THEO KARON

we just haven’t seen like ourselves recently

Theo Karon writes music and words, moves microphones around, turns knobs, plays instruments, and helps people realize their strangest ambitions.

He has worked with Nation, Loma, Dirty Projectors, Eartheater, Yves Tumor, Mavis Staples, Julia Holter, Kamasi Washington, Foxygen, MNDSGN and Kiefer, among many others — as well as ongoing collaborations with digital artists Claire & Rick Farin of Actual Objects.

His compositions and multimedia installation work have shown at MoMA, MoCA Los Angeles and the Getty Center, and toured internationally. He runs Hotel Earth, a recording studio in a Los Angeles warehouse.

Theo Karon adjusting microphones inside a prepared piano at Hotel Earth

What happened?

Nation — Let It Burn. cover
Nation
Let It Burn. · 2026
Devra Hoff — Baile as Baile cover
Devra Hoff
Baile as Baile · 2026
Shearwater — The New World cover
Shearwater
The New World · 2026
Lecx Stacy — The Folkhouse cover
Lecx Stacy
The Folkhouse · 2026
Rick Farin — Charcoal cover
Rick Farin
Charcoal · 2025
Cross Record — Crush Me cover
Cross Record
Crush Me · 2025
Rick Farin — Wretched cover
Rick Farin
Wretched · 2024
Loma — How Will I Live Without a Body? cover
Loma
How Will I Live Without a Body? · 2024
Aïsha Devi — Death Is Home cover
Aïsha Devi
Death Is Home · 2023
Shearwater — The Great Awakening cover
Shearwater
The Great Awakening · 2022
Kiefer — When There’s Love Around cover
Kiefer
When There’s Love Around · 2021
MNDSGN — Rare Pleasure cover
MNDSGN
Rare Pleasure · 2021
Idlewild — Interview Music cover
Idlewild
Interview Music · 2019
Cross Record — Cross Record cover
Cross Record
Cross Record · 2019
Sam Valdez — Mirage cover
Sam Valdez
Mirage · 2017
Foxygen — Hang cover
Foxygen
Hang · 2017
Mavis Staples — Livin’ on a High Note cover
Mavis Staples
Livin’ on a High Note · 2016
Kamasi Washington — The Epic cover
Kamasi Washington
The Epic · 2015

Composition / installation / film

Still from Yves Tumor’s Jackie video, lit in red and violet
Jackie
Yves Tumor music video · w/ Actual Objects · 2021
Still from Voice to Skull: a glowing figure crossing a 1980s Times Square, shown on a CRT with timecode
Voice to Skull
Disintegration-2 · FACT residency · w/ Actual Objects · 2021
Cast Off installation view: a large black-and-white projection of a face in a dark gallery
Cast Off
Kunstpunkt Berlin · w/ Dis Fig · 2021
Breach installation view at MIRA Festival: three wall-sized projections around a dark hall
Breach
MIRA Festival · 2020
Vicky by Actual Objects, installation view at 180 The Strand (photo: Jack Hems)
Vicky
Actual Objects · 2020 · shown at Future Shock, 180 The Strand, 2022
Kentucky Route Zero original soundtrack cover
Kentucky Route Zero
Original score w/ Ben Babbitt · Cardboard Computer · 2020
Still from Marine Serre’s Radiation
Radiation
Marine Serre · 2019
Still from Plaid’s Dancers video: a CG face overgrown with lichen and coral
Dancers
Plaid music video · dir. Rick Farin · Warp · 2019
All Under Heaven: two CG figures in Xander Zhou AW19 with sculptural visors
All Under Heaven
w/ Rick Farin · Xander Zhou · 2019
Chino Amobi — Paradiso cover
Paradiso
MoMA PS1 · w/ Chino Amobi · 2017

Selected clients / collaborators / labels / exhibitions

Music

  • Aïsha Devi
  • Alexander Vincent
  • Angel Olsen
  • Ben Babbitt
  • Coffin Prick
  • Corridos Ketamina
  • Cross Record
  • DAGR
  • Devra Hoff
  • Devin Morrison
  • Dirty Projectors
  • Dis Fig
  • Earth
  • Eartheater
  • Erik Hassle
  • Evanora Unlimited
  • Fousheé
  • Foxygen
  • Idlewild
  • John FM
  • Julia Holter
  • Kamasi Washington
  • Kiefer
  • Lecx Stacy
  • Loma
  • M. Ward
  • Mavis Staples
  • MNDSGN
  • Nation
  • Plague Vendor
  • Plaid
  • Rick Farin
  • Rusty Santos
  • Sam Valdez
  • Shearwater
  • Thor Harris
  • Tyler Matthew Oyer
  • Venera
  • Yves Tumor

Labels

  • 4AD
  • ANTI- Records
  • Atlantic Records
  • AUM Fidelity
  • Ba Da Bing!
  • Brainfeeder
  • Epitaph
  • Hallwood
  • IAMSOUND
  • IRL Music
  • Jagjaguwar
  • Kill Rock Stars
  • PAN
  • Sub Pop
  • Tzadik
  • UMG
  • Warp Records
  • XL Recordings

Art / film / games / fashion

  • Actual Objects / AO Studio
  • Antonioli
  • Cardboard Computer
  • Chino Amobi
  • Claire & Rick Farin
  • IAM8BIT
  • Marine Serre
  • Ryan Trecartin
  • Xander Zhou

Exhibitions / festivals / press

  • 180 The Strand
  • FACT Magazine
  • FIBER Festival
  • Getty Center
  • Kunstpunkt Berlin
  • MIRA Festival
  • MoMA PS1
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
  • Museum of Modern Art, NYC
  • NOWNESS

Studio

hotel earth.

A recording studio on the border between HiFi & Silverlake in Los Angeles, featuring a rebuilt Neve 8058, 1,500 square feet of acoustically treated and isolated recording spaces + another 3,000 of open warehouse, two reverb chambers, and an extensive and idiosyncratic collection of excellent equipment and instruments.

The Hotel Earth live room: drum kit, gobos, grand piano, CP-70 and guitars on the wall Control room with the Neve 8058, synths and Theo at a Minimoog Booth with upright piano, hanging guitars and a vocal mic

Equipment

* appears in more than one list

Microphones

Condenser
  • AKG C-414 EB w/ brass CK12 (2)
  • AKG C-451 CB (2)
  • CAD E100 (2)
  • Gefell M930 (2)
  • Josephson C42 (2)
  • Josephson C700A
  • Josephson C725
  • Josephson E22S (6)
  • Neumann KM 84 (2)
  • Neumann U 47 FET
  • Neumann U 67 (4)
  • Neumann UM 57
  • Pearlman TM-1
Ribbon
  • AEA R84 (2)
  • Coles 4038 (4)
  • RCA 44BX
Dynamic
  • AKG D12
  • AKG D12E
  • Audix D6
  • Beyerdynamic M201 (2)
  • Beyerdynamic M380
  • Beyerdynamic M88 (2)
  • Electro-Voice 636
  • Electro-Voice RE20
  • Grundig GDSM 202
  • Heil PR40
  • NS10 sub kick
  • Placid Audio Copperphone
  • Placid Audio Resonator B
  • Sennheiser 421 (3)
  • Sennheiser 441 (2)
  • Shure SM7B
DI / accessory
  • Radial JDI (5)
  • Radial SGI (3)

Recorders

  • Mac Pro, Pro Tools HDX, Prism Titan conversion (32 I/O)
  • Mix room: 2019 Mac Pro / Pro Tools, UAD-2 Satellite, EUCON controller
  • Studer A80 Mk IV 2" 24-track w/ Frostbox Labs control (Stephen Marsh rebuild)
  • Otari MTR-90 Mk II 2" 24-track
  • Ampex ATR-102 1/4" 2-track (Myriad Magnetics rebuild)
  • Tascam TSR-8 1/2" 8-track (2)
  • TEAC A-3440S 1/4" 4-track
  • Tascam Portastudio 424 cassette 4-track

Console / summing

  • Neve 8058 28×16×4 / 28 monitor (Kenneth Pearsall rebuild)
  • APB Dynasonics H1020 20×4×2
  • Chandler Mini Rack Mixer 16×2

Monitoring

  • Adam P11A
  • Auratone Mix Cube
  • B&W Matrix 805 / Bryston 4B
  • PMC IB1S w/ Hypex amplification
  • ProAc Studio 100 / Bryston 4B
  • Yamaha NS10 / sub / Bryston 4B

Microphone preamplifiers

  • Ampex 351 (Anni Casella rebuild)
  • API 512c (2)
  • BAE 1084 (28)*
  • Chandler Germanium (2)
  • Chandler TG2-500 (2)
  • Inward Connections MPDI-500
  • Maihak (pre-Telefunken) V72 (Oliver Nauck rebuild) (2)
  • Neve Portico 511 (4)
  • Overstayer Modular Channel (2 ch)*
  • Sound Techniques module
  • SSL 615e (Jensen) (10)
  • UTA MPEQ-1 (4)*

Equalizers

  • API 550A (2)
  • BAE 1084 (28)*
  • Chandler TG12345 Curve Bender
  • dbx 530 (2)
  • GML 8200
  • Lang PEQ-2 (2)
  • Night Pro EQ3D
  • Orban 672A
  • Overstayer Modular Channel*
  • Pultec EQP-1A (2)
  • UTA MPEQ-1 (4)*

Dynamics

  • 1176 blue stripe (Hairball)
  • 1176 (Purple Audio)
  • 1176 rev D (Hairball) (2)
  • Alan Smart C2
  • Aphex 301
  • API 2500
  • API 525 (2)
  • CBS Audimax (stereo)
  • Chandler TG1
  • dbx 160X
  • dbx 163X
  • dbx 165
  • dbx 263X
  • Empirical Labs Distressor w/ Brit mod (2)
  • Eventide Omnipressor
  • FMR RNC
  • FMR RNLA
  • Fostex MN-50
  • Heritage 32264/A (2)
  • Highland Dynamics BG2
  • Moseley TFL-280 (2)
  • Neve 33609/JD
  • Quad Eight AM-3B
  • Quad Eight CL22 (2, stereo linked)
  • Shure SE-30 (2)
  • SPL Transient Designer 2
  • Standard Audio Level-Or
  • UA LA-2A
  • UA LA-3A (2)
  • Valley People Dyna-mite

Effects / misc

  • Reverb chambers (2), plaster, w/ Abbey Road–style send EQs (Ken Pearsall)
  • EMT 140 stereo tube plate w/ Martech upgrades
  • 4-way crossover
  • Alesis Quadraverb
  • AMS RMX16 500
  • dbx 120XP subharmonic synthesizer
  • Deltalab Effectron II ADM 1024
  • Electrix Filter Factory
  • Eventide H3000 SE Harmonizer (2)
  • Lexicon PCM 41
  • Lexicon Prime Time
  • Mid-side matrix
  • Overstayer M-A-S
  • Roland RE-101 Space Echo
  • Tapco spring reverb mixer (2)
  • Teaching Machines Wellspring

Drum machines & synthesizers

  • ARP 2600
  • Arturia MatrixBrute
  • Casio SK-1
  • Dave Smith Tempest
  • Elektron Digitakt
  • Elektron Machinedrum
  • Eurorack modular (various)
  • Korg microKORG
  • Minimoog Model D
  • Moog Sub 37
  • Moog theremin
  • Roland Juno-60
  • Roland Juno-106
  • Roland SP-555 (2)
  • Sequential OB-6
  • SOMA Lyra-8
  • Yamaha CS-60

Keyboard instruments

  • Mason & Hamlin grand piano (c. 1900)
  • Steinway Model K upright (Nico Stai rebuild)
  • 1972 Fender Rhodes Stage Mk II 88 (Goldstate rebuild)
  • Hammond A-100 (B3 innards) / Leslie 31H
  • Mellotron M4000D
  • Clough & Warren pump organ (Nico Stai rebuild)
  • Wurlitzer 200A (Goldstate rebuild)
  • Yamaha CP-70 electric grand
  • Hammered dulcimer

Guitars & basses

  • Fender Jazz Bass, fretless
  • Fender Jazzmaster
  • Fender Jazzmaster / Jaguar hybrid hack job
  • Fender Musicmaster bass
  • Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI
  • Guild classical Mk II (1966)
  • Ibanez hollow body
  • Martin D-18 (1977)
  • Nash ’52 Telecaster
  • Nash ’63 P-Bass
  • Stella H929 w/ rubber bridge (1950s)
  • Stella parlor guitar (1960s)
  • Submarine Subpro pickup

Amplifiers

  • 1965 Fender Bassman w/ JCM800 channel mod, spring reverb
  • Ampeg Gemini II (1960s)
  • Ampeg Portaflex B-15R
  • Bell & Howell Filmosound projector amp (Alex Russo rebuild)
  • Emperor 1×10 cabinet
  • Fender Blues Junior
  • Gong amp (custom)
  • National Radio Company 1947 tube amp (Alex Russo rebuild)
  • Ondes Palme diffuseur (Adrian Garcia)
  • Orange Tiny Terror
  • Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
  • Sears Silvertone tube amp (Alex Russo rebuild)
  • Traynor TS-50B
  • Vox AC15

Drums

  • Ludwig 36" concert bass drum (1960s)
  • Ludwig Black Beauty snare
  • Ludwig Black Beauty piccolo snare
  • Ludwig Classic Maple snare (1960s)
  • Ludwig Rocker Elite piccolo snare
  • Ludwig Super Classic 22×14 / 16×16 / 13×9 (1965)
  • Ludwig Supraphonic snare (1960s)
  • Pearl marching bass drum (1980s)
  • Pork Pie Pig-Lite snare
  • Slingerland marching bass drum (cloud badge, pre-1941)
  • Slingerland kit w/ 3 concert toms (1970s)
  • Slingerland Radio King maple snare (1960s)
  • WFL 24" bass drum (1950s)
  • Box o’ percussion, shakers etc.

Cymbals

  • Bosphorus Master Series 15" hi-hats
  • Bosphorus Master Vintage 14" hi-hats
  • Crappy sheet-metal hi-hats
  • Meinl 20" Byzance Extra Thin ride
  • Zildjian “low noise” 15" hi-hats
  • Zildjian 12" vintage hi-hats
  • Zildjian 16" vintage trans stamp crash
  • Zildjian 18" vintage trans stamp crash
  • Zildjian 1960s 16" crash ride
  • Zildjian 20" vintage small stamp ride
  • Zildjian K Custom 22" High Definition ride

Pedals

  • Aguilar Tone Hammer
  • Boss CH-1
  • Death By Audio Apocalypse fuzz
  • DigiTech Whammy
  • EHX Deluxe Memory Man, Memory Toy, Micro POG, Freeze, Big Muff Pi, Super Space Drum
  • EHX Frequency Analyzer (modified to be insane by Ben Boye, so it gets its own line)
  • FTe Intersound IVP
  • Hologram Microcosm, Chroma Console

Contact

hello.

theo [at] hotelearth.studio hotelearth.studio ↗
Theo Karon · Hotel Earth · Los Angeles ↑ top