. He moved from New York City to Chicago in 1995. Lonberg-Holm is most identified with playing free improvisation and free jazz. He is also a composer of concert work ...

, Leslie Ross & Paul Hoskin) *August 24, 1991:

The Haters The Haters are a noise music and conceptual art troupe from the United States. Founded in 1979, they are one of the earliest acts in the modern noise scene. The group is primarily the work of the Hollywood, California-based musician, artist, w ...

, Gen Ken *August 25, 1991: Charles Cohen, Conrad Schnitzler *October 11, 1991:

& Ben Neill, Ben Manley *October 12, 1991: Ron Kuivila, Arcane Device *October 13, 1991: Mariano Airaldi & Gen Ken *December 29, 1991:

, Busyditch, Monty Cantsin *February 28, 1992: Ken Butler & Dina Emerson *March 24, 1992:

John Duncan John Duncan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter * John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician * Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician * John Duncan (harpist) ...

*March 28, 1992:

Michael Schelle Michael Schelle (pronounced ''Shelley''), born January 22, 1950 in Philadelphia, is a composer of contemporary concert music. He is also a performer, conductor, author, and teacher. Background Schelle grew up in Bergen County, in northern New J ...

, Fast Forward &

Ikue Mori (born 17 December 1953), also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, electronic musician, composer, and graphic designer. Mori was awarded a "Genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 2022. Biography Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She ...

*April 24, 1992:

Paul Panhuysen Paul Panhuysen (21 August 1934 – 29 January 2015) was a Dutch composer, visual and sound artist. He founded and directed Het Apollohuis, an art space that functioned during the 80's and 90's having artists doing sound installations, sound scul ...

*June 7, 1992 : Small Cruel Party / Wolfgang und Die Stuermer Generator crowd 1990

Upon the folding of the original Generator location, a Sunday evening performance series – "Generator at Webo" – was initiated at the Webo performance space as a means of offering further events in the spirit of the original Generator series. A

CD-R CD-R (Compact disc-recordable) is a digital optical disc storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can be written once and read arbitrarily many times. CD-R discs (CD-Rs) are readable by most CD readers manufactured prior to the i ...

archive of past Generator performances is also maintained by Montgomery, who makes these archival materials available for sale via the official Generator Sound Arts web presence. These discs are taken from the same source material as the original 'Live at Generator' cassette series, in which each release included a chrome cassette, a photograph, and a story relating to the performance from which the recording was taken. In 2015, Montgomery released a special limited edition cassette that he curated called ''Master Cactus''.

Artists Throwing Money Out The Window

"Artists Throwing Money Out The Window" is a Generator Sound Arts sub-label focusing more exclusively on conceptual recordings, non-music and "irritainment." Items in the catalog include a CD recording of

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, i ...

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

Fabio Roberti's car muffler, a CD of

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ed ...

educational film An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods. History Determining which videos should count as the first educational fil ...

soundtracks curated by AV Geeks, and a CD jewel case containing no playable media inside. Not all A.T.M.O.T.W. releases are done in this mold, however: the compilation release ''Links Outta Here'' is a selection of material recorded in tribute to the late Abigail Lavine.Various Artists: Links Outta Here CD compilation.
Retrieved March 4, 2013.

References

External links

*
Gen Ken Montgomery interviewed on the Belsona Academy podcast
(episode 3 on this list)
The Ministry of Lamination
*

Kenneth Goldsmith Kenneth Goldsmith (born 1961) is an American poet and critic. He is the founding editor of UbuWeb and since 2020 is the ongoing artist-in-residence at the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW) at the University of Pennsylvania, where ...

br>review
of Ken Montgomery's "8 Track Magic" audio project
Ken Montgomery interviewed about Conrad Schnitzler, ARTonAIR.org
{{Coord, 40.74536, -73.99887, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Art museums and galleries in Manhattan Cassette culture 1970s–1990s