Live in Belfast
So, last week I played my first live concert in many years. I’ve spent a long time building software systems in Puredata to aid me in live improvisation and composition, and I finally took one out to play.
You can download a recording of it at this link.
Note: the link above is a 14MB MP3 encoded at 192kbps, so I would download then listen instead of stream it, or you might get clicks+pops.
Yup that’s a lot a powerbooks around me. In fact, there were 5. Only one of them was mine though, the others belonged to Shigeto Wada and Sebastian Lexer.
It felt great to be playing again, and I thought the processing (the bits of software that ‘answer me’ as I play) worked without a flaw. I set up that morning, left the Puredata patch running, then at 1:30pm, I just started playing. No glitches. No crashes. In the patch itself, I used a PD object called Soundspotter, which could be called an MPEG7 tracer, and was originally written by Michael Casey. I had a very good reception afterwards, and was invited back, which would be very much fun.
The Sonic Lab is my favourite place on earth right now; it was like playing inside a Deep Space simulator. They have a full-time Tonmeister (a fancy recording engineer) and lighting designer, and both of them participate in performances.
Because the audience is suspended on a steel grid about 10 meters off the ground (kind of vertiginous when you walk into the hall), they project sound and light from all angles including from underneath the seats. So while I played, there was a light show going on. Tremendous.
I can’t wait to do it again. If you listen to it, let me know what you think of the recording!
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I obviously don’t know classic from experimental from computerized from bongo music, but I was able to sit through the entire piece and eagerly hit replay afterwards. I liked the bits around 7′20 and the ending notes. There was a bit too much drama in the first half if I may say so. Less drama (the female choirs?) and more melody would have been easier on my newbie ears. But I’m sure that only means I should learn more about this kind of music.
Great job! (and congrats on the sabbatical, BTW, something I forgot to say in January). Hope all as well.
Yup in retrospect, the choir bits didn’t come out right, I’ll have to work on that. An heh sure, listening to more is always good
Try Gyorgy Ligeti, Cecil Taylor, Bruno Maderna, maybe?