Legendary thinkers of yore earned the “polymath” distinction by demonstrating world-class knowledge in multiple fields: Goethe could philosophize, wax poetic, criticize, research botany and anatomy; Da Vinci painted, sculpted, invented, made music, drew maps, and did math. Centuries after these men broke their ground, as the scope of human knowledge and the selection of extant “skills” to master expand into previously inconceivable new realms, have the grounds for polymath consideration evolved accordingly? Can we, for example, nominate Kim Dotcom for polymath status based on his unrivaled accomplishments in online piracy, Modern Warfare 3, and terrible music? Or Farrah Abraham, for her mastery of teenage motherhood, adult cinema, and incredible music?
Many of us know New York’s Greg Fox as a peerless drummer/shredder in ensembles like Guardian Alien, Zs, and previously in Teeth Mountain and Liturgy. Under his given name and the solo moniker GDFX, Fox has demonstrated exceptional abilities with drum machine and synth hardware, systems of oscillators, and DAW-based composition. For Mitral Transmissions, his most recent solo release, he worked with Milford Graves to compose music that channels the natural rhythms of his own heartbeats into lush, sample-based percussion arrangements.
Scope out Greg Fox’s interview with psychic medium Betsy Cohen and you’ll learn that his unique talents extend well beyond music into the disciplines of spiritual communication, psychic divination, performing music with apples, Ableton Live, and mind-control of aviary species. If this isn’t grounds for polymath consideration in the modern age, what more you could ask for? As his biochemical changes trigger fluctuations in the live feed of his samples, Cohen and Fox discuss the nature of his internal struggle, and experience something of a revelation.
Mitral Transmissions is available to order now on plantable download card from Data Garden.
• Greg Fox: http://www.infinitelimbs.com
• Data Garden: http://datagarden.org
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