MOTM

On Mar 28, 2004, at 8:42 PM, Paul Schreiber wrote:

> Be warned!
>
> What you will see is 4 guys in front of laptops! Really! Several EU 
> folks
> complained.

How sad :(

I think we're in about the same place with laptops that we where with 
turntables in the 80's. Many artists see their potential, but nobody is 
really sure how to make an interesting show that doesn't make you look 
like your checking your email on stage. It's getting to the point that 
an otherwise talented musician will have to cut through all the 
negative rep that laptops are accumulating before people even notice.  
What to do about this is a daily topic of conversation here in San 
Francisco.

I saw Kid Koala at the Mezzanine this weekend. My my how far 
turntablists have come. This guy played a single trumpet note on an LP 
and with rapid manipulation of the decks and faders re-pitched this 
short 3" section of black vinyl in real time into a Jazz trumpet solo. 
It's was awe inspiring. There is no substitute for refined talent. 
There is also no substitute for the audience being able to directly 
translate your actions on stage into what they hear in response.

I think modulars have that same potential as well. Even though they've 
been around forever, very few artists use them effectively on stage, or 
at all. Robot Rich is the only guy I can think of who treats his system 
as a performance instrument, instead of a recording instrument. The 
first thing to keep in mind is: keep your hands visible! That's the 
great thing about a guitar, you can face the audience, and people can 
still see what your doing.

I wonder what Kid Koala or DJ Q-Bert could do with a motm if it had a 
scratch fader?

--mikes