In today’s Toronto Star, I interviewed Toronto-based turntablist duo iNSIDEaMIND on their upcoming project, Sherlock Jr. in Concert, which they’ll perform on Monday, February 21 at Bell Lightbox. Two turntables, effects processors and samplers will replace the pianos, organs or orchestras normally used to accompany Buster Keaton’s surrealist Sherlock Jr. During the interview, the “phonograph alchemists,” Cheldon Patterson and Erik Laar, spoke highly of both Keaton’s talents as a filmmaker as well as the rich, sparse palette offered by the silent visuals when creating an ambience-driven soundscape using beats and samples. What’s interesting about iNSIDEaMIND’s project is that although it’s … Continue reading Buster Keaton, turntables and sound effects: The early days of cinema redux