Octant

The Seattle-based group Octant is named for its third member, a robotic drummer created by singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist/inventor Matt Steinke. Also a member of Mocket and Satisfact, Steinke studied kinetic art and music at Evergreen State College and studied electronics after graduation. Wishing to combine all these disciplines, he began building the Octant, an automated collection of mallets bolted onto a drum kit; as it plays, it not only makes music but adds a visual element to the group's futuristic, appealingly off-kilter sound. Singers/keyboardist Tassy Zimmer...