David Leikam | zBug | Industrial Jazz

San Francisco-based creative arts composer, designer, improviser, and producer of the industrial jazz unit zBug.

Instruments
• Moog Rogue analog synthesizer
• Ibanez SR1300PD electric bass-cello
(tuning, C2 G2 D3 G3)

• LP Nada drum
• MEINL Tar 18" frame drum

Effects/Pedals
• Line 6 POD® X3
• Ernie Ball Stereo/Pan Volume Pedal
• Boss PS-3 Digital Pitch Shifter/Delay
• Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker
• Vox Tone Bender Fuzz
(modified by Lorin Edwin Parker | Electric Western)

2011; zBug featuring David Leikam, Sheila Bosco, and special guest members are actively performing concerts locally in the San Francisco Bay Area and submitting to music/arts festivals worldwide after the unfortunate departure of Zachary Morris and Sean Price from the unit. In August, David modified his electric bass by stringing it now with electric cello strings (C2 G2 D3 G3). He also booked more live concerts with the Bug (Moog) | EBE (DJ) techmoog project throughout the year and collaborated with Muruga Booker on two studio albums over two weeks in June/July in Ann Arbor, MI that are due for release later in 2012.

2004; David was accepted into Calarts' Performer-Composer: African-American Improvisational Music program under the directiopn of Wadada Leo Smith. He also primarily studied with John Bergamo (rhythm, frame drum/percussion), Vinny Golia (composition/performance, business principles), and am informal minor study in modern dance/choreography (anatomy, collaboration, history) primarily with Cristyne Lawson and Morton Subotnick graduating with a MFA in 2006. During that time, dark-ambient music pioneer Robert Rich passed the Sleep Concert baton onto David, after meeting him in early 2002 after a concert of Robert's presented at Fort Mason in San Francisco, California. David is currently still presenting 7 to 12 hour ambient music Sleep Concerts and is currently looking for venues to present these unique events at in 2012/2013 so please contact him if you are interested in hosting one at your public venue or private home.

2001; David has largely been concentrating on composing for structured improvisational performance since graduating from CalArts (BFA, Music Composition) and has produced 13 albums along with being featured on albums released by Eddie Gale and Moe! Staiano’s Moe!kestra as well.

1996; David decided to formally study audio engineering after a few courses at Foothill College and an extensive internship at the Music Annexx in Menlo Park, California. He was accepted to the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California where he eaarned his Certification in Audio Engineering and awaarded for being the hardest worker in his class (1997, Live/Studio). He also met and started the long-time music collaboration with Thomas Merácz along with recording with Echbaum Syndrome (1996/1997).

1993; David started his formal music composition study at Foothill College primary with Dr. Elizabeth Barkley (composition, theory), Dr. Paul Davies (composition, theory), and Mark Anderson (audio recording, performance). He also composed numerous pieces starting at this time for solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, octet, nonet, and large ensemble through 2001. Currently, he is solely concentrating on his industrial jazz though does traditional composition on occasions.

1988; David recorded his first solo professional studio composition recording (Opus 1 for solo piano) at Dragon Studios in Redwood City, California with Friday Night Music in early January.

1985; David was invited to perform/record with the local San Francisco Bay Area improvisational music collective, Friday Night Music by his father Bill Leikam.

2010-10-31: David Practicing electric bass in the kitchen.
© 2010 David Leikam . All Rights Reserved.

Sense Artist: A term coined by David Leikam in early 2001 that describes an artist that works actively within mulptiple fields of creative arts consciousness including business. Like in multi-media, the artist can deal with many forms at once but a Sense Artist doesn't confine themselves with combining many forms only. S/he is consciously aware of what is needed within the creative process at hand and can work within many or just one of those fields freely and with genuine intent of execution not boxed in by genres.

Endorsements

"David Leikam | zBug uses Clayton USA custom picks on his electric bass-cello for the perfect action and feel while giving a full tone."

Crew
John Baffa - sound engineer (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Peter L. Buranzon - photographer
Greg Cutler - road crew
Bill Leikam - manager

Influences
People | Johann Sebastian Bach, Hieronymus Bosch, William S. Burroughs, John Cage, John Coltrane, Merce Cunningham, , Salvador Dalí, Miles Davis, Albrecht Dürer, Sylvie Guillem, Brion Gysin, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, cEvin Key, Thelonious Sphere Monk, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pablo Picasso, Pink Floyd, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rich, Wadada Leo Smith, John Steinbeck, Cecil Taylor, Throbbing Gristle, Mark Twain, Edgard Varèse.

Styles | Ambient, Armenian, Art/Classical, Electronic, Greek, Indian, Industrial, Jazz, Latin, Moroccan, Spanish, Psychedelic Arts.

Bug eye
Bug aka David Leikam was born in early 1997 while working with Thomas Merácz at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA where they were studying audio engineering. Initially, he went by Insect after watching a PBS documentary on the insect world late one night after being in the studio recording with Eichbaum Syndrome. Merácz would often refer to him as Insect God while roaming the streets of Los Angeles, CA into the late nights frequenting Denny's or other midnight diners after long sessions in the audio spectrum.

In the last week of 2010, David ended his nine year run of radio broadcasting performances at KZSU 90.1FM Stanford University since his debut on October 4, 2001 at 00:00 (1999-2001 on KCIA - CalArts Radio) to concentrate more time on the Arts Noticed Corp., tAN (501c3) and his other creative Arts ventures.

Bug Global Live Radio:
David Leikam aka Bug started his producing/performances of live radio in late 1999 while attending the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, CA. He started with the show being called The Gospel of Sound though record labels and listeners alike thought that it was a Christian based radio show so he soon changed it to The Principles of Audio though sounding a bit too technical for a weekly music radio show he settled on "In Your Ear ..." with David Bug at suggestion from his uncle Lee Leikam in early 2000 after some thought and other suggestions from his listening audience. Nathaniel Udell would co-host in these early years with news and pop culture commentary along with music suggestions such as Kelly Willis, The Louvin Brothers, or David Porter. After graduating from CalArts in early 2001 with his BFA degree in music composition, David continued his radio productions after returning to the San Francisco Bay Area. He first attended the KFJC 89.7FM, Foothill College radio station orientation but found it a bit more structured then what his uniquely formatted live radio show called for and there was a slim chance of him ever getting On-Air in any case. So, one day in mid-September 2001, he was listening to KZSU 90.1FM, Stanford University in the afternoon and heard the call for their quarterly radio station orientation and applied later that day!

Since his first live radio show on KZSU 90.1FM on October 4, 2001 at 00:00, David has produced/hosted/performed a largely improvised live radio show with incorporations of in-studio audio collages, guest artist performnces, in-studio interviews, and covering a uniquely sequenced mix of audio covering all forms of sound. He also sound engineered occasionally live Stanford Sports radio broadcast when needed as well as filling-in for other radio DJ staff show's when requested.

Note: As of January 2011, David Bug has taken an indefinite hiatus from radio broadcasting to concentrate more time on the ArtsEarth Corp. (formerly tAN) (501c3) and his other creative Arts ventures.

"diG your music. Eclectic ain't the word. Film noir multiverse ethnic blade runner desert world. Love it." - Nivek Ogre, ohGr/Skinny Puppy

"You guys [zBug] sound very similar to Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio!" - John Baffa, Sound Engineer/Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio

more quotes

David Leikam is a San Francisco-based creative arts composer, designer, improviser, and producer of the industrial jazz unit zBug. Being born with cerebral palsy affecting his body and speech has given him a distinct view into his art/music. Since his first solo piano recording in January 1988 with the now defunct San Francisco Bay Area improvisational arts/music collective, Friday Night Music; he has been compared and associated with such creative luminaries as Keith Jarrett, Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Wadada Leo Smith, Kidd Jordan, Perry Robinson, William Parker, Eddie Gale, Warren Smith, Lou Reed, James Gurley, Muruga Booker, Robert Rich, and cEvin Key. He is largely a self taught multi-instrumentalist with a latter formal education in Audio Engineering (Live/Studio, RIT 1997) at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA along with Music Composition (BFA 2001) and African American Improvisational Music (MFA 2006) studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

He is currently developing his main music projects; zBug featuring Sheila Bosco - drums/percussion with guest members including Phillip Greenlief - saxophone/reeds (Oakland, California, USA); Kidd Jordan - saxophone (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA); Craig Latta - electric guitar/electronics (Amsterdam, NL); Fred Malouf - electric guitar/electronics (Palo Alto, California, USA); Mark Spybey - electronics/voice (Northumberland, UK) along with a couple duet projects with Lucas Rodenbush aka DJ EBE - turntables/electronics (San Jose, California, USA) and Joe Straub - guitars/laptop (London, UK).

He is also furthering his music theories of structured improvisational styles coined industrial jazz based on traditional music composition and performance area architecture. Some artists that he is looking forward to collaborate with this year are Eddie Gale, cEvin Key, Jean-Michel Pilc, Jon Raskin, Perry Robinson, John Santos, Pamela Z, and others.

2010-03-07: David with The Kidd Jordan Quartet featuring Kidd Jordan, Eddie Gale, William Parker, and Warren Smith at The Bach/Douglas Beach House in Half Moon Bay, CA
© 2010 Peter L. Buranzon . All Rights Reserved.