It’s not every day you get to watch a mad scientist perform on stage, so when Moldover steps in for a set, be ready. At first view he is very unassuming because he packs only an electric guitar and a toaster oven sized box covered in buttons, switches, and dials. But don’t let this graduate from Berklee College of Music catch you off guard. He plugs in, says hello politely into the microphone, and then begins to make otherworldly sounds emanate from his guitar which can only be described as Eddie Van Halen shooting dance music lasers into space.
The core to Moldover’s sound this particular evening is called The Mojo. The Mojo is what’s considered a controller or a device for manipulating sounds, clips, and loops from outside inputs into unique audible shapes. No existing controller was giving him the intuitive tactile response he needed to calm the music demons. So he designed his own. The f-ing Ferrari of controllers.
The Mojo was created out of necessity and only 10 were built by hand by a team of craftsman at the direction of Moldover himself. He arranged his controls ergonomically and into a specific tactile layout so that he didn’t have to look at it to play. He built it utilizing competition grade arcade buttons, super sensitive touch strips, heavy duty faders and didn’t skimp on the rubberized knobs. The body’s beautiful Mahogany shell and its anodized aluminum face are built like a tank but should be considered a work of craftsmanship in itself much like his groundbreaking Theremin CD case.
“It’s cool to do something unique,” Moldover says. “If you keep it musical, it’s cool. I try to make music the average person can appreciate.”
Words and images by Dustin Downing
