Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 1
First of all, before you our gentle reader continues on, we must make several things clear. Indeed the focus of this magazine is Steampunk. However the version of steampunk you will encounter here will have very little to with petticoats, brass, wood, and everything else we deem superficial. We are not the fan-girls and fan-boys of the 19th century. We assume the format of a magazine, but we are more of manual, a guide, to teach you the reader. Here you will encounter our vision of Steampunk, steampunk as an experiment of machines and knowldge. - Out Of Steam
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 2
CONTENTS - So What About Steampunk?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - The Gramophone, the Phonograph, and Their Lasting Impact, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - Metamorphonic Machina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 3
So What About Steampunk? Steampunk and Us By R. Fielding-Walters and L. Le Our vision of steampunk is neither “[m]elancholic steampunk” (Gross 63) or “nostalgic steampunk” (Gross 62). Both definitions are far too restricting, as our vision is not an “idealized Victorian era” (Gross 62) nor a focus on corruption, and industry. We move above material, social, and economic concerns and focus ourself squarely on knowledge. We desire to understand and master the ever changing world around us. This is an ongoing effort, the eternal quest for wisdom. As knowledge never ends, our vision shall never end. Our quest is not one that is actively pursued, instead we only dissect whatever may come our way. We are not bricoleurs, or hobbyists, or dabblers, we are engineers. We
understand, we adapt, and we master our
based on decor and fashion instead of
technology.
philosophy. Traditional steampunk is
Iconic and current steampunk
fashion over function, but here, we are
merely “portray[s] contemporary issues
function over fashion. This is not say our
in Victorian garb” (Nevins 8), but never
work is doomed to design oblivion. Our
gives a feasible solution to these issues.
art is our knowledge, and the physical
This current steampunk does what the
manifestation of that knowledge is our
original Victorians (on which it bases
work. The work we produce is a
itself on), themselves did. They flag
marriage of science and art. Here we
down the issues of this current era but
pride function over fashion because
never are we given true working
traditional steampunk is embroiled in
solutions. They make novels, music,
delusions of Victorian fun and fashion.
film, and clothes, when instead they
The impression that traditional iconic
should be making blueprints. Here is
steampunk gives off is if one wears
where we consider ourselves opposite of
petticoats, goggles, and slaps a couple
this traditional steampunk. We make
gears on things, then one is steampunk.
blueprints, grand schemes and plans, and
We say “No!” to this, dress-up is simply
with a little tweaking they will work.
not enough.
Traditional steampunk is
Traditional steampunk runs amok
burdened by this need for aesthetics. It
“the smog-choked alleys of Victoria's
has become a lifestyle movement, all
duskless Empire” (Catastrophone Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 4
Orchestra and Arts Collective (NYC) 5). It
condone. To us steampunk is about
culture and we do not abhor this fact.
lives in the factories and slums described by
understanding the object. We encourage
The capitalism of this society will be
Engels, the tea rooms of the Lords, and the
our audience crack open the black box.
used to our benefit. To us steampunk is
mad alchemist. We do not lament over the
To take the box apart and to see what
about knowledge. As a movement
past, nor romanticize it. We examine the
makes it work. It is essential to know
traditional steampunk exists because of
past, dissect it, understand it, and learn from
why and how the world works. To
this capitalist society. These artists and
it. Our inspirations comes from the world
understand technology, such as the iPod.
enthusiasts of traditional steampunk fear
around us. The past, the present, and what
To understand the reasons why such
and reject this commercialization of their
will be, this is what drives our desire and our
technology was created in the first place
work. We have no fears over this,
steampunk. Our steam-less steampunk runs
and to see where we’ve come from, to
knowledge is knowledge regardless of
on knowledge.
learn from the past to understand it. The
the package it comes in.
We place understanding and
essence of our steampunk comes from
Our steampunk chooses to be is
knowledge above all else, so this renders the
the understanding of an objects
beyond gears and goggles. Our
aesthetic aspects of traditional steampunk
mechanical components, not the casing
steampunk rebels against its origins and
useless to us. Traditional steampunk allows
that contains.
fights to rise above a mass of cogs,
for an object to be steampunk by merely
We are not here to “police the
monocles, and brass. We will claw our
slapping on a couple of cogs and gears taken
boundaries between “real” and
way through the idiocies that currently
from old clocks or dumpster diving. It does
“commodified” steampunk” (Onion
plague iconic steampunk. We shall rise
not indicate understanding of where the
156). While the notion of the starving
above and remake steampunk into our
technology came from and what makes it
artist is lovely, we would would like to
vision. Traditional steampunk like the
tick. It is this ignorance that we cannot
eat. We are products of our capitalist
steam engine is doomed. We reject the Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 5
ephemeral nature of lifestyle steampunk, which bases itself on fashion. By stripping away these aesthetic qualities we render our knowledge immortal. Our Knowledge is our art. The knowledge we have transcends mortal vessels. It does not phase in and out of style like fashion, it does not rust itself into oblivion, it cannot be replaced, it is forever.
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 6
The Gramophone, the Phonograph, and Their Lasting Impact, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the iPod. By P. Vooys Its predecessor, Thomas Edison’s
permanence. There was, however, a uniqueness that was sacrificed in the mass-production of recordings for the gramophone. Through Berliner’s record reproduction process, there developed a homogeneous quality of “sameness” in sound reproduction that has advanced and continued through the 21st century with the sleek anonymity of the iPod and
1877 phonograph, was the first step
seeming immateriality of mp3 files.
towards a permanent playable record of
However, the iPod, like the gramophone,
sound, and inspired momentary awe in
was an improvement on a prior
the Victorians (Gelatt 11-12). But it was
technology, which aided the spread of
Emile Berliner’s 1887 gramophone that
music. And if the gramophone’s
would become the prototype for
advancement is an indicator, the mp3
machines that recorded and played
player will grow in quality and
music for most of the 20th century. These
contribute to the immortalization of
machines captured records of the human
music and voice, like its predecessor.
voice and music performances,
Our brief historical survey of the
displayed in concrete material form,
gramophone begins with Edison’s
which affected Victorian perceptions of
phonograph experiments. Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 7
Edison’s attempts to create a “telephone repeater” device (Gelatt 3) led to the phonograph, which employed a
awe at the sound of the human voice
Bell and Tainter’s 1886 graphophone
captured and reproduced by a machine.
(Gelatt 15). But the opera stars of the
Upon witnessing the phonograph,
day were loathe to record on the devices.
recording needle to inscribe the human voice
the Scientific American proclaimed that
Historian Roland Gelatt asks “who could
on a tinfoil-coated rotating cylinder, and a
“the voices of singers such as (recently
expect (famed soprano) Patti to make
reproducing needle to play back the
deceased opera stars) Parepa and Titiens
commercial recordings in the 1890’s?”,
recorded grooves, which corresponded in
will not die with them, but will remain
when quality and reproducibility of
depth with the amplitude of the sound
as long as the metal in which they may
recordings was so low (Gelatt 32). Soon,
source (Gelatt 4). These grooves were visual
be embodied will last” (Gelatt 13). This
though, through the invention and
representations of the input signal and stand
assessment proved to be an optimistic
advancement of a new, superior audio
as material evidence of the recording. Both
overstatement, as the tinfoil cylinders
recorder and player, their objections
needles were moved by diaphragms which
would deteriorate after a few playbacks
would be quelled.
vibrated according to the amplitude of the
(Gelatt 12). Also, their low-quality
sound input signal. A brass bell horn was
capture of sound did not sell the
the gramophone, the machine that would
employed to amplify both the input and
phonograph as a suitable device for
supplant the phonograph (Gelatt 37).
output signals of most phonographs. The
serious music reproduction. Many
Berliner’s gramophone was a rotating
sound reproduction quality of Edison’s
popular songs of the Victorian era, such
hand-cranked turntable that played wax
phonograph was low; according to Sir W.H.
as Billy Golden’s “Turkey in De Straw”
and benzine coated zinc discs and would
Preece it was “to some extent...a burlesque
(Boar, Miller 15)) were recorded and
become the prototype for home music
or parody of the human voice” (Gelatt 12).
widely distributed on improved
players through the 1970’s. The
Nonetheless, it struck the Victorians with
incarnations of the phonograph, such as
gramophone, like the phonograph,
In 1887 Emile Berliner created
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 8
utilized a horn for recording and playback,
reproducibility of the gramophone
Caruso recording session are the proof of
and a needle etched the sound signals onto
records led the machine to surpass the
the permanence of the gramophone
the wax-coated discs (Boar, Miller 27). An
humble phonograph, both in sales and in
recordings (Merrihew). Humanity has
important difference was that through a
the ability to confer immortality on an
found a way to reproduce these analog
reverse tracing process, one of Berliner’s
artist and permanence on a performance.
records through digital means, which
discs could be used as a master copy, which
In 1902, famed Italian tenor Enrico
suggests that as long as the desire and
could be reproduced many times, unlike
Caruso created a series of recordings for
capacity to reproduce this music exists,
Edison’s cylinders, which could not be
Berliner’s Gramophone Company that
humanity will preserve it.
reproduced. According to cylinder-recording
stayed in print through the 1950’s (Gelatt
accompanist (Boar, Miller 15) and recording
81). Caruso became, according to Fred
production was a boon to the spread of
pioneer (Boar, Miller 45) Fred Gaisberg, the
Gaisberg “the decoy that brought other
art music by acclaimed classical stars,
Gramophone had a “beautiful round tone”
hesitating (classical music) celebrities to
with the transition from individually
compared to the “tinny, unnatural
our recording studio” (Boar, Miller 62).
recorded cylinder to mass produced disc
reproduction of the old cylinder-playing
This was the beginning of a great wave
the uniqueness of each cylinder was lost.
phonographs” (Boar, Miller 18). The discs
of classical recordings which spread
Before the mass production of the
were also far more durable than the tinfoil
around the world, and are preserved to
gramophone records, “the industry
cylinders of the original phonograph, and
this day. Though released after Queen
would have to hire artists willing to
their shape made them easier to store and
Victoria’s death, they would not have
record the same piece again and again
more durable than the wax cylinders of the
existed without the Victorian
until the demand was satisfied” (Gelatt
day.
gramophone. A number of YouTube
25). With the advent of the gramophone,
videos featuring songs from the 1902
each person who purchased a
The greater quality, durability, and
While the advance of mass-
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 9
gramophone record listened to the same
durability.
single performance as someone across the
The increase in production
The gramophone, with its disc records, represented an advance in
country who bought the same record. This
capacity, sound quality and disc
durability, reproducibility, and sound
mass-production began the homogenization
durability that was provided by the
quality over its predecessors. While the
of recorded sound that continues today. The
gramophone over the phonograph is
phonograph inspired momentary awe in
mass-production of gramophone discs is the
echoed in the increased storage capacity
the Victorians, the gramophone, from its
paradigm shift that enabled our current
of the iPod over the CD, and the
1887 invention through the early 20th
musical culture.
durability of its digital files. If the
century was the machine that, more than
gradual development of the gramophone,
all others, legitimized and immortalized
cylinders and wax and vinyl discs of
including improvements such as the
the recording of voices and songs from
yesteryear served as records of the sound
1896 development of a spring motor
the past. Its discs provided a satisfying
that was captured during a session, the
(Boar, Miller 21) is an indication,
material record of the recording process
cylinders and records existing as material
upgrades in sound quality will inevitably
through the grooves etched in them. This
proof of the recording session. The mass-
emerge and become standard, rectifying
satisfying material record has since
produced records of the gramophone,
the relatively low quality of many mp3s
evolved into the faceless and
indistinguishable from other copies of the
when compared to CD. And despite the
unsatisfying material quality of mp3s.
same recording, led to the mp3, which lacks
mass-produced anonymity of the iPod,
While this is, in a sense, disappointing,
true physical form and exists as a string of
the potential it offers for the spread of
the gramophone, as the modification and
numbers. These sacrifices in the area of
new music is undeniable, much like the
progression of a pre-existing technology,
material form have, however, given way to
gramophone and its mass-produced
is the ancestor of the iPod. And by
increases in quality, reproducibility, and
discs.
choosing to depict the gramophone over
The grooves etched in the tinfoil
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 10
the phonograph, this writer was forced to conclude that, despite facelessness, and the varying quality of MP3s, the iPod is a good thing, because it simplifies and quickens the spread of music, and helps preserve it, improving its chances of permanence.
Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 11
Metamorphonic Machina By R. Fielding-Walters, L. Le, P. Vooys Why should you care about the this “Metamorphonic Machina”? What does this machine have anything to do with music? This device is Out of Steam's attempt to merge current twenty-first technology with Victorian aesthetics. The abhorred iPod, the poster child of mass consumerism, the
antithesis of traditional steampunk, is
thousands on songs on a microchip no
our focus today.
bigger then a thumb. Electrical pulses
There is not much of a difference
that travel almost infinitely on the many
between an iPod, record player, cassette,
nano circuits that run throughout it. The
compact disc, or any physical medium
many algorithms that allow the iPod to
that stores data. All these forms of
function is the reason for its steampunk
storage, store music as either analog or
nature. We care not for the package it
digital. Sound by definition is analog.
came in, what matters is the elements
The iPod stores its music digitally which
that make it up. Regular steampunk
then will be converted into analog,
cannot see past the facade, but we can.
which becomes sound waves, thus to be
It is efficiency, science, and
funnelled into your ear and interpreted
entertainment combined into one small
by your brain. Technically it can be
compact device. The iPod is a “real,
concluded that their is no difference
breathing, struggling, and rumbling part
between the music an iPod creates or a
of the world” (Catastrophone Orchestra
LP.
and Arts Collective (NYC) 5). The beauty of the iPod lies not in
The Metamorphonic Machina is
its casing, which some followers of
a sound-appreciation device that seeks to
traditional steampunk focus on. The
capture in essence the history and roots
genius, the steampunk nature of the iPod
of music and voice recording and
lies within the case. It's ability to store
playback, while embracing the storage Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 12
capacity of modern technology. We embrace
soon be amplifying.
a few aspects of “steampunk” practice like
DIY Instructions
3. Search your domicile and surrounding
the reusing and recycling spent household
Section 1: The Cabinet
environs for items suitable for creative
items of designer Jake von Slatt, who, for
use. The body of The Metamorphonic
instance, used a number of leftover brass
1. Develop an understanding of the area
Machina can be made from any suitable
bits in building light switches in his home
in which you will be engaging. Conduct
box, wooden or otherwise. We chose a
(von Slatt). But we are not held captive by
a survey of the history of recorded
spare cigar box, for its portability,
these guidelines; we have embraced our own
sound. It will be impractical to build a
availability and the natural tone of the
“steam-less steampunk”, involving a DIY
functioning gramophone, so it is
wood.
attitude to create a functioning piece of art
important that you understand what you
commemorating the Victorian invention of
are emulating. This will stimulate your
4. Stain or paint box to your satisfaction,
the gramophone and the history of recorded
imagination and guide your appreciation
Drill a hole in the back of the Record
music. We acknowledge this history of
of the finished machine.
Box in which to thread the speaker cord
sound reproduction through The
jack.
Metamorphonic Machina and encourage our
2. Begin by searching for turntable or
readers to develop an understanding of the
functioning record player. If one is not
5. To mount the “record”, affix a ¾”
principles and history of recorded music. To
available, you may substitute your iPod.
length of ½” dowel to the box with wood
build a replica or variation on the Machina,
The dimensions of The Metamorphonic
glue or a drill. Using a glue gun, mount a
it is important to think like us.
Machina will change, ours did. Rather
washer on the dowel. We chose to spray
than becoming upset, be happy that you
paint the dowel and washer gold, you
understand the sound which you will
may do so if you so desire. Place a blank Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 13
CD face-up on the washer.
this out and trace it onto a sheet of Sintra
of the upper bell with bolts, overlapping
6. Using a 1.5mm copper wire, shape a
plastic. Mark dotted bend-lines between
panels 1 and 6 of each shape. We used
needle to read the “record”. Drill a hole in
panels. Should plastic be unobtainable,
two pairs of symmetrically placed ¼”
the box through which to thread the needle.
cardboard is a serviceable substitute.
Chicago bolts, a pair at each end. You
However, longevity and semi-
will end up with a decagonal shape.
Section 2: The Bell
permanence is ideal, do some searching
1. To build the bell, dismantle a defunct
before you decide to settle. Using a
The Lower Bell
brass instrument, like a trumpet if you have
band-saw or utility knife, cut the shape
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 of the upper bell
one handy. Permanence is one of the goals
out. Smooth the edges with sandpaper.
instructions, but trace a ten-panelled ring
in making this project, a long life on your
with panels that are 2” at the top and 1”
dresser or coffee table is ideal, and the
2. Apply heat gun to plastic panels along
at the bottom. The ring should connect at
durability of brass is satisfying. If an actual
the bend-lines. When plastic is heated to
the ends of panels 1 and 10.
brass horn is not an option, a variety of
the point of malleability, bend the panels
materials can be used. We chose to use
as guided by the dotted lines. Use a
2. The ends of panels 1 and 10 should be
Sintra plastic shaped into a flared decagonal
wood block to ensure an accurate bend.
touching after the plastic has been bent
shape. The Upper Bell
on all dotted lines. To attach the two 3. Repeat the entire process with another
ends, use two small squares of Sintra
identical six-sided fan shape.
plastic, one each on the outside and
1. Trace the fan shape of the six-sided upper
inside. Attach these together with bolts.
bell on paper using a ruler. The sides should
4. When all panels are bent to your
be 4” at the top and 2” at the bottom. Cut
satisfaction, attach the two hemispheres
3. Place the lower bell inside the upper Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 14
bell; use another pair of bolts to affix the
drill an appropriate hole for the
lower bell to the upper bell. This may
2. Drill a hole into the base ½” wide, 1”
headphone cord of your speakers. Insert
require a friend to help you complete. Use
deep and insert the dowel, using wood
speakers into bell, thread cord through
this as a test to see if your facebook friends
glue to fix it in place. Cut a 2 ½”x 2”
hole and into the hole in the back of the
are actual friends, ask one to come help you
square into the bell bracket. Drill an
cabinet.
finish the Machina.
angled hole a ½” wide and 1” deep into the bell mount.
4. Use paint of some sort to stain the bell.
Section 4: Music Appreciation 1. Plug speakers into iPod. Download
We chose gold, an approximation of brass is
3. Using wood glue, attach the bell
our demo song, “Eulogy” by Peter J.
ideal to increase the nostalgia factor of this
mount to the bell bracket, gluing the
Vooys, available by emailing us with a
salute to the days of recordings past.
mount to one of the 5” sides. Put glue
politely worded letter. Imagine the awe
into the ½” hole on the bell mount and
the Victorians felt at hearing the human
Section 3: Assembly of Components
affix the other end of the dowel in it,
voice and recorded music played back
1. To attach the bell to the cabinet you will
adjust angle to taste.
for the first time as you listen to the
need a wooden dowel and three wooden
resonant tones of this rich baritone voice
blocks. We used a ½” dowel measuring 5½”
4. Paint or stain the bell mount
distorted by tinny headphone speakers.
long, a 2x4 cut into a rectangle with
apparatus, we, once again, used gold
dimensions of 2” x 2½” for our base, a piece
spray paint. Using wood glue, attach the
2. If you have the equipment, perhaps
of ½” plywood cut to 5” x 4” for our bell
entire bell mount apparatus to the
record your own eulogy; this medium of
bracket, and a 2” X 2” square of ½”
cabinet, opposite the “record”.
play isn’t beholden to the decay of prior
plywood for the bell mount.
5. Now that your bell has been placed,
media, like the tinfoil cylinders of Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 15
Thomas Edison. And the Machina is solidly
recorded music. Revel in sharing your
built. If treated carefully, it shall not break
abundant knowledge, until your guest is
for many years. Your loved ones could
enlightened or leaves.
conceivably listen to your eulogy on this
This machine can be enjoyed in
same machine if you died at any point in the
many ways and should be shared with
next sixty years or so, give or take.
others. Build time can range from a few hours to several days depending on your
3. Smile, because you live in a day and age
level of experience and the tools at hand.
where sound reproduction is so clear, and
The preparatory research may take time,
we have the power to make our own music
but is worthwhile; if you don’t
and play it back with clarity. Appreciate the
understand what you are listening to,
representation of the history of recording
you’re a tourist, whether you know it or
that sits before you. Puzzle over the
not.
combination of the mediums of mp3, CD, and record player before you and wonder if it’s meant to be ironic. 4. When someone visits you and asks what that the machine is, proudly announce, “The Metamorphonic Machina!” and seize the opportunity to gush over the history of Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 16
Works Cited:
Tachyon Publications, 2008. 3-
Boar, Russell, and Roger Miller. The
11. Print.
Incredible Music Machine. London: Quartet Books Ltd, 1982. Print Catastrophone Orchestra and Arts Collective (NYC). “What Then, Is Steampunk?” SteamPunk Magazine. Mar. 2007: 45. Online. Gelatt, Roland. The Fabulous Phonograph.
Onion, Rebecca. “Reclaiming the Machine”. Neo-Victorian Studies. Neo-Victorian Studies, Autumn 2008. Web. 11 April 2010. von Slatt, Jake. “Steampunk Home Decor- Light Switch Plates”. The Steampunk Workshop. Jake von
1st ed. London: Cassell & Company
Slatt, 19 April
Ltd, 1956. Print
2009. Web. 12 April 2010.
Gross, Cory. “Varieties of Steampunk Experience.” SteamPunk Magazine. Mar. 2007: 60-3. Online. Merrihew. “Enrico Caruso- 1st Recording Session”. Youtube.com. np, 19 July 2007. Web. 9 April 2010. Nevins, Jess. “The 19th-Century Roots of Steampunk”. Steampunk. Ed. Ann Vandermeer and Jeff Vandermeer. San Francisco: Out Of Steam – Issue 1 - 17