sukandar kartadinata is a guitar player for whom the instrument building process has always been an integral part of his music. this encompasses woodwork as much as electronics and programming, a dichotomy also mirrored in his playing style that juxtaposes extended physical techniques with idiosyncratic digital signal processing.
his background is a mix of classical guitar, high-school prog rock, no wave fake jazz, gamelan, and elektor diy synth&fx circuits, which during the mid-90s he refined at institutions such as zkm, steim, and cnmat, before coming to berlin to join the growing echtzeitmusik scene
his current projects are:
– ganzfeld with liz allbee (tpt, elec), which brings spatialized sound to unusual places by coupling transducers with architecture, furniture, and misc. objects (including the kitchen sink)
– imd with axel dörner (tpt, elec), which explores the balance between acoustic and electronic treatments
– masual with alex nowitz (v, elec) and matthias bauer (db) for high-energy freeimprovisedelectroaousticnoisevoice compositions
– zns with zsolt sőrés (va, elec) and nicola hein (elec)
in the past he has performed with reinhold friedl and david balzer in the neo-bechstein project as well as a number of improvisers in the berlin echtzeitmusik scene. he is a member of the bicrophonic research institute founded by kaffe matthews and has done many artistic collaborations with jens brand
he also performs solo and is currently working on new material for an upcoming show
beyond his work as a guitar player he has built countless instruments, installation technology and various doodads for many musicians, artists, and other creative people