Sylvan Esso

In this 2021 Music Radar article, Nick discusses using the Make Noise Phonogene on Frequency:

“”Frequency” was made around this loop that I made with a module called the Make Noise Phonogene. It’s this beautiful old sampler that they don't make anymore, that has this wonderfully bad sound to it, it almost sounds like a hacked sampler.

“It’s got this ultra lo-fi kind of that kind of quality to it. But for whatever reason, it has this miraculous amount of soul to it, it feels like everything you put in there emerges with more intent and meaning than it had going in. It's like this way of revealing a melody within something.

“So the whole initial piece, that fluttering sound that provides the backbone of the track, is all me sampling my own voice into this Phonogene and then sequencing it. It's totally one of those things where I don't think that song would have happened without it, it's a beautiful piece of kit.”

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the ALM Pamela's New Workout. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout Mannequins Cold Mac Mannequins Just Friends Mannequins Three Sisters ALM Tangle Quartet ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Mannequins Cold Mac. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 (opens in new tab) sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout, Mannequins Cold Mac, Mannequins Just Friends, Mannequins Three Sisters, ALM Tangle Quartet, ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Mannequins Just Friends. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 (opens in new tab) sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout Mannequins Cold Mac Mannequins Just Friends Mannequins Three Sisters ALM Tangle Quartet ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Mannequins Three Sisters. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 (opens in new tab) sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout Mannequins Cold Mac Mannequins Just Friends Mannequins Three Sisters ALM Tangle Quartet ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Tangle Quartet. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 (opens in new tab) sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout, Mannequins Cold Mac, Mannequins Just Friends, Mannequins Three Sisters, ALM Tangle Quartet, ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the ALM Busy Circuits Pip Slope. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout, Mannequins Cold Mac, Mannequins Just Friends, Mannequins Three Sisters, ALM Tangle Quartet, ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Mutable Instruments Clouds. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the ALM Beast's Chalkboard. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

Left to Right in the image: Moog DFAM Make Noise Optomix Make Noise Contour Mutable Instruments Clouds ALM Beast's Chalkboard Bastl-Instruments Hendrikson

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Make Noise Optomix. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to Right in the image: Moog DFAM Make Noise Optomix Make Noise Contour Mutable Instruments Clouds ALM Beast's Chalkboard Bastl-Instruments Hendrikson

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the ALM Beast's Chalkboard. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

Left to Right in the image: Moog DFAM Make Noise Optomix Make Noise Contour Mutable Instruments Clouds ALM Beast's Chalkboard Bastl-Instruments Hendrikson

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso can be seen using the Make Noise Contour. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."

Left to right in the image: ALM Pamela's Workout, Mannequins Cold Mac, Mannequins Just Friends, Mannequins Three Sisters, ALM Tangle Quartet, ALM Pip Slope

In this September 24, 2020 Music Radar article, Sylvan Esso discusses using the Morphagene. Nick notes that they use more modular on Free Love.

"A lot of the Make Noise stuff. They’re here in North Carolina with us. When I got into modular I really wanted to focus the instrument on experimental sampling, so right out the gate I was using the Phonogene.

That was the basis for a bunch of tracks – Frequency, What If – which came from Phonogene and OP-1 sampling sessions. Then when they came out with the Morphogene that opened up a whole other layer around the same ideas.

The Mannequins/Whimsical Raps Just Friends module, that was a big thing on this record too. All the Monome stuff too, I’m a big user of that. Those three companies were probably the ones that opened the most doors on this record and helped me think about things in a new, freeing way."