Editor’s note: Each week, Cory Perla of The Public asks a local musician to tell us why they love their favorite piece of gear.
Andy Czuba is a noise artist and Sugar City volunteer. His projects include La Parka, a collaborative noise music project with Bobby Griffiths/VWLS, and Flesh Trade, his solo noise project.
“I discovered the Om-Bot Psychic Cells two years ago. They are the creations of Shane Vannest/Strangecraft, a sound artist, sculptor, and mask maker from Pittsburgh/now Las Vegas. Upon first seeing images and footage of the synths, I knew I had to own one. Two years later and I own six. They are part noise makers, part art, part puzzles. The Doom Wave Fold has proven to be my favorite one thus far. It has had the most use and I’m still discovering new sounds within it. I’ve used it in every one of my set ups since purchasing it. It works by employing multiple waveforms and oscillators which can be unleashed by connecting alligator clips to the exposed posts and then tweaking the knobs and waveform selectors. I’ve achieved cavernous crackles that fade out like shooting stars, unearthly drones, and spastic random chaos that I crave in my audio endeavors — a truly unique piece of gear from a highly underrated artist. The Doom Wave Fold and it’s brethren have and continue to be one of the largest impacts on my audio pursuits and that’s why it is a favorite of mine.” — Andy Czuba