Elliott Sharp's 1998 Knitting Factory album finds the saxophonist, guitarist & electronic artist in a solo setting of rhythmic works using MAX/MSP and DSP applications to create rhythmic and sonic environments over which he improvises, with assistanceÊon one track each from Zeena Parkin on "little green drone guitar" and Frank Rothkamm providing drums sequences.
"TECTONICS is a solo program performed on saxophones, guitars, a laptop running MAX/MSP as well as various DSP applications, plus a variety of external hardware DSP devices. Sharp's work with electronics dates back to the late 60's and has included extended techniques on a variety of instruments, both "traditional" and invented, as well as use of analog synthesizers and processors, and, later, experiments with Music 4 running on a PDP. Tectonics combines an improvisational approach to electroacoustics with sequencer-created grooves often heavily transformed with both hardware and software DSP and controlled with Buchla Thunder. The TECTONICS program has been performed in Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Lyon, Beijing, Zurich, Kyoto, Ljubljana, Bern, Vienna and Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon."-zOar