Interface (23)

interface is an American improvisatory computer music duo formed in 1995 by Dan Trueman and Curtis Bahn. In their performances, interface is creating real-time sonic environments which combine pre-composed electronic sounds with digital signal processing, synthesis, algorithmic composition, and sampling. Dan and Curtis met as doctoral students at Princeton University's music department. Interested in gestural instruments design and interactive performance interfaces, they started working on computerized sensors and other upgrades for an electric upright bass and electric violin. For their performances, Trueman and Bahn also developed spherical speakers (multi-channel, geodesic speaker arrays) and Sensor-Speaker-Arrays (SenSAs) – combinations of various sensor devices with spherical speaker arrays. Curtis Bahn is performing on SBass (the Sensor Bass), a 5-string vertical bass fitted with electrical pickups, motion, light, touch and tilt sensors. Dan Trueman plays a 6-string electric violin with a custom-built sensor Rbow connected to PowerBook G3 laptop. The 'Trueman-Cook Rbow' was designed by Trueman together with Perry Cook, a computer science professor at Princeton. It's equipped with two accelerometers that detect the pitch and position of the bow, and two pressure sensors. All data is processed in the palm-sized 'violin bow computer' mounted on the performer's waist. Dan and Curtis had been constantly working with a dancer Tomie Hahn, who also plays Japanese shakuhachi flute – she effectively became a third member of interface. Trained both in traditional Japanese 'Nihon Buyo' and contemporary dance performance, Tomie has a few sensors on her body during live shows, to make sounds as she moves. Other frequent collaborators include Pauline Oliveros on accordion with the Expanded Instrument System (EIS), Perry Cook on DigitalDoo, Monica Mugan on Wacom Tablet, Steve Mackey on electric guitar, video artists R. Luke Dubois and Mark McNamara. Interface has performed throughout the United States and abroad, recently appearing at Engine 27, Tonic (2), the New York Interactive Music Festival at The Kitchen (3) sponsored by Columbia University, SEAMUS, the International Computer Music Festival in Thessaloniki, and the International Society of Bassists World Convention. They gave lectures and concerts at major academic institutions, such as Brown University, University of Maryland, Peabody Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MIT Media Lab, and Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.