From an illustrious Dutch musical background, Ray Edgar wandered into STEIM (Studio for electro instrumental music, Amsterdam) with perfect pedigree . He studied visual art, was a founding member of 'Staalplaat' (the legendary cassette shop that had a tremendous influence on the underground music scene of the eighties), and worked as a programmer and presenter for a number of pirate radio stations . He collaborated extensively with George Lewis, particularly in the area of interactive videomusic linkages . At STEIM he developed the 'Sweatstick', an alternative MIDI controller. The Sweatstick is a one-meter aluminum rod, articulated in the middle, with a sliding keypad for each hand. Performance style variously resembles martial arts, dancing with a broom, hang gliding, praying, and playing guitar . The instrument has a precedent in non-traditional '-'Theremin' or Michel Waisvisz's 'Hands' or Don Buchla's 'Lightning'. But where the trails of these instruments are only heard, the Sweatstick hangs in the visual field: it lingers for a moment, like a sculpture, between gestures - a fitting byproduct of a visual artist's music . Edgar has performed throughout Europe and in the United States . 'Flexonica II was commissioned by STEIM for performance at The Kitchen, New York City, in 1993.