Rotten Bliss

Rotten Bliss is the violent, warm and weird visions of London based cellist, vocalist and instrument creator Jasmine Pender.

Wanting to push beyond the limits of guitar pedals, I use Max/MSP and arduino to create my own instruments and effects for voice and cello. My instruments, which have been exhibited at London’s prestigious National Theatre and aboard international floating arts venue the MS Stubnitz, include music boxes operated by torches, wearable light sensors, and a cello-controlled cut-up poetry machine.

Disliking touching laptops on stage, I instead use a Mira interface on an iPad, which I operate with my toes, referencing guitar pedals (patcher is available for free use - read more HERE).

I also use the randomisation possibilities offered by Max/MSP to randomise the playback of samples as a compositional tool: sometimes randomisations reveal the proper order of things.

In many ways, the Max/MSP elements that I use become a musician with whom I'm improvising.