The “Baoshan Lu” is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) Controller designed and built by Budoy and CoolieDread. It is basically a digital “musical” instrument programmed to replicate thousands upon thousands of sounds produced by instruments like guitars, keyboards, percussion, or basically any thing under the sun that produces sound.
When hit by a stick or hand, Baoshan Lu’s 16 playable pads send velocity signals to a computer which then triggers the pre-programmed music samples to come out. All the wires and connections hidden at the backside of Baoshan Lu were painstakingly hand-made and programmed individually by CoolieDread.
Aside from being a digital musical instrument, Baoshan Lu is an art installation in itself as well, crafted by Budoy. In fact, the first thing that people probably notice is its strange appearance which was highly inspired by a traditional Chinese Gong since the Baoshan Lu was actually created during Budoy and CoolieDread’s 6-month stay in China, representing Filipino music in the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
Incidentally, the name Baoshan Lu (or Baoshan Street) was derived from a famous shopping street in Shanghai that Budoy and CoolieDread regularly visited just to buy all the bits and pieces which now make up this bizarrely brilliant (and heavy!) musical work of art.
Sigbinhaus Soundsystem’s BAOSHAN LU bass instrument in full effect during the Visayas Art Biennale in Cebu City 2011
Cooliedread 