Sitting in his West Baltimore workshop, Blasser prepares to play his tetrazzi organ, an instrument slightly larger than a DVD case and about twice as thick. Oak strips are set across its top, functioning as a sort of keyboard. On the side, knobs are used to adjust the pitch and tone. Underneath it all is the Blasser-designed circuit board that translates the pressure exerted by his fingers into sounds, which come out of small speakers. The tetrazzi is connected by a thin wire to its power source, a single 9-volt battery.
Stretching out his fingers, Blasser gently strokes the pressure-sensitive wooden keys. By varying the pressure and the direction of his strokes, he can make sounds travel from one speaker to another, make them climb from a low howl to a guttural wail. Simply by sliding his fingers, Blasser can stretch out tones beyond what seems reasonable, to create sounds both profoundly otherworldly and utterly engaging.
Down in his basement, another of Blasser's designs, which he calls a deerhorn, hangs from the ceiling; with a smile, he refers to it as a "polyphonic theremin." Its electronic circuitry, attached via wires to pieces of fabric and circuit boards, doesn't need to be touched to create sounds; in fact, it reacts to a wide range of environmental factors, including temperature, wind, light, even the mere presence of a human. Walk close to the deerhorn's multicolored tapestry, and the sounds begin to swell, growing louder and fuller; back away, and it grows quiet. Stand still for an extended period, though, and become really entranced, as the quiet is intermittently broken up by eerie moans and gentle sighs.
"There's something about not playing it," he says, sounding like something of a proud father, looking forward to introducing his brainchildren to an appreciative new audience on Saturday. "You hang it on the wall, and it plays itself."
If you go
Electronica Fest 2009 takes place 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday at the National Electronics Museum, 1745 W. Nursery Road, in Linthicum. Twelve musicians perform from 11:15 a.m.-8:15 p.m. on a stage set up outside, while inside the museum, demonstrations and workshops are offered. Tickets are $6. Call 410-765-0230 or go to hem-usa.org.
