10/23/2023
Hello, a message about this page ...
Guy Taylor here, founder / owner of I/O.
I/O was a modular synth web shop based in the SF Bay area from 2012-2018. We sold many modules, hosted many community events and tried our best to accommodate the emerging modular synth community. Our showroom was inside the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Oakland CA. The shop's focus was on smaller, lesser known modular synth companies following my departure as Co-founder / owner of Switched On in Austin, TX.
During my time in Oakland I became a part of an artist collective called Katabatik. A like minded group of individuals surrounding specific niches of darker, esoteric styles of electronic music. As some may recall, The Ghost Ship fire in Oakland resulted in a profound tragedy for many. One of the Katabatik founders, [Barrett Clark] and several other important characters in our collective [+ so many more] perished that night, and I was to potentially be amongst them - yet I did not attend despite the venue's close proximity to my home.
I experienced a difficult interpersonal time following it, and my inability to properly run the shop henceforth was something I could not admit to myself until much later, and I failed to make an official post abt its demise until now.
I sincerely apologize to those who were and/or looked forward to being a patron, and any supporters in my respective circles whom I have perhaps let down. I have since gone through several personal reformations & career changes leading up to now. However, my due diligence to what I initially set out for at Switched On, and I/O remains. Currently, I now consider myself thankful to have an opportunity to fulfill my commitments to help foster this community of Modular Synthesizer enthusiasts, as a part of the team at Control Voltage in Portland, OR.
Thank you for your understanding, I wish all the best to you and your sonic journeys, and please contact me / us at CV if you ever need any help with it.
Respectfully yours,
Guy Taylor [Hemadaxis]