In 2023, Sam Barker carried out his first CAMP workshop - the session was one of the most carefully thought out and insightful things we've ever hosted, with deep dives into the spaces between mechanical and electronic sound, modular synthesis, instrument building, acoustics and much more. This workshop is based on the ideas behind that session, but no doubt over the coming months the tech and ideas will expand into something fresh and new.

Sam is one of the most notable driving forces to emerge from the Berlin electronic music scene over the last decade - as a producer, DJ, Berghain resident, and founder of the Leisure System label, Sam has provided consistent forward momentum for the Berlin scene and beyond. From the blueprint of Barker & Baumecker's high-impact output for Ostgut Ton to his stunning 2019 album "Utility", Barker's music weaves original meshes from utopic ambient, heavyweight dub, rave breaks and neon-tinged techno. This lucid, non-dogmatic musical approach has also formed the bedrock of Leisure System, which has dispatched music by Dopplereffekt and Tim Exile, and provided early releases for Visionist, Objekt, and JETS (Jimmy Edgar & Travis Stewart).

This workshop is about getting "out of the box" with sound and music production - focusing less on software, and more on hardware and physical/acoustic techniques. It's not about hardware snobbery - as Sam puts it, "there's an elitism connected to hardware that I'm not at all keen on - people can make great stuff with whatever. But I think hardware doesn't have to be expensive, there's a wealth of affordable synths and drum machines available now, you can build a cheap modular system via DIY kits. My mechanical setup and acoustic reverbs were all really cheap, and hardware holds its value unlike software you can't resell, or a computer that's worthless after 5 years...".

Over five packed days, we'll be exploring:



Sam is also an active instrument maker - under his Voltek alias, he combines coding skills with analogue, electric and acoustic engineering techniques, designing and building electronically controlled acoustic instruments. In 2016 he worked with Ray 7 (Underground Resistance), exploring the acoustic qualities of derelict factories in Detroit using self-programmed analogue percussion instruments. We'll harness Sam's expertise to dive into the technology and mechanics of instrument making, with hands-on sessions using some of Sam's existing setups.



WHERE AND WHEN?

The course takes place at our residential centre in Aulus les Bains. It's two hours south of Toulouse, high in the French Pyrenees, very near the border with Spain. For detailed travel information, see the transport section. The course starts on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. We advise that you arrive the evening before (09/07/2024) - dinner and accommodation that night is included. The course runs for five days, ending on Sunday night. Accommodation on Sunday night is included, then we leave on Monday morning (15/07/2024). If you decide to take the minibus with us, you will be picked- up in Toulouse at 6pm on 09/07/2024, and will be back in Toulouse at 11am on 15/07/2024.

You'll also have the option to stay at CAMP an additional 7 nights, following the workshop, for an additional cost of €0. Hang out, do some hiking, use our facilities, work on your projects and process the content of the workshop at your own pace. In 2024, just over 50% of participants stayed for the +7. We expect that number to increase in 2025 - don't miss out on the extra fun! Read more about the +7 option here.

HOW TO BOOK

To book your place on the course, click the button in the green section above. You won't pay anything right now - we'll send you a booking confirmation email with everything you need to know next. Your place is reserved without payment for three days.

You'll find a payment link in the booking confirmation email - follow the link to make a payment (either in full, or the first payment of a month payment plan). In the latter case, a monthly payment plan will be put in place, so your card will be charged 1/ of the fee today, and 1/ each month (on the same day) for an additional -1 months. All card payments are handled by Stripe, and are extremely secure. We don't store any card data ourselves - all of this is handled securely off-site by Stripe. If you have a discount or grant code, you will be able to add it when you follow the payment link in your confirmation email.

Once you've made a payment, you'll receive another email containing your receipt, links to resources, contact information and access to our group chat to discuss the workshop with other participants.