ISOTH.!

August Walla, Isoth. (1988) - Ausschnitt
ALBERTINA, Wien - Familiensammlung Haselsteiner
(c) Art Brut KG

A sound performance in memory of the Art Brut artist August Walla (1936-2001), composed and performed by the composer Karlheinz Essl on his self-developed modular electronics.

In den bizarren Bildwelten des Gugginger Künstlers August Walla tauchen Begriffe wie KPÖ, SPÖ, Nero, Gott und Satan auf, die sich eindeutig zuordnen lassen. Immer wieder erscheint auch der rätselhafte Name ISOTH.! in Wallas farbenfrohem Pandämonium. Seine wahre Natur bleibt uns verborgen.

In seiner Klangperformance ISOTH.! begibt sich der Komponist und Elektroniker Karlheinz Essl auf die Suche nach diesem Geheimnis. Mit eigens entwickelter Modularelektronik und verschiedenen Lautsprechern, darunter einer speziellen ISOTH.! Box und einem Megaphone. Vielleicht gelingt es ihm, diesen guten Geist hörbar zu machen!

Wenn Worte fehlen, soll man nicht schweigen, sondern - singen!

In the bizarre visual worlds of the Gugging-based artist August Walla, terms such as KPÖ, SPÖ, Nero, God and Satan appear, each of which can be clearly identified. The enigmatic name ISOTH.! also appears from time to time in Walla’s colourful pandemonium. Its true nature remains a mystery.

In his sound performance ISOTH.!, composer and electronic musician Karlheinz Essl sets out to unravel this secret. He uses modular electronics that he has developed himself, as well as various loudspeakers including a special ISOTH! box and a megaphone. Hopefully he will succeed in making this benevolent spirit audible!

When words fail, one should not remain silent, but – sing!

Gear

Foldinger
Goldfinger touch-controller, MakeNoise CONTOUR function generator, MakeNoise STO voltage-controlled oscillator, Doepfer A-114 ring modulator, two-fold LFO and an After Later Audio VALLEY waveshaper.

Chaostick
Belcafo Pony VCO, Pico VCF1, Cion Function Generator, Doepfer A147-5 Quad VCLFO, Doepfer A-174-4 3D Joystick Controller.

No-Input Mixer
Behringer Xenyx 802S 8-Channel-Analogmixer with signal feedback loops.

Speakers
MINIRIG portable speaker, megaphone, ISOTH.! box

Exciters
Chinese tea boxes, plastic lid, ISOTH.! mini drum, finger cymbal and my own hand as acoustic sound shapers.

Setup for Karlheinz Essl's sound performance ISOTH.!

Updated: 2 Nov 2026