EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 45, Issue 4 This issue's topics: venues (5 messages) venues and so on for emusic BEAST (Re: venues, etc.) Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1992 18:42:25 EDT From: ronin Subject: venues ok, so someone asked me after class today where one might go to hear electronic music these days. i said that, for the most part, emusic had been folded into dance and industrial forms. there are some very good synthesists working now, but they tend not to be identified as such... or the music isn't, at any rate, even if it is very heavily electronic. keep in mind, also, that i have a chauvinistic tendency to reserve the term 'electronic music' for a certain (difficult to define in my present exhausted state) sensibility which does not often appear even in music which is primarily electronic in origin. i went on to say that, as far as i could tell, what i considered emusic mostly emanated from academic areas, either from distinct electronic music curricula or from schools of music which allow such an emphasis. thinking a little longer, i allowed as how modern dance also seemed to be a proper venue. i certainly done some of my best work in collaboration with dance. and now i wonder... what about our own resident emusicians? first, what do you think? am i narrowminded in my definitions, restricted in my purview? and second, what/where exactly do you folks perform? i've read these posts by metlay and nick, but still have a somewhat vague notion as to what these events are, and what is done there. of course, that is to some degree simply my own fault and too bad... i've never made an effort to attend one of these things. but, in general, i would like to know... what do you people do? where? why? you know? where *does* one hear 'electronic music'? -----------< Cognitive Dissonance is a 20th Century Art Form >----------- Eric Harnden (Ronin) or The American University Physics Dept. 4400 Mass. Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20016-8058 (202) 885-2748 ---------------------< Join the Cognitive Dissidents >------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1992 20:20:10 -0700 From: mccalld@SONOMA.EDU Subject: RE: venues Greetings: When I think of Electronic Music, I think of Keith Emmerson, Morton Sobotnick, MOOG, Isao Tomita, Rick Wakeman, to name a few....I used to work in an environment with ttl computers which lined the whole room. We thought it unique to put an amplifier on the upper 3 bits of the RNI (A) register would be fun to get some kind of sound from the computer operations. As a result of this, the operators and others did not need to be watching the systems console at all times to know what functions the system was performing, ie, there was unique sound for tape requests, printer out of paper alerts, etc. And ultimately this was music to me, of the electronic sort. Technically, I suppose that Electonic music should be defined as music which is implemented and portrayed via the medium of devices which are voltage/current driven, and require some sort of interaction between a composed program and a computer device to execute that program. As for venues, well, I've been out of touch with the latest technology, but I've heard that De Coo Coo performances include the most wonderful and creative use of the midi technology to date. And I've also heard that the imaginative devices to be unveiled within the next 10 years should bring the Electronic Music performance into a much more participative experience. dmc ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1992 22:50:09 EDT From: The Radio Gnome Subject: Re: venues On Fri, 23 Oct 1992 18:42:25 EDT ronin said: >ok, so someone asked me after class today where one might go to hear >electronic music these days. It depends on what you mean by Emusic... Back in the 80s there was a thriving Emusic scene here in Philly. There were some great concerts by the Nightcrawlers, Darren Kearns, Paul Woznicki and other local artists. Though the scene has shrunk considerably, there are still performances here and there. Xisle played live for a Starsend party last spring. Steven Berkowitz played live last year (I forget where). Mission Control, Artek and Punch Drunk are all active (I did sound for Punch Drunk at Revival last spring.) And of course you can still catch 'Starsend' on WXPN 88.5 from 1 to 6AM Saturday night into Sunday morning. Syndicated shows include Echoes, Musical Starstreams and Hearts of Space although these tend to be very 'new-agey'. >i said that, for the most part, emusic had been folded into dance and >industrial forms. I've got several hundred Emusic LPs/CDs/casettes in my collection and only a few are dance/industrial. Spacey EM, hard core, ethnic EM and 'sequencer-aholic' almost never get exposure, let alone airplay. There is a lot of great EM out there, you just have to find it. >i went on to say that, as far as i could tell, what i considered >emusic mostly emanated from academic areas, either from distinct electronic >music curricula or from schools of music which allow such an emphasis. >... We had a big debate on emdreams@cs.uwp.edu about just what Emusic is or isn't. For every 'definition' or 'anti-definition' that was offered, I came up with an exception. Because electronics are so infinitely flexible, it's very hard to pin a proper definition onto Emusic. For example, look at the wide range of styles in a sample from my collection... Klaus Schulze - Audentity Vangelis - Direct Cybotron - 1st Neuronium - Digital Dream Mother Mallard - Like A Duck to Water Conrad Schnitzler - Control Propellor Island - Secret Convention Jacque Diennet - Mante Sanford Ponder - Etosha Heldon - IV (Agneta Nillson) John Adams - Light Over Water David Berhman - Leapday Night Steven Montague - Slow Dance on a Burial Ground John Celona - Music in Circular Motion Tontos Expanding Headband - Zero Time >where? why? you know? where *does* one hear 'electronic music'? You might want to subscribe to Synthesis, Option or Dreams Word for more contacts. Andy Wing "If you play with feeling and with soul, it doesn't matter if you instrument is a Moog X8 or a Stradivarius" - Thomas Dolby on Totally Wired. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 09:22:00 AST From: Alan Edwards Subject: Re: venues > Eric Harnden (Ronin) writes: > ok, so someone asked me after class today where one might go to hear > electronic music these days. [...] > in general, i would like to know... what do you people do? > where? why? you know? where *does* one hear 'electronic music'? > The short answer from me is churches, cathedrals, art galleries, theatres, and the occasional open-air concert. For the complete answer, read on... I am the only one that I know of playing any sort of electronic music within a few hundred miles of here, so I don't get to see or be influenced by anyone. Actually the few electronic concerts that I have traveled to see have been quite disappointing. A little background would probably help to understand what I do. I am a classically trained musician, studied piano for 10 yrs then pipe organ for 4 yrs. I started playing with synths in high school, and have always been interested in them, since they combine my interests in music and electronics. I have found that many people in the classical music field do not like synths, and always make "electronic music" sound like a dirty word. I have been educating them in this area slowly over many years. :-) First I started throwing a little synth into organ recitals ...imagine a Bach fugue played 3 parts on organ, one on synth. Next step was to start playing a couple of pieces entirely on the synths, thrown in during organ concerts or recitals. I also played with a group of friends, each playing one part of an orchestral score on a synth. That was good fun, but most have moved away. I was still using "electronic" as opposed to "imitative" sounds at this stage mostly because of the old analogue beasties that I was playing on, but also because I like creating new sounds that havn't been heard before. This caused some complaining, so as synth technology evolved, I started using more imitative sounds, with the occasional wierd thing thrown in for a solo line, or something. It was interesting to listen to peoples comments. Some thought that I should stop using imitative sounds, while others thought the music was great until "something went wrong during..." and I had to explain that yes, indeed I did mean to use that sound. Around this time I also started using sequencers more, and get away from the organ repertoire and into more orchestral material. This was mostly me just challenging myself (how many parts CAN I play?), but it also had to do with a broadening of my own musical tastes. It also had to do with the fact that I am in a small enough community, that we just don't get real orchestras here very often, and I was trying to fill what I percieved was a void. I did a couple of musicals, and have accompanied choirs, and was getting quite a reputation for doing that sort of thing, but was getting frustrated imitating orchestras. I vented some of my frustrations last spring during a production of Handel's Messiah, and played the middle Pastoral Sinfonia entirely using electronic sounds, and by golly, it was the hit of the concert. Since then I have been dusting off my analog dinosaurs, and have pretty much stopped using imitative sounds. I have also been creating my own music a lot more than playing others. For a couple of years now, I have been trying to put together a solo concert that would be classical in the first half, using some imitative, but a lot of electronic sounds. After intermission, I would be playing contemporary music written for synthesizer, including some of my own compositions. I figured that if I was just doing it for myself I could use whatever sounds I wanted. Other things kept coming up and getting in the way, in fact I had the hall booked for yesterday, but then the stupid government decided to hold their stupid referendum that day, and I figured I could not compete with that. I am pleased to say that it is now set for January, and is starting to look quite exciting. We did a tech. run last weekend (since the hall was booked, anyway) and I am glad that I have a few months to change some things, and do another tech run. I have enjoyed reading other's gig reports, but have never posted any of my own, but if there is some interest in that sort of thing, I will write this one up, and post it. (last year I wrote one up but never posted it) Alan > ---------------------< Join the Cognitive Dissidents >------------------- > so...where do we sign up ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alan Edwards UNB Physics internet: aedwards@unb.ca Canada --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "General MIDI is to music what paint-by-numbers is to painting" - Joe M. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1992 09:39:11 -0500 From: "(Joseph D. McMahon)" Subject: Re: venues Alan Edwards writes: > > I have enjoyed reading other's gig reports, but have never posted any of my > own, but if there is some interest in that sort of thing, I will write this > one up, and post it. (last year I wrote one up but never posted it) > Please do! We'd very (okay, *I'd* very) much like to see both of them. > "General MIDI is to music what paint-by-numbers is to painting" - Joe M. Thanks for quoting me. I liked that one myself. :-) --- Joe M. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1992 13:20:58 PDT From: "(metlay)" Subject: Re: venues and so on for emusic Andy Wing sez: >On Fri, 23 Oct 1992 18:42:25 EDT ronin said: >>ok, so someone asked me after class today where one might go to hear >>electronic music these days. > > It depends on what you mean by Emusic... Back in the 80s there was >a thriving Emusic scene here in Philly... Heh. Would you come see me if I played Philly, Andy? I'm thinking of doing a show there to celebrate the release of my first tape on Synkronos (no, it hasn't happened yet; when it does you'll hear about it). > And of course you can still catch 'Starsend' on WXPN 88.5 from 1 to 6AM >Saturday night into Sunday morning. Syndicated shows include Echoes, Musical >Starstreams and Hearts of Space although these tend to be very 'new-agey'. Echoes has some nice stuff on it. I wish I could hear Star's End here in Pgh; Chuck is a good guy and I would like to support his show. The Philly scene may be unique in that regard, with the strong local bands and their following. >>i said that, for the most part, emusic had been folded into dance and >>industrial forms. > > I've got several hundred Emusic LPs/CDs/casettes in my collection and >only a few are dance/industrial. Spacey EM, hard core, ethnic EM and >'sequencer-aholic' almost never get exposure, let alone airplay. There is >a lot of great EM out there, you just have to find it. I'd agree with this. > We had a big debate on emdreams@cs.uwp.edu about just what Emusic is or >isn't. For every 'definition' or 'anti-definition' that was offered, I came >up with an exception. Because electronics are so infinitely flexible, it's >very hard to pin a proper definition onto Emusic. That's not a bad thing. BTW, what is the list you refer to? >>where? why? you know? where *does* one hear 'electronic music'? > > You might want to subscribe to Synthesis, Option or Dreams Word for more >contacts. There hasn't been a new Dreams Word for over a year. I don't think I'll ever see the 2nd half of that Moog interview. And the issue sitting on the press had a review of my tape in it, too. Dragamundo. |-< -- metlay | and she's a master of return hitting atomic city | giving rhythm to her posts | so you read her and think hey it sounds good metlay@netcom.com | and wish her posts had a soundtrack too (f. ercolessi) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 12:39:00 LCL From: DOWRJ@VAX1.COMPUTER-CENTRE.BIRMINGHAM.AC.UK Subject: BEAST (Re: venues, etc.) I thought since the subject of venues had come up I might talk about BEAST and what we do. BEAST is a group of composers who reside/work in Birmingham, England and who compose electroacoustic (or acousmatique) music - that is music which has a 'tape part' or is solely for tape. In fact we all tend to compose in a genre which is heavily influenced by the French tradition of electroacoustic music, that is music eminating particularly from GRM and IRCAM in Paris. This tradition is still heavily based around 'musique concrete', which one might take (perhaps not quite strictly) to mean music which uses 'real' sounds as a basis, rather than synthesised sounds. There is sometimes confusion over this term as it is often thought to refer only to that music which uses only raw, or very simply tansformed sounds, whereas in fact the original sounds are often transformed beyond the point where there origins may still be recognized. The idea of this is to create sounds which though novel still retain the rhythm, spectral interest, even gestural interest of these 'real' sounds. Synthesis tends only to be used here as a method of building up these concrete sounds, or to help pick out moments of interest in a sound. Apart from the sampler most of our MIDI equipment gathers dust! The University of Birmingham now houses 3 full, if small (in size) electro- acoustic music studios and 3 (single) workstation rooms. The emphasis has always been on composition here, and so things like high quality monitoring (ATC monitoring is used in the three main studios) have always been a priority. It is quite amazing how many studios have very sophisticated (especially computer) equipment but one even hears that headphone monitoring is used in some places. Obviously if one is working with sound one must be able to hear this sound properly! Studio one is basically an analogue processing studio, although it will soon house an ATARI Soundtools system. It will house two analogue playback machines, a Studer mastering machine, dolby A on all channels, three DAT machines, ATARI soundtools, (another) ATARI running NOTATOR driving an S1000 sampler (with about 2.5 mins stereo memory),K4 keyboard (to drive sampler),REV 5 reverb, Publison, Vocoder, M500 dynamic processor (gates, compression, panning etc.), delay, ring modulators, graphic EQ, parametric EQ, 26:8:2 mixer. Studio 2 is the 'digital' studio, housing a Macintosh IIci with 1.6 Gbyte hardisk running Soundtools, alchamy, GRM tools (eventually), MAX etc., etc. It also has an S1000 driven by an ATARI/NOTATOR/D50 keyboard, 3 DAT machines, M500,SPX900 reverb and a publison. These are the main two studios. We also use our IBM3090 mainframe and VAX cluster to run non-realtime packages such as CSOUND, CHANT and a host of Phase Vocoder programs developed by Chris Penrose and adapted for the IBM by me. We get sounds to and from the main-frame via. an ethernet. BEAST also run a multi-channel sound diffusion system. This is usually about a 30 channel system which includes a pair (or two) of ATC's, 6 Tannoy Berkelys, 2 Tannoy Lancasters, 2 Tannoy Yorks, 4 Tannoy Lynx, 2 Bass Bins, 2 Tweeter Boxes, 2 Urei, 2 Gales, 8 small Kefs (100W), and a pair of 'Tweeter Grids' which are suspended above the audience. These are driven by high quality Quad and Crimson power amplifiers (apart from the Bins which are driven by a 500W/channel Yamaha amp). The emphasis here is not power but quality - this is no Rock PA. The source tape is stereo, and the sound is diffused by a specially modified mixing desk allowing direct contol over each speaker by a fader. We do many concerts each year in Britain, and have also toured to Den Haag and Karlsruhe. Concerts have been in London,Birmingham,Lancaster, Huddersfield, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, and Aberdeen as well as others. There is an e-mailing list, and you can have your name added by e-mailing me with a request to be put on - it is only posted occasionaly. A PS version of the BEAST Bulletin is available by anonymous ftp to mus.bham.ac.uk (please use between 9pm and 8am GMT **** very important). ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************