A fan-blog for Brian Duffy, his Modified Toy Orchestra, and related endeavours.

"Brian Duffy, award winning sound artist and creator of the Modified Toy Orchestra, has been at the forefront of a world wide underground movement called circuit bending which involves rescuing childrens electronic toys from car boot sales, and converting them into new strange and wonderfully sophisticated musical instruments. Taking them apart, he finds new connections hidden within each toys circuits that reveal new sounds, exposing the surplus value of redundant technology. The toys are then reassembled including switches and dials with which to control this surplus value. The results of this process can be shockingly beautiful, funny and extreme and have led to Brian being labelled a genius, a madman, and a national treasure."

15 May 09
But circuit bending is particularly interesting when performed live. One example here is the British musician Brian Duffy, who with his Modified Toy Orchestra spans a bridge between consumer culture and composition. As a performer, there is something of a test pilot about Brian Duffy. His spaceship is the stage, his fuel old electronic toys, his drive to tickle the unconscious out of these materialized dreams of childhood.
— Audio Poverty ยป Modified Toy Orchestra / Quarta 330