i expect IDM musicians and any other musicians to create good music live.
i want someone's live set to be well prepared and aurally interesting.
thats a good performance to me. i could care less whether the musician
jumps up and down or just sits there moving his/her finger on a
trackpad. most all of the visual aspects or actions seem quite
irrelevant to the music.
people ask why go to shows for the music when you can just listen to it
at home, well that argument is absurd. hearing music live, being
performed or created on the spot by musicians is a great experience. and
its nice to be part of a good unreproduceable live experience.
i admit there is no excuse for hearing IDM musicians play cd's or aiff
files from their computer. that is just plain laziness, there is so much
more that electronic/laptop/computer musicians can do live. i just feel
that computer/electronic performers need to spend just as much time
developing a live set as they do making tracks in the studio or at home.
i think there is a difference there. live sets should be more
interactive. with more realtime performance. more surprises. more
improvisation or manipulating material.
an IDM track shouldnt be a fixed object in a live performance. it should
be an ever changing thing that is different every time it is performed
just like a classical piece or a pop tune. same materials but performed
in a different way every time. this is all very possible in
electronic/computer music.
unfortunately, manipulating a computer in realtime doesn't involve lots
of physical movement (unlike other "real" instruments). but who cares,
if you dont think an IDM performance isnt going to be visually exciting
or engaging enough, then dont go to it and stop complaining about it.
but then again, this is coming from someone who has sat through and
listened to a 6 hour string quartet by morton feldman or would enjoy a
performance of alvin lucier's "music for a solo performer" or john
cage's 4'33".
oh well......sorry for another long post on this over argued subject.
greg davis
p.s. autumnature should be available in a couple of weeks. forced
exposure will be carrying it, check there to get a copy.
np: salvatore sciarrino-aspern suite
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