Half of electronic duo FM3, Christiaan Virant, is flying solo on his second trip to Hanoi to perform at the Sonic Moon Festival and lead a workshop on the now famous electronic music player, the Buddha Machine.
Christiaan Virant preforming live
Words by Sadie Christie ● Images FM3
The simplicity in its aesthetic design, rudimentary plastic parts in an array of solid colors, make the Buddha Machine look like a toy we would have owned in the 80’s. The technology doesn’t get much more complicated either. It’s sound follows suit with a crepitating, low-fi, retro appeal, contributed to by the unique flaws in each little resistor or capacitor of its inner workings. In a joyful duality of novelty and functionality, the pocket-sized plastic music box plays a set of ambient, electronic loops, of which fans can listen to as is, alter using a pitch control to change the tempo and tuning of the loops, or plug into a mixer to use the loops in a larger sound.
Created and composed by Beijing-based FM3 duo, Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian, the Buddha Machine’s chill vibes reach a broad market, from electronic musicians wishing to use it as a soundscape within their own music, to those who simply want to diffuse the calming rhythms into limitless calling-for-calm atmospheres.
The nifty device was modeled on the chanting box every self-respecting Buddhist in the Southeast Asian region has in their home. Or at least their grandmother does. FM3 simply spiced things up a bit and exchanged prayer songs with something you can get your groove on to. No more infinite loops of monotonous wailing, but tunes you want to hear when meditating, exercising, cooking or cleaning the house.
The latest incarnation of the Buddha Machine
Although created and available in Beijing since 2005, this is the first year the Buddha Machine is being made available in Southeast Asia. While not yet available in Vietnam, Christiaan hopes to make connections while in Hanoi at the upcoming Sonic Moon Festival to introduce it to the market.
If you can’t wait to get your hands on one of these gizmos, or enjoy a more hi-fi quality of sound, Christiaan and Zhang make the loops from all Buddha Machine versions available for free download on their iphone and ipad apps as well as on their website.
Buddha Machine documentary produced by Vice China
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Christiaan will preform FM3’s new, unreleased album “Ting Shuo” and also be offering a Buddha Machine workshop at Work Room 4 as part of the Sonic Moon Festival. Find out more about the festival schedule and locations on their Facebook page.
