Marko Lasič: drums, objects
Peter Kastrin: guitar & effects
Samo Lasič: the Alchillator

Recording, mixing & arrangements by Samo Lasič
Artwork by Ana Razinger (drawing) & Samo Lasič (design)

Recorded in Vrtojba, Slovenia, August 2014

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This album is the first in the series and represents the birth of the Grand Sucker. It is a tribute to the gruesome egocentric Grand Sucker and his careless machinery. The sucker has lost all his dignity and in denial keeps gulping down more and more. Awareness of being watched sometimes makes him feel ashamed, but the perverted pleasure is just too great for him to cease sucking.

The Grand Sucker series is based on improvisations with drums, heavily effected guitar and the Alchillator, a prepared digital oscillator system. Live drumming provides machine-like inertia and stutter, sometimes mimicking electronic beats. The guitar and the Alchillator trade bass lines and their jester roles, enveloping the scene in a spooky atmosphere.

These recordings feature the first version of the Alchillator.

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What is the Alchillator?

To a large degree, the expressiveness and interaction with an instrument is imposed by its anatomy. For example, the different constituent parts of a saxophone or a contrabass do not only affect the timbres of the instruments but also their response to playing. The Alchillator consists of a software based stereophonic network of interconnected oscillators. The way the system is interfaced also significantly affects how the Alchillator is played. The anatomy of the Alchillator is therefore intangible and malleable. To avoid saturating the player with immensely wide sonic possibilities, the available parameters are carefully selected and ergonomically mapped to MIDI controllers. This allows for an agile real-time interaction and responsive playing conducive to the Alchillators’ distinct character. Rather then being a solo instrument for generating exotic sounds, the Alchillator fits well in an improvised group setting, allowing the player to playfully shift perspectives and act as a trickster teasing out new forms of expression.