Andrew Duff is the curator of the Brighton Modular Meet, which takes place on July 1&2 in our venue. There is a live concert on the Saturday evening whose line up includes: Robert A.A. Lowe, Russell Haswell, Pye Corner Audio and Makaton.

What is the Brighton Modular Meet?

The Brighton Modular Meet is one of the biggest annual gatherings of the UK Modular Synthesizer community. We’ve been running for 5 years now and the event brings together artists & musicians, enthusiasts & tinkerers, developers, manufacturers & shops. Its a great opportunity for everyone to meet, chat, show new ideas and experiments, or, as the scene continues to grow, for new people interested in these instruments to try things out and see what all the fuss is about.

When did you start it, what happens at it?

I started the event in 2012 at the suggestion of a friend who told me about the gear and pointed out that as I might have access to university space in vacation time, I might be able to organise a meet and find out more about it. I shared information about the event on a forum, told people where and when it would take place, and that there’d be tables and power, and then waited to see what would happen. About 30 people turned up throughout the day, some with their modular synthesizers in all shapes and sizes, others just to look and chat. The event has grown substantially since then.

More manufacturers attend now, which is great as they get the opportunity to demo things face-to-face. Musicians, some known, others undercover, also get to check stuff out. People travel from all over the UK and a few from Europe to the event. Last year we were invited to be part of the ICLI Live Interfaces conference and the meet moved in to the newly refurbished Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. This gave us access to more spaces, so we could spread out and have focussed areas for Video Synthesis, a room for talks, demos and performances, a space for manufacturers, and the cafe-bar area open to the public to turn up and plug in. People bring their kids, it does get hectic and noisy, but its great fun.

Can anyone come along?

Anyone can come - if you are bringing equipment, obviously it needs to be a modular synth (and bring some headphones or speakers). If you are coming to look you’ll meet friendly and chatty people who will be more than happy to answer questions about what all this gear is and what it does.

What’s new for this year? 

New for this year are the addition of DIY workshops and a concert on the Saturday. We had a workshop a few years ago, so it was about time we tried it again. This year there’s workshops where participants can learn a little about electronics, software audio programming or video synthesis, then build an audio module or unit, a small video synth, or code an effects module. We are also having a concert in the auditorium, which should be amazing! I’m really excited to see all the performers, it’s a fantastic line up.