Re: [microsound] ENOvsMICROSOUND

[Digital Cutup Lounge <johnvon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joshua Maremont wrote:

> ...for him at least - it is hard, literally
> and figuratively, to come to grips with it, to make it an extension of the
> musician's body in the act of playing.  And I have to agree with him here,
> having felt the same way not only about computers but also about
> keypad/dataslider-based interfaces to any number of digital instruments...

> ...generally I have found that computers and chip-based hardware
> have directed my music making away from intuitive physical playing and
> toward a more detached and logical compositional consciousness.  With the
> computer I cannot simply pick the thing up (especially with a G4 tower) and
> play (unless I am using dancefloor-oriented software or premade soft
> instruments, neither of which hold much interest)

I have a very different perspective as a jazz bassist turned laptop DJ...I have
purposely kept a very simple electronic setup for live playing: laptop + DJ
software + DJ mixer + one external FX unit (Korg Kaoss Pad), and I feel about as
comfortable on this setup as I do with my bass. Keeping it simple makes it easy
for me to get from what I'm thinking in my head to getting the sound out of the
computer. I can quickly mix and cut between sounds, which makes it possible to
use the computer in live jam sessions with musicians (this is the focus of my
group, Digital Cutup Lounge).

I actually enjoy playing laptop live more than bass, because it can create such
a huge diversity of sound.

John
--
John von Seggern
DJ/producer
Digital Cutup Lounge
Hong Kong

http://www.digitalcutuplounge.com