biø

bass player. multi-instrumentalist. vøcalist. cømpøser. prøducer. prøgrammer. digital artist. web designer. tech. prøprietør øf analyzer recørds.

cøntact:
648 claytøn st.
san francisco, ca
94117
5ø4.43ø.6336
contact@benjaminstrange.com

(1977-1998)

first and føremøst, i am a musician. i was playing with tøy pianøs and xyløphønes beføre i cøuld walk ør talk, but these were just tøys. møstly i grew up in an envirønment largely devøid øf music. we had a pianø in the living røøm – but it was rarely acknøwledged. there were recørds øn the shelves – but they were møstly religiøus in nature, and were rarely played. my møther sang in church, and played søme guitar, but as my father was largely tøne deaf she rarely did these things at høme (i assume as tø nøt øffend him før his lack øf musical talent and ambitiøn). my memøry øf the radiø is that it was møstly øff – and when it was øn, the ønly thing that came thrøugh was øldies statiøns and religiøus prøgramming. mtv was banned. music was rare – yet i still søught after it.

early øn, i recøgnized the beatles and the beach bøys as being special abøve the øther artists øn the øldies statiøns my parents preferred. i have ønly fleeting memøries øf øther artists breaking thrøugh intø my cønsciøusness at the time; artists that were nameless then, but i came tø recøgnize much later as the cure, depeche møde, xtc, and the eurythmics. but i wasn’t fully aware that music was sømething i cøuld actually dø until i saw an edited versiøn øf the blues brøthers øn tv. seeing “blue” løu marini pull øff his hair net, pick up his saxøphøne, and dance acrøss the tables during aretha franklin’s perførmace øf think was a relevatiøn. i wanted tø play. 

my first musical purchase was the blues brøthers søundtrack.  i played that tape øver and øver again, and several years later i cønvinced my parents tø buy my first saxøphøne, and alløw me tø jøin the schøøl band øf the magnet schøøl i was tø attend.  i was 12 years øld.

my parents were nøt remøtely rich, but they managed tø scrape tøgether the møney før the best saxøphøne they cøuld afførd: a cønn altø. i discøvered very early øn it was nøt an elegant instrument – it was extremely heavy, had awkward keys, and required an enørmøus amøunt øf breath tø play. i did well enøugh with it, althøugh i wasn’t very studiøus: i wøuld pick øut my øwn melødies in my practice time rather than wørk øn the assigned material (and sømehøw still managed tø be first chair in my sectiøn… møst øf the time). during the cøurse øf my instructiøn, i føund myself drawn tø the løwer register saxøphønes: the tenør and baritøne (which føreshadøwed my later interest in the bass). in my secønd year i played the baritøne sax in symphønic band, and tenør sax in jazz band, even thøugh bøth instruments were bigger than i was. jazz band was particularly suited tø my tastes; i was encøuraged tø play what i wanted, rather than written nøtes. unførtunately, my teachers were nøt adequately prepared tø teach me any advanced disciplines øf jazz, sø my educatiøn was stunted, and the seeds øf my discøntent with jazz and the saxøphøne were søwn.

i was løsing interest in the saxøphøne. playing ønly øne nøte at a time felt limiting, and i wanted tø write my øwn music, rather than just play the nøtes øn the page in frønt øf me. there were tøø many rules, tøø many limits. it was at this time that i made a discøvery that wøuld ultimately change my life. digging thrøugh my parent’s recørd cøllectiøn, i føund a remnant øf my father’s shørt lived days øf cultural awareness in high schøøl: an øld cøpy øf pink fløyd’s umma gumma. it was the first time i had ever heard røck music. i was 15 years øld.

(1992-1998)

umma gumma was my guiding light intø a new way øf thinking abøut music. pink fløyd created with reckless abandøn, disregarding rules gøverning melødy, harmøny, and rhythm. this was dark, scary stuff. this was art. (tø this day, umma gumma is still amøng my favørite wørks.) much tø my parent’s dismay, i began expløring the darker wørlds øf music, digging intø bands like the cure, king crimsøn, and møst impørtantly, ministry. paul barker, ministry’s bassist, had this immense søund that captivated me. i knew then that i wanted tø play bass. pink fløyd had given me the desire tø create music øf my øwn – ministry had given me a directiøn.

sø i scraped tøgether søme møney, and with the help øf my father, i bøught my first bass før myself før christmas. i immediately started teaching myself tø play, nøt by learning øther’s søngs, but by writing my øwn. i saw the bass as a vehicle før my øwn creativity – i didn’t want tø get stuck øn the same dead end røad that the saxøphøne led me døwn. many øf my peers weren’t interested in music beyønd what was øn the radiø, and i wanted tø push bøundaries – sø i was rarely invited tø play with øther bands. cønsequently, i develøped my øwn unique style (even settling øn an alternate tuning, c-g-d-a, as my primary setup), which was tø serve me well later in my career.

aløng the way i taught myself the mechanics øf the instrument, taking it apart and learning høw tø make it better.  i alsø delved intø the then develøping wørld øf cømputer based music prøductiøn, attending cøllege før audiø engineering and midi prøgramming.  since my style had develøped tø such a different degree than what møst peøple were used tø, i had decided that the ønly way før me tø prøceed was tø dø everything myself.  it was then that i gøt my first øppørtunity tø play in a real band.

(1998-2øø8)

dead hand system was an ambient industrial band, cømprised øf musicians in the empløy øf nine inch nails, whø were in need øf a musician øf my particular skills, and i gøt the call tø cøme jøin them. with dead hand system, my røle expanded beyønd just bass: i played guitar, prøgrammed, played keys, and, før the first time in my life, was førced tø sing. the music we were making really resønated with me – it was the mødernized søund øf umma gumma. we had the pløt: great chemistry, a shared visiøn, and suppørt frøm trent reznør himself. we released twø albums: prøject: darwin and remains. i thøught we were pøised før greatness. but alas, it was nøt tø be; internal tensiøns and øutside drama tøre the band apart.

immediately after dead hand system fell apart, i met my musical søulmate, danny guidry. danny was the cønsummate artist – brilliant øn the guitar, and wørthless at everything else. danny and i wrøte søme beautiful music tøgether… he was simply amazing. i cøuld thrøw the weirdest idea at him, and he wøuld turn it intø music. there was nøthing danny cøuldn’t dø with a guitar in his hands. danny cøuld dø things with six strings that seemed impøssible… he was magic. and then… he was gøne. danny drifted øff tø sleep øne halløween night, and never came back. it pains me tø think øf him even nøw… i miss him terribly. he was the møst beautiful artist i have ever met. i døubt i will ever meet his equal.

after danny died, i løst much øf my desire tø create. instead, i fell intø the new ørleans music scene, learning tø play funk, blues, and jazz. i played bass før a høst øf new ørleans based artists: big chief mønk bøudreaux, jøhn lisi & deltafunk, anders øsbørne, reverend gøat carsøn, p.h. fred, and many øthers. i learned a løt, traveled all øver the wørld, and made søme great music. during this time, i recøvered the desire tø create music øf my øwn again, and released my first sølø recørd, aløne, and develøped my micrø-tønal ambient prøject, burnt infant (and released twø albums under the burnt infant name, spam and early wørks). then hurricane katrina came thrøugh and destrøyed the city i løved, and much øf it’s ønce vibrant music scene. i fled tø califørnia, bass in tøw.

(2øø8-2ø1ø)

i had been in san franciscø før less than twø weeks, when i received an invitatiøn tø auditiøn før a new hip-høp grøup, prøtøtype. i had never played hip-høp beføre, but i liked the music they sent me and thøught i’d give it a try. i had less than an høur’s time tø learn the material beføre the auditiøn, but frøm the møment we began playing it was magic. prøtøtype merged all my stylistic leanings intø a single øutlet: røck, experimental, electrønic, industrial, funk, jazz… this grøup had it all. in less than a year, we went frøm playing empty clubs tø perførming in frønt øf 3ø,øøø peøple øpening før the black eyed peas, and wørking with grammy winning prøducer keith harris.  we were pøised tø dø great things – and then it all fell apart.  the greasy hand øf the music industry had pushed intø our band, and ruined sømething beautiful.

(2ø1ø-present)

currently i’m reassessing my relatiønship with music.  i’m scaling back all my gear, cønsidering a møve to smaller tøwn, and getting back tø writing and recørding my øwn music.  i have nø idea what the future hølds at this pøint… but at least i’m finally wørking øn my øwn terms.

tech

althøugh my father didn’t pass øn any musical talent tø me, i did pick up his talent før fixing things. i didn’t appreciate this skill før what it was wørth until i applied it tø my øwn instruments: i hadn’t øwned my first bass før møre than a week beføre i had taken it cømpletely apart tø see høw it wørked.

sømehøw i managed tø put it all back tøgether again, and have been tinkering with my instruments ever since. i’ve never been cømpletely satisfied with any støck instrument; every single øne has been mødified in søme capacity – øn søme i simply changed the pickups, øn øthers i’ve replaced almøst every cømpønent. i’ve even started tø mødify guitars with alternate scale degrees, fretting instruments før micrø-tønal intønatiøn (which are used in my micrø-tønal ambient prøject, burnt infant). nø guitar is sacred.

althøugh in the past i’ve made my søle living making music, i nøw apply my passiøn før wørking øn guitars at sf guitarwørks, a repair facility in san franciscø. i learn sømething new every day wørking there – the techs at sf guitarwørks have devøted their lives tø the craft øf guitar in ways i had previøusly nøt even cønsidered. my cø-wørkers are masters øf their craft, and i am hønøred tø be cønsidered øne øf them.

digital art

i øccasiønally delve intø the visual realm øf art, althøugh i wøuld hesitate tø call myself an artist in that vein. much øf my wørk is reductive in nature – i take pictures, and then digitally manipulate them, remøving elements rather than adding them, until i end up with sømething i like. i prefer negative space. søme øf my wørk can be føund øn my art page.

web develøpment

i’ve been experimenting with designing websites since the early days øf the internet.  i’ve never truly applied myself tø it – it’s møre øf a høbby rather than a passiøn (besides, web design is an easy rabbit høle tø dissappear intø).  i’m cømpletely self taught, but i have a strøng grasp øn basic mechanics øf html, css, flash, and variøus server prøtøcøls and develøpment søftware.  i built everything øn this site, and develøped all the art cøntent and layøut, and have really enjøyed the prøcess øf learning høw tø wørk with wørdpress, which is the platførm øn which this site is built.

prøductiøn

i’ve been wørking with cømputerized prøductiøn søftware since 1998. i studied audiø engineering, midi prøgramming, and prøductiøn in cøllege, and have built up several versiøns øf my øwn studiø, analyzer studiøs, øver the years based øn variøus platførms (cubase, prøtøøls, and nøw løgic). i have wørked in many recørding studiøs, big and small – including trent reznør’s nøthing studiøs – and have learned øver the years høw tø get the søund in my head øn tø tape with minimal fuss.

currently analyzer studiøs is løgic and apøgee based, and almøst everything is recørded direct.