Folktek

The Harmonic Field is a collaborative work by Arius Blaze and Ben Houston - one that went on to evolve a bit as version 2.

Aside from basic controls for pitch, volume and activation - it is all touch based. There are four panels of twelve points each that allow the user to play a full range of notes and alter those sounds with an entire amp section. The amp section controls filtering, resonance, distortion, bass boosting, noise etc. - abundant variations depending on which points are being touched together and how hard or soft. It comes down to massaging the boards and creating dronescapes. After one has a feel for the various points, the most subtle movement will effect the waves.

We also consider this piece a two-player instrument = one person sitting across from another controlling two boards while the person on the other side controls the others. Waves can be made to be soft and lush harmonics or turned to disturbing waves - the sound can be melodic and beautiful or tense and uneasy. The piece has a constant soft drone of all notes when it's on - regardless of whether or not it's being touched - which we consider to be a part of it's character and intention.

The sound and possibilities are vast and lush. The Harmonic Field has a built in speaker that turns off when jacked into a mixer. The box was handcrafted with fine hardwood and all of the panels were designed by us as well. this is a play at your own risk instrument...

Though very subtle, the Harmonic Field provides a slight charge to the player...We've been playing it for weeks and have found it energizing. Everyone who's had a chance to see and play the Harmonic Field has fallen in love. Also to be noted is that the harmonic field has a constant harmonic drone due to the ungrounded plates of the oscillators.

(ALL of these recordings are straight with no effects. All except the first are one take...The first "Harmonic Slide" is a track I created - a total of three layered tracks and no effects): Harmonic Slide (track by my self) Harmonic Sweetness soft high end tones and variations of the amp section Harmonic Drone long droning track - an interpretation of early 90's minimalism Harmonic Detune Wierd sounds in the beginning - later turning to an example of the detune option of the field - very boards of canada