IDMs,
The live performance of IDM looks remarkably like the stereotypical
mad scientist scene in a randomly chosen sci-fi B-movie.
Quite a far cry from the low-ball pandering typical of much live
performance through the ages.
Still, is most live IDM worth seeing?
Consider the linguistic implications: one goes not attend(only) to
listen, but to see a concert.
There typically is not much to see at an IDM concert, and one may
find the flickering EXIT sign to be the most visually intriguing
aspect of the entire show.
A few aspects of IDM performance which may make the experience
worthwhile and differentiated from simply listening on the stereo at
home:
- (at least at times) an element of improvisation
- an element of interplay between performers and audience (perhaps
the performers adapt their works to soothe or disorient the
particular mood of the audience on a given evening)
- hearing one's favorite little noise ditties on a generally
neighbor-hostile sound system
("Listen, honey! They're playing our song! It's "Second Bad Vilbel"!")
- the communal experience of sharing a room with similarly moved
mad-scientist types
- watching the blinking lights
- post-facto justification of one's own childhood mad scientist
experiments which nearly blew up the house ("See, Mom?")
And, the number one reason to attend an IDM "concert":
"Quick, give me the binoculars! What the hell is that blue analogue
2-rack space thing, 4 spaces down on the second rack from the left?"
For all those who do indeed plan to attend an IDM show, please
remember the number-one rule:
NO DANCING. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Cheers,
3
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