69 - Bobby Chaos

Giannis Kampiotis
April 18, 2023

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Bobby Chaos

Coming from Canada, he learned music from his musician father and played various instruments throughout his life. After playing in several bands, he was forced to give up playing traditional instruments. He found his way back to making music with synthesizers 🎶

Read Time: 5 minutes 📰

Studio

Gear List

Main system in order of signal flow:

Modular System
I have a few cassette 4-tracks. Right now I’m using the Tascam Portastudio 414mkII
Alesis Quadraverb
Potato computer. I usually track into Reason 11

Other tools I commonly use are a recently unracked Moog Mother-32 and the Kilpatrick Phenol. I’ve also used dictaphones, the Casio SK-1, and a CNIB cassette player. I’d like to get back to using these in the future.

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Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I’m Bobby Chaos, a hobby musician from Calgary, Alberta in the Great White North.

My Dad is a musician and taught me how to play & how to think about music. Some of my earliest memories are of falling asleep in his kick drum while he was jamming with his classic rock band.

I started on clarinet in school as a child, moved to drums in my teenage years when my friends started playing in bands, and ended up on bass as my primary instrument. I spent several years in a Sublime-esque trio as my main band, but my love was for metal. The last metal band I played in was REDWAR from the Siksika Nation, fronted by Haunted Corpse of local horror punk fame FRIGHTENSTEIN.

In my late 20s I started to succumb to a mysterious series of injuries & suffocating fatigue. Eventually I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. As a result of the onset of this illness I had to give up playing traditional instruments. I identified as a musician and the illness has taken that away from me. I thought I would never make music again. It took me several years to come to terms with this, and several more to restoke that creative fire…

I had been producing music in Reason off & on since attending audio engineering school in 2000 (a short-lived career of odd jobs followed working in studios, building studios, repairing equipment, and working live sound & as a stagehand). It kept me engaged, but it wasn’t enough for me, even with a MIDI controller. Taking inspiration from Ministry & Skinny Puppy, I realized I needed to get some hardware to truly satisfy my creative urges. My first setup was a Microbrute thru a Boss Bass Chorus, a Volca Beats thru a Devi Ever Ænima, mixed in a Fostex XR-5. As soon as I heard that saturated analog sound I felt the oxygen-hungry flames flare up in my chest once more. It was then I realized there was an outlet where I could reclaim my true mantle as a performer and tap into my authentic voice.

A few years later in 2020-21 I had acquired a Koma Field Kit, Make Noise 0 coast and a Kilpatrick Phenol. Through encouragement from my supportive wife - an artist in her own right - I started to post to Instagram for #jamuary. It was the beginnings of where I am today.

There was a time I thought I’d never perform or make music ever again. I’m forever grateful to these tools, this community, and the urging from my wife to move past the pain & loss and offer my expression to others. There is no art without an audience, and there is no artist without the will to create.

Nothing is certain. Nothing is forever.

Embrace the chaos.

Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?

Modular system.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

Moog Filtatron.

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

To quote Todd Barton, I “follow the sound.”

What is a production technique that you always come back to?

Driving the inputs.

How would you explain your style?

Impulsive/Compulsive Cathartic Expression.

What is a big challenge you have as an artist?

Fibromyalgia puts significant limits on my endurance.

As a result, the amount of time I’m able to spend in front of the synth is very limited. The satisfaction of artistic expression is more important for me, so I don’t practice. Performances are most often first takes.

I work in front of a computer for my day job so allocating the energy to do the same to mix songs for an album has thus far prevented me from producing & releasing any music.

I’m always looking to streamline my process & cultivate greater reserves of physical & mental tenacity to overcome this obstacle.

Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?

Perspective: No.

However, for workflow, ergonomics & inspiration it’s essential.

One tip on how to spark creativity?

Just put the work in. The rest will take care of itself.

A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?

“Outside” by David Bowie.

Anything else you'd like to say?

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and everyone who has expressed interest in what I do. All of my gratitude to the modular community.