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VYTEAR !
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sounds_of_impermanence



Joined: Jun 05, 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:44 am    Post subject: VYTEAR !
Subject description: The most exhilirating electronic performance I've ever witnessed
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In my opinion, the HIGHLIGHT of the entire conference.

What was most amazing to me was not only Jason's ability to really win the crowd over w/ his great energy--the sole standing ovation I'm aware of--but the sounds were mind bogglingly complex.

Complex: I feel the need to expound a bit more on this....

I don't mean this as any kind of a dig at the traditional "performance" ideologues on this forum--those who slight so called "laptop music" because it uses loops and other pre-assembled aural delights--but the bottom line is how much the perfromer puts into his/her craft and secondly the passion he/she can translate in a live setting.

This passion may come in the form of deep concentration, impressive conversing between an artist(s) and his/her/their instruments, unbridled energy, or a combination of each of these...

I've been to many shows where performers are playing traditional instruments in real time--guitars, synths, whatever--and have been bored to tears--that is to say, I found much more satisfaction on my ride home listening to an amazing cd in my car ...

VYTEAR proves that the laptop is a killer INSTRUMENT. But it is a different breed of instrument in that performer can show off not only his/her energy in real time but the incredible efforts he/she puts into her music in the studio.

In other words, VYTEAR proves that the lines between studio and live can be blurred. I for one think this is a wonderful thing, because, in the end, it is the sonic and visual EXPERIENCE that matter the most.

I, for one, as a fellow "laptopist" could care less how this is accomplished. It is the take-home experience of the show that matters. I'm not bitter, but I do resent the way some people on this forum talk about laptops as if they are somehow less than other instruments...

p.s. My other favorite performances were by William Fields and Vostek two other, gasp, "laptopists" ....

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Mohoyoho



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I agree that Vytear was one of the best sonic and visual performances at EM06. But as an active member of this forum for some time, I have seen very little predjudice toward laptop musicians. In fact they have been an active part of the EM community here and have been promoted and praised along side their keyboard counterparts. There are several categories in the forum dedicated to softsynths. Ie. Reaktor, Softsynths, and Max.

On the contrary, electro-music is a community that welcomes all forms of electronic music. Search the archives, and you will find many interesting and positives threads regarding laptops as instruments.

What HAS been discussed with some negativity is performing live solely with backing tracks.

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 3:12 pm    Post subject: Re: VYTEAR !
Subject description: The most exhilirating electronic performance I've ever witnessed
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sounds_of_impermanence wrote:
I'm not bitter, but I do resent the way some people on this forum talk about laptops as if they are somehow less than other instruments...


I've not seen anyone speak of laptops in such a way on our site. Having resentment is bad enough, but don't resent things that don't exist. Shocked

In fact, I remember my introduction to Vytear's performance. It was in part, "If you are one that is of the opinion that the laptop is not a valid musicial instrument, then you will find yourself revising your opinion in the next 5 or 10 minutes."

I don't know if you stayed for all of the performances, but there were several standing ovations at the event.

I loved Vytear's performance too, BTW... Very Happy

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sounds_of_impermanence



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Don't get me wrong, I FELT the love at the conference. And I feel it on this board now.

But I have read the phrase "hide behind one's laptop" and "rather have people improv and make mistakes" in this very topic 'electro music 2006,' as if people were doing the former and not doing enough of the latter at this year's conference and somehow this represented a negative thing.

I just don't agree with it--my resentment comes from knowing just how much work and effort goes into doing an effective laptop/midi performance-- and I believe that Vytear's performance made this crystal clear.

At the composer's forum, I also heard some slag computer/midi presetnation saying "I might as well buy the cd."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of someone just pushing play...Or, at the very least, if they are going to largely just present tracks I think informing the audience of such is a useful idea.

BUT I also think something is missing from this dialogue: It takes a TON of passion and energy to compose good music on a laptop, and if an artist wants to keep it very simple and just mix a few loops live, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In fact, I actually believe the statement "I might as well buy the cd" is largely counter-productive. [[as a related aside, most people DON'T buy the cd!!! Trust me, as someone who runs a label, I know this fact very well. To me, we must appreciate the fact that the artist has likely put in an incredible amount of time and energy to prepare the sounds he/she presents. Indeed, what amazes me is how much QUALITY, largely computer constructed, loop based music I receive for release consideration on GOS. ]]]

Perhaps the last part of my message, should be moved into a diferent topic...I feel that Vytear deserves his own thread...

But I wanted to go back to the composer's forum: I actually liked your idea, Howard, for the artist to communicate to the audience at some point in time; to give their performance a bit of context etc. I think that may be useful, although I think it would be more useful for a dialogue, especially, on how the sounds were created, to take place in another context, for example, perhaps next year there could be a series of workshops where artists like Mark Jenkins (who knows more about computer music that anyone I've ever met) talk more about how they create these amazing sounds using these silicon wonders.

I actually, and this may be me personally, enjoy a bit of mystery in a live performance...Although, admittedly, I did talk a little bit about my set up before and after my set...

In any event, I have blathered on enough, I think we are all in agreement.

And I'm not insinuating that either of you are guilty of this. But I just thought it worth mentioning that--and again, perhaps my prozac hasn't kicked in Wink-- that slagging the tools and the presentaton--whether laptop/midi controlled loops or whatever--is, to my mind, a waste of time.

If it sounds good, it sounds good. End of story IMHO.

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

sounds_of_impermanence wrote:
...I think we are all in agreement.

If it sounds good, it sounds good. End of story IMHO.


Yes we agree... I'm sorry I got so upright about it...

Must be the cold weather... Confused

I need time to chill...

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Mohoyoho



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Speaking of Vytear. . .I have already begun exploring some of the beat technique he was displaying at EM06. EM06 is starting to seep in. I think his performance was very inspiring, and some of his influence will be evident in my future music.
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Absolutely... All of the music took a notch up - amazing. The experience was transformative.
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sounds_of_impermanence



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I couldn't agree more...I actually might collaborate w/ Vytear in some kind of mutant-death metal-drone-break core beast Twisted Evil
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

With regard to Laptops as musical instruments, here is more history [ in bold below]. My opinion is that laptops & PC's in general make wonderful instruments, in stand alone configuration OR co-existent with other hardware. This was seen time and time again at EM06. Hell, even turntables and DJ/CD decks are considered musical instruments! Don't tell a DJ a turntable is not an instrument Very Happy It's all ART and I love it. All kinds! I can say with much honesty that I loved nearly ALL the artsist that I saw at EM06 and took each musical genre in perspective and the method on how they made their music. I loved Vytear's dynamic performance also but I also saw several other STANDING ovations to the others artists as well.

I personally have not seen any negative bias toward ones methodology in how one makes his or her music on this forum. That is a MAJOR reason why I like this community so much, however, some opinions may be misconstrued as a bias but is simply a harmless opinion. Now for the history part:

Until Spring Revisited, composed by Morton Subotnick in 2005 specifically to be performed on a laptop computer, was the opening concert in Hips Chips, a worldwide laptop music festival produced by the Electronic Music Foundation to mark the moment in history when laptop computers were used as musical instruments.

http://www.laptopsounds.org/events/0210.untilspring.html

Bill
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Mohoyoho



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Check out the video of Vytear (Jason) in the photo gallery. You can tell this fellow plays the laptop as an instrument.
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
Check out the video of Vytear (Jason) in the photo gallery. You can tell this fellow plays the laptop as an instrument.


Yes, I agree !! Just a side note Mark, I was running the main mixer for his set and one minute the levels were fine and the next I was riding the gain pot as the PEAK LED's on both channel strips started glowing red !!! Rolling Eyes A challenge!
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

State Machine wrote:
Now for the history part:

Until Spring Revisited, composed by Morton Subotnick in 2005 specifically to be performed on a laptop computer, was the opening concert in Hips Chips, a worldwide laptop music festival produced by the Electronic Music Foundation to mark the moment in history when laptop computers were used as musical instruments.

http://www.laptopsounds.org/events/0210.untilspring.html

Bill


... I got to see this piece performed live by Morton Subotnick recently at Stanford's Computer Music Center. Very cool stuff. In the version that I saw, he was using a microphone connected to the laptop, but was not using the laptop to process the audio signal from the mic - all of the audio was generated in the laptop. The mic signal was analyzed and the results were used to create various control signals and triggers that affected the computer-generated audio.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
I got to see this piece performed live by Morton Subotnick recently at Stanford's Computer Music Center. Very cool stuff. In the version that I saw, he was using a microphone connected to the laptop, but was not using the laptop to process the audio signal from the mic - all of the audio was generated in the laptop. The mic signal was analyzed and the results were used to create various control signals and triggers that affected the computer-generated audio.


Dave, I would have loved to see that. It's interesting now that Laptops are being used more and more as a performance tool and in an exclusive sound generating role. Just add a quality MIDI knob box and keyboard and you will be well equipped. Even more interesting is the emergence of Laptops with multicore processing and advanced 64-bit operating systems. These are exciting times for us Very Happy
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