About

ABOUT RHYTHMPLEX.COM

Information is presented to us in many different forms. Generally, as we receive input, it goes through some process of internalization, and, in response, we create output that can range from “I don’t like how that sounds,” to “We need to design a better system,” to “I like how this feels.” But the process doesn’t have to end there. Details can be missed. Information can be biased.

Therefore, input material can always be explored further, whether it’s a 78rpm record, the appearance of a room, a trip to Africa, the scent of an area, or a meeting at work. Our outputs can change based on the degree we explore input, and the internalization of that material. The more we understand something, the more evolved our output becomes. Exploring details coincides with asking questions, whether personal, subconscious, concrete, or public. It’s a process that happens constantly, and everyone has a unique experience with it.

I believe this process can be best described as listening. Listening is something done not just with ears, but it is indeed a process, and is crucial for making clearer decisions, thinking creatively, and producing better output. I started rhythmplex.com to share my own experience with exploring and understanding this process.

Much gratitude to Thomas Wincek, Andrew McKenzie, Sally Haldorson, Kat Berger, and Raymond Dijkstra for their help in making this what it is.

I hope you enjoy what you find within this site. Please visit the Contact page if you have any questions.

ABOUT JON MUELLER:

Photo by Kat Berger

My aim is to help people listen and communicate.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and a Masters degree in Business Administration. My approach to working with people, solving problems, and creating new possibilities is to first listen to all the input and then collaborate to find an interesting and sustainable solution.

I am the General Manager of 800ceoread, a company that connects people and ideas. We host the sites ChangeThis.com, KnowledgeBlocks.com, and a variety of other resources for people looking to gather or spread good ideas.

As a drummer and percussionist, I’ve performed solo and in various groupings throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. My recordings have been released by record labels such as Table of the Elements, Polyvinyl Records, Type Recordings, Jagjaguwar, Hometapes, and many others.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve become increasingly focused on recognizing the dialog between sound and the situation it’s presented in, often bypassing standard approaches to percussion and considering acoustics and concepts surrounding the work in order to create a larger experience for those listening. The experience of sound, both on it’s own and in performance, can be intense, personal, and physically effective. I seriously consider those possibilities when choosing what to play, and whom I play with.

I have worked with members of the groups Swans, Wilco, and Bon Iver, as well as being a founding member of the groups Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees, and Volcano Choir. I’ve also collaborated with artists such as Rhys Chatham, James Plotkin, Marcus Schmickler, Bhob Rainey, Dan Burke, Asmus Tietchens, Lionel Marchetti, Z’EV, Jason Kahn, Jack Wright, and many others. My complete recording discography can be viewed here.

I was artist-in-residence in Nijmegen, Netherlands as part of the Brombron project, composed music for film and live film screenings, and held workshops for people about how to think differently about listening.

I’ve given talks about creativity and new business approaches at places such as The Music Forum: Loyola University (NOLA), WMSE’s Radio Summercamp (Milwaukee, WI), Viva! Festival (Montreal), Weslyan University (Middleton, CT), PRSA (Milwaukee, WI), and MARN (Milwaukee, WI).

I have written a novella, Pianobread (1999), a box of short stories, Endings (2004), and have contributed non-fiction writing and reviews for Pear Noir!, The Shepherd Express, OnMilwaukee, Amoeba Records Hollywood, and even contributed to The 100 Best Business Books of All Time (Penguin/Portfolio) by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten.

I formed the imprint Crouton in 1999, because of an interest in how people experience sound and writing packaged in unique, hand-made editions. Crouton published over 40 releases in deluxe presentations; each of them collaborative projects that required much listening, creative thinking, planning, discussion, organization, and hands-on implementation.

Crouton also organized events in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas with artists from around the world. These were heavily documented by the press and even filmed as part of a PBS documentary.

More on the label’s output can be found at the Discogs website. I stopped publishing via Crouton in 2009 to focus exclusively on my recent work and this site.

Thanks again for visiting,

Jon