The Bristol festival of ‘Knobs, Buttons and Discussions’ comes to new venue Document on 30 September.
Run by the team at Stokes Croft synth shop Elevator Sound, Machina Bristronica – which first launched in 2019 – returns for the first time in four years. Across four warehouse rooms and an outdoor stage, there will be over 100 synth manufacters displaying their latest inventions, live electronic music and visuals, discussions, interviews with synth makers and DIY workshops.
On the live side of things, Machina Bristronica will host a full programme of hardware electronics with Mount Kimbie‘s Kai Campos, Scanner, Surgeon’s Girl, Saskia, JacqNoise and Julia Bondar all confirmed to play. Dopplereffekt and Steevio & Suzybee are set to play headline slots whilst Konx-Om-Pax will perform a live A/V set and there will be visuals provided by other artists throughout the day.
Discussions at the event will cover topics such as synth design and DIY, a talk exploring the relationship between artist and equipment – featuring Imogen Heap and Kai Campos – and a discussion looking at the past, present and future of the UK sound. Elsewhere, ec2a founder Dr Dubplate, Pressure Dome label owner Yushh and Shall Not Fade’s Keiran Williams will talk about navigating the label landscape. There will also be a one-on-one conversation between synth Youtuber Mylar Melodies and synth designer Vlad Kreimer entitled ‘Emotional Synthesis: The Art of Romantic Engineering’.
In the main room, there’ll be hardware brands showcasing their latest wares – featuring a wealth of drum machines, synthesisers, sound software, modular makers and much more. This year’s Machina Bristronica will also see gear reviewer Ben Wilson interviewing different hardware makers and a DATA stage where music makers, performers and teachers will share their production tricks and artist tips. Additionally, there will be a DIY area where attendees can build hardware with assistance from the designers themselves – covering everything from tape loop workshops to desktop noise machines.
Tickets for Machina Bristronica are available to purchase here. Separate tickets for the DIY area are available via Headfirst. Head to the Machina Bristronica website for full information on the event.