Any rig, any genre
Modular, hardware, laptop, an orbital sander sent through a mic and a chain of effects — it has all happened on this stage. Techno, ambient, IDM, glitch, electronic rock, synth-punk.
Est. 2015 · San Diego, CA
OpenOscillator
San Diego's original open mic night for electronic musicians. Synthesizers, drum machines, modular rigs, laptops, orbital sanders. All genres welcome.
Picnic tables, power strips and a stage full of gear. Twenty minutes of techno into ambient into electronic rock into Berlin atonal into synth-punk — usually all in one night.
A well-oiled machine, mostly held together with gaffer tape
Open Oscillator started in 2015, hosted by Jeffrey Trageser and inspired by singer-songwriter events and jam sessions built mainly around acoustic instruments. Why shouldn't people bringing machines get the same room? These days Luis Murillo — who performs as Delta Sine — handles the bulk of the operations with the help of some very patient volunteers.
The night runs at local bars like The Whistle Stop and The Casbah, at art galleries in Barrio Logan, and sometimes across the border in Tijuana. Most events are broadcast on Instagram Live and later uploaded to YouTube.
"You have to love this stuff." — Luis, on booking, promo, setting up early and tearing down late
- Since2015
- FormatOpen mic, electronic
- Cadence(Usually) monthly
- GenresAll of them
Bring your machines
You don't need a release, a following, or a clean signal chain. You need a set and something that makes noise.
Real stages
The Casbah main stage, The Whistle Stop, galleries in Barrio Logan, occasionally Tijuana. Tables, power, and a room that wants to hear what the box does.
Then it lives on
Nights go out on Instagram Live and get uploaded to YouTube afterwards, so the set you played in front of forty people keeps going.
In print
A feature on the night, written by James of jxj8_music with photos by Cari Veach, in Soulseek magazine. We love analog print mediums.
Thanks most of all to our community of talented artists — the ones who keep showing up with a bag of cables.
From the feed
Flyers, closing sets and nights that got out of hand. Tap through to the post.
