Octant

The Seattle-based ensemble Octant takes its name from a third participant: a robotic drummer constructed by multi-instrumentalist and inventor Matt Steinke, whose roles encompass vocals, songwriting, guitar, and keyboards. Steinke, previously active in Mocket and Satisfact, pursued studies in kinetic art and music at Evergreen State College before turning to electronics following his degree. Seeking to fuse these pursuits, he assembled the Octant itself—an automated array of mallets fixed to a drum kit whose operation supplies both sonic output and a visual dimension to the group’s futuristic, appealingly off-kilter aesthetic. Vocalist/keyboardist Tassy Zimmerman and clarinetist/turntablist Pierre Crutchfield further contribute to Octant’s live presentations and recorded work. The band’s first release, Shock-No-Par, appeared in 1999 via the Up label, with Car Alarms & Crickets arriving the subsequent year.