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about:

cacogenic systems is a product of the toxic wasteland and suburban hell of new jersey. raised on radium vapors and landfills, a mutant arose. the project known as cacogenic systems initially came about in 2000, when i discovered that the previous name i was using was also being used by a jam band in north carolina. i have an intense reaction to all things southern and psychotropic, so this association was to be avoided at all costs. essentially, though, cacogenic systems is a continuation of the sonic explorations which i began around 1986 under the name teknokolor yawn. this name lasted about 10 years, though the output was anything but prolific or consistent. i actually joined a couple punk bands as a singer in that period, but neither of those gigs lasted very long, and they didn't really allow me the creative freedom i desired anyway.
all of my sound or music projects have been intricately linked with my visual projects, though each has existed as a seperate entity at all times. for a while there, i focused almost entirely on art, specifically comics, and that is where the savage dreams series came from. i intend to continue this series, the later strips (issue #2) are largely based on dreams. i have always considered myself a surrealist, both in my art and my music, indeed in my very being. surrealism focuses on the depths of the psyche, commonly referred to as the sub-conscious. the clearest way to explore this territory is through dreams. how can music be surrealist? you may ask. well, when the composition of the pieces is left up to chance, little bits of the sub-conscious may leak through. this can also come about through free association or automatic writing, which i also try to do. in fact, the first issue of savage dreams is an example of automatic writing. i never thought of how the strip would end or where it would go while i was doing it.
the music arose from a variety of sources, the most common denominator being guitar, which i have played with varying amounts of dedication for the past 15 or 16 years. other elements have crept in, largely due to my desire to explore sound as a medium, rather than strictly music. i have used synthesizers (mostly virtual), drum machines, various and sundry sequencing and editing softwares, actual sounds and voices, and a lil critter called lil stevie, which is a circuit bent casio sk1 created by dave wright of not breathing. lil stevie is featured prominently on the "album" hi, are you nice and pretty? i use the term album loosely and put it in quotes because i have never commercially released any of these recordings and have no immediate plans to do so. this project is essentially one which comes from my heart and which i believe should be freely given. please enjoy the materials on this website and let me know what you think.
thank you.

























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