Martin Bisi: Articulating Chaos

Acclaimed music producer Martin Bisi is a busy guy. The proprietor of BC Studio seems to always be on the move, as much as being on the move is counter to being a studio owner. He is currently touring in Europe, the BC35 collection was released earlier this year and refers to the weekend of performances – and resulting album that commemorates the 35 year anniversary of his space in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Many great musicians were invited to participate by Martin, and were assembled into ensembles – not or barely rehearsed and recorded with a live audience. These tracks were mixed and edited over several months by Martin and by veterans of the studio. A partial list of those on the recordings include: Laura Ortman, Dana Schechter, Bob Bert, JG Thirwell, Skeleton Boy, Jason LaFarge, Stu-Art Gray, Jim Coleman, Rich Hutchins, and many more.

I was lucky enough to have him on my WFMU program twice this year, both times to talk about the release, and to speak to Martin about what it takes to be an engineer, where and how he found his niche – that he surmises is “articulating chaos,” and his background that led to such a specific way of listening, as well as his own performances. Here is the link to the First interview and then the Second interview. These are full 3-hour radio programs and you’ll have to fast forward through them, as he comes on in the 2nd hour each time, or you can listen to my podcast here, which links the index. Martin’s feature is Episode #85, and consists of less music than the radio show and is ONLY the edit of the first interview. We also discuss the film “Sound and Chaos: The Story Of BC Studio,” a documentary made in 2014 about Martin and the recording studio. This doc is available on DVD and digital download.

Congrats to Martin on his “success” – I say in quotes because the man has  been a vital pillar in the NY underground music scene for the better part of 4 decades, so success is a weird term to use. Many haven’t made it as far, so it’s more about his commitment and longevity. He never seems to get burnt out. Check out the BC 35 collection – it’s available through Bronson Recordings. I hope you’ll check out the podcast or shows posted above, and if you are in Europe, he is currently touring there now! Here is Martin’s Facebook page, as I just realized the text here for Euro dates is too small to read and the image on his page better!