barada/stare5

Barada is the original high maintenance funky robot.Assembled in a creaky attic deep in Virginia in the USA around 1994, Barada was originally programmed to serve Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva's Plus 8 offshoot record label "Definitive". Built from a multitude of scrap parts such as an Ensoniq ASR10, Roland TB303, SH101, TR909, Korg Wavestation, Poly800-2, JVC boombox, lots of soda and many late nights, Barada faithfully became the main work horse of his creator, programmer and neurotic mad scientist Bryan Zentz.Together, along with other sci-fi super hero types such as Robotman (aka Plastikman) and Omegaman (a tough guy tattoo artist with soul) they travelled a path towards a new hybrid of electronic house music. "Weird house" as Mr. Hawtin first described it... long before the "tech-house" genre-fication. Initially Barada's output was fierce, spurting out quirky acidic jams like "Glue", "Gasoline", and "Mathematics". Chicago + Detroit + Germany + Virginia became the formula concocted by Zentz for his robot to follow. Influenced by other scientists who came before him such as Cajmere (aka Green Velvet), Hardfloor, Mr. Lee, Phuture, Mr. Fingers, Kerri Chandler, DBX, Air Liquide, and Kevin Saunderson, Zentz tried to expand on the audio template laid down by these pioneers, with a little punk rock attitude thrown in for good measure. He also wished there was a shuffle mode on the TB303 and vainly tried to trick it into swinging. Although generally good natured in spirit, Barada could also get tough and nasty churning out stripped down (minimal?) dance floor power tools such as "Pilot" and "Meanstreak" both named after products often used to deface public property.Soon the robot was ready for public display and was first demo-ed at several "rave" type events in the midwest. Zentz quickly learned the trials and tribulations of taking this robot on the road, working with limited memory, dodgy power sources and using a combination of his own and borrowed parts. Often the wrong parts where supplied at various venues. Still the shows went on and Barada was jacked into sound systems from North Carolina to Toronto to Detroit to San Francisco, Glasgow and London.Eventually the time came for a proper operations manual: a full length album called "Strategies for a Deeper Design". A combination of the previous formula mixed with disco and even instrumental hip hop. Given the nature of this robotic funk sound, the talents of graffiti art veteran and "Crank Yankers" mastermind Reas AOK aka Todd James were employed to supply the sleeve art. While Definitive released the vinyl, Virgin Records Canada handled the compact disc format thus spreading the Barada virus onto the shelves of various mainstream retail outlets.Sadly though Definitive later came to a halt, forcing the funky robot to question his own mechanical purpose and eventually go rogue, occasionally making outbursts on labels like Placktown Sounds, Catalyst, Low Pressings, and the super limited yellow vinyl acid house burner on Strive, while his creator pursued his own selfish endeavors. Barada has since been revamped, upgraded, downgraded but never degraded. While utilizing some of the original parts which will always be a part of his structure, new technology such as hard disk recording and plug-ins.. (mainly glade) have been employed as well. Stay tuned as the funky robot Renews his Circuits on Morris Audio in early 2007...