MUSIC | SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 | 7 PM (DOORS AT 6:30 PM) | $20–$25 (DETAILS BELOW)
Sandia Soundscapes presents
Chris Meyer’s Alias Zone + Tony Obr
Sandia Soundscapes co-founder Chris Meyer will be kicking off its second season with his unique blend of melodic ambient, world, and electronic music under the name Alias Zone at FUSION | The Cell on Saturday, January 9, at 7 PM (Doors at 6:30 PM).
To paint these aural tapestries, he freely combines field recordings, acoustic percussion, and sounds from both acoustic and electronic instruments, including his speciality: the modular synthesizer, which resembles an old-fashioned telephone switchboard yet allows him to create custom instruments and sounds. Chris will be bringing an extended performance system for this evening’s concert, where he will play new work from his upcoming album in quadraphonic sound.
Opening the evening will be Tony Obr. Tony is a musician, sound designer, composer, visual artist, and educator. His work is situated at the confluence of music, art, technology, and performance, focusing on innovative uses of sound and the development of interactive, generative systems for electronic music performance and contemporary dance. A professor of music technology at Arizona State University, his musical performances combine deep drones, layers of washed out sound, minimal grooves, and occasional glitchy loops, all driven by hardware synthesizers, samplers, and groove boxes.
Both Chris and Tony performed at Steve Roach’s Soundquest Festival in Tucson this past August. They will be playing extended sets for this evening, making this a truly magical night displaying the talents of two cinematic electronic music virtuosos.
Sandia Soundscapes features electronic and electro-acoustic music that will stimulate your ears, eyes, and mind. It will appeal to lovers of ambient, cinematic, and other creative non-mainstream styles; fans of jazz, classical, world, and other adventurous music will also find a home at our events.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, January 9, from 6:30–9:30 PM
6:30 Doors open
7:00 Introductions
7:05 Tony Obr performance
7:45 Conversation with Tony Obr
8:00 Intermission
8:15 Conversation with Chris Meyer
8:30 Chris Meyer’s Alias Zone performance
9:30 Evening concludes
Free parking is available in FUSION’s lot and is also free along 1st Street after 6 PM. Quality bar service will be provided by Safe House Distilling Co. and Teller Genuine Vodka in FUSION | The Cell. Click here for some nearby dining options.
TICKETS
Advance: $20
Day of show: $25
ABOUT CHRIS MEYER & ALIAS ZONE
Chris Meyer has led three lives in the music industry: creating electronic music instruments and tools including Vector Synthesis and multiple extensions to the MIDI language for companies including Sequential, Digidesign, and Roland; teaching electronic music synthesis through numerous magazine articles, online courses, the modular synthesis industry bible Patch & Tweak, and his website LearningModular.com; to now performing his own version of emotional, cinematic electronic music under the name Alias Zone. One writer noted that his creative process reveals a systematic yet deeply artistic methodology that has made him one of the most influential voices in modular synthesis education as well as electronic music creation.
Each of Chris’ compositions tells a story: from illustrating a scene or an emotion, to describing journeys across exotic landscapes. He builds these cinematic vistas layer by layer, combining field recordings, ethnic percussion, voices, and rich tapestries of acoustic and electronic instruments including his speciality, the modular synthesizer. The result is a unique blend of ambient, world, and electronic musics with a strong melodic sense, often borrowing techniques from jazz, classical, and popular music – and always with a human touch.
ABOUT TONY OBRE
Tony Obr uses modular synthesizers and custom software built in Max/MSP to craft complex, generative, rhythmic patterns, as well as warm, gauzy, electronic detritus. In addition to electronic instruments, Tony also plays several wind and reed instruments including the saxophone; in 2025 he worked closely with Ashun Sound Machines designing sounds for their Diosynth electronic wind instrument. His work has been released on a number of international recording labels, including Home Normal, txt recordings, Schematic Music Company, Sunwarped, Satellite Era, Neotantra, Tessellate Recordings, and Stereoscenic.
Years of designing bespoke software for his own musical output eventually led him to opportunities to share his knowledge with others. As an educator, Tony has taught electronic music and sound design courses in Phoenix, Arizona, at Paradise Valley Community College since 2014, and music technology courses in the Arizona State University Popular Music program since 2021. He enjoys empowering students by demystifying seemingly complex music technology.
Quality bar service provided by Safe House Distilling Co. and Teller Genuine Vodka.
