My background is punk, hardcore, and power violence on the West Coast. That's where I came from as a DJ. I participated in my first binge in the 90s—actually in 1994—and I stayed in that scene for three years. It used to be just a freak, but then it became very cool for ordinary people. There are many drugs involved, and I didn't even drink alcohol at the time. To a point, I was like, "You know what, it's not funny anymore," and I went back to my rock roots. I finally got into the mod scene, and then into the gorgeous rock and metal. That’s how Lady Gaga and I started working together—she asked me to do DJ metal on stage between her popular songs. I finally became interested in incorporating more environmental, soundscape-like electronic elements, and then began to perform in her live performance instead of DJ. After doing it for a while, I understand that from an experimental point of view, electronic concerts are more meaningful, because as long as there is a kick drum, there is almost nothing musically weird you can do.

Surgeon is the reason I got into modular synthesizers. I remember the first time I saw him perform live, I was like, "Wow. I need this. This is how the technology should sound." The modular sound just swept the entire stage and it surprised me. He eventually gave me his old two rows of boxes and some modules, including the Make Noise René sequencer. When we played together, he used his shell, I used my shell and a bunch of effect pedals and an Elektron Machinedrum that I used as a sampler. The advantage of performing live technical performances as a duo is that we truly improvise and merge with each other. There is no plan at all. I think the crowd has benefited a lot from it because we are all working together to make some cool things happen. Being with the second person also means there is no tension, because if something goes wrong, someone else will help improve the sound. When I perform personal live performances, I will be more careful.

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I started to play modularization seriously last year, and I really followed the advice very carefully. The key is not to buy too much. It's difficult because you just want to dive into the water, but I was told to get very little and master what I have. I can do it. The only oscillator I currently use is the Complex Oscillator from Verbos Electronics. It can create a lot of sounds, and I like its control functions because they are very simple. I actually think its simplicity makes its sound so outstanding. It also looks great. Very sexy. This is the first oscillator I bought, and this is definitely the right decision.

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I am also a big fan of [electronic musical instrument manufacturer] MFB. I use their step sequencer SEQ-03. It has a little learning curve because MFB has very few buttons, but they provide you with many options. You can program each sequence to have its own attack, release envelope, or LFO. I am also a big fan of Buchla, but at the moment, those-and Cwejman-are a bit out of my price range. It is my dream to own any one.

Anyone who has just entered the Eurorack world does not need to get much. The only modules you really need are an oscillator, a filter, an envelope generator and a sequencer-if you are making a techno. I recommend using Make Noise Optomix because it has a built-in low-pass filter.

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It is also good to have a mixer, such as Circuit Abbey Unify. It allows you to have four separate outputs, which is very useful. Then get what you want! When you start to want new sounds that cannot be made with existing settings, you will know when you need something new. When you get to this point, consulting resources are good. I have been going to SchneidersLaden in Berlin to try out modules and they have created such an environment that is not intimidating. It is important to have access to outlets with a welcoming and non-judgmental atmosphere, especially for women who want to enter this male-dominated field. If you don't have a physical location to go, there are many answers online. Muff Wiggler has endless forums for detailed explanations of all aspects of synthesis.

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So much hardware is limited by what the designer wants you to access. However, when you use a modular synthesizer, you can adjust the sounds and change them in any way you want. When you perform live performances, especially improvisations, you have more freedom than using hardware. Many of the series that people call "live" are not real scenes—this is by no means any form of judgment. When you play live, you take more risks. You have to be in a state of mind that you will let anything happen instead of always being in control. I think the biggest problem with people adopting a modular approach is that they want to control what is happening. You can't do that. After reopening the system, each patch sounds different. However, the lack of control is also the reason why it is unique. Every time you perform with it, it is different, whether you like it or not.

The more modular settings are used, the better, but it can be frustrating. Sometimes you just want to walk away and say, "You know what, I don't do this now." However, don't feel sad because you struggle. This is overwhelming. The fact is, the less you know about synthesis, the better. Instead of thinking about the "right way" of synthesizing sound-this is the way you tend to think when using hardware-try instead. That's when the coolest things start to happen.