| Staalplaat Soundsystem

Staalplaat Soundsystem is an eclectic mix of techno culture and sound art installation. The initiator of Staalplaat Sound-system Geert-Jan Hobijn is the founder of the Staalplaat music label and he has been the organizer of many sound art and performance events in the past. What is probably not so well known is that Geert-Jan Hobijn not only is a producer, but has also always been influential in how many Staalplaat productions looked and sounded. With Staalplaat Soundsystem Geert-Jan Hobijn finally shows his own creative talents openly. No doubt the move of the Staalplaat headquarters from Amsterdam to Berlin has been important in making this happen. Whereas in Amsterdam media culture is an indoors experience most of all, Berlin has a very strong public media art scene with a deep interest in sound art and experimental techno-music.Geert-Jan Hobijn knows the experimental music scene inside out. With the Staalplaat Soundsystem he combines this knowledge with his experience in shaping performance art events. Working from a punk aesthetic (Staalplaat was founded in the beginning of the 80's) and his knowledge of 20th century avantgarde music traditions the Staalplaat Soundsystem has developed into a trashy extravaganza with the down to earth simplicity of the Cagean music universe.

In Budapest Staalplaat Soundsystem will perform the live version of the Yokomono installation. consists of 10 vinyl killers - toy car record players, each customised with its own fm transmitter. The sound will come through a set of radios that receives the signal transmitted by the vinyl killers.

You might think Yokomono is just a DJ set with 10 turntables, and in a way that is correct but in many more ways Yokomono is completely different. First of all; each killer is mono and has pour sound quality, but much more Yokomono is very hard to handle, you can not really select a track or make it stop when you want to, its more putting the needle down blindfolded.

The real difference starts when you realise each killer runs on batteries, meaning the speed is unstable and it will slow down during the concert, the fact that the batteries run out will not only effect the speed but it will effect the fm frequency that the killer is transmitting too.

The fact that we transmit with 10 fm transmitters at the same time means that each transmitter is effecting the other. These interference and the unstable media that is transmitting makes the whole set unpredictable and hard to control, making Yokomono unique and adventures.