Electricity is a precondition for electroacoustic music, but electricity itself is hardly ever heard. Gerhard Zander uses induction microphones to make audible the electromagnetic impulses, hums and drones of small everyday electronics. The electromagnetic fields of many gadgets turn out to have very distinct acoustic signatures with characteristic rhythms and harmonies. Some of them can be heard here: hard-disk drive, light-pen, minidisc player, milk frother, quartz watch, light-pen (blinking in different rhythms), MP3 player.

For the live shows labeled "Electromagnetic Picnic", these sounds are transformed, through a power mixer and several effects devices, into elements of a musical structure. The title refers not only to the "pick-up" that picks up sounds, but also to the sound sources spread out as if on a picknick blanket. Like a picknick that can accommodate as many people as the blanket offers space for, Gerhard Zander's ensemble of electromagnetic sound sources is an open system that other players can connect to. The photo shows the set-up for Gerhard Zander's first live presentation of his "Electromagnetic Picnic" at the festival Experimentelle Musik in Munich on December 8th, 2007.

SOUNDBAG is an internet project by Rolf Langebartels. A collection of items relating to Sound Art and Audio Art. Contributions are welcome. Please send them to the email address below.