Aaarrggggh! http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/noose.jpg
-----Original Message----- From: Tristan Watkins [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 14 June 2005 13:23 To: 313 Subject: (313) Some slightly more coherent reactions to the best performance ever Argh. Been struggling to get this through... So, I'm a little more capable of describing what about and why I liked the John Arnold and Jeremy Ellis (Ayro) show on Sunday so much. First, the evironment was flawless. Plastic People can get a bit cramped even on Sundays, but it was just well-attended enough to create a properly enthused response, while still leaving enough room to move. Also, some live performers I've seen there in the past have shown a total disregard for normal volume restrictions, litterally clearing the entire dance floor through pure obliviousness, but again that was not the case on Sunday. It probably helps to have seen Ayro live before to understand what's so unique and compelling (I'm personally thinking of his main stage DEMF performance a couple of years ago). Basically he just did everything in that show: starting with live MPC into some live Moog, each suddenly becoming a loop before you know it, then he'd run across the stage, play some live percussion, run back and start singing. Later John Arnold, some singers and others joined him to round things out, but he still managed to wear just about every hat. So this time around it's billed as an MPC tag team (the Akai MPC is probably the most popular sampler in the world and has 16 square pads to trigger samples, particularly good for percussion). It started with Jeremy Ellis delivering a blistering percussion solo, which came full circle to a thin broken beat atop which John Arnold layered his own percussion solo to fill things up, then off they went. John Arnold played live guitar (although some of the stuff he was coming out with was processed enought to sound like the craziest techno bass and/or synth lines I've heard). Ayro had two keyboards with him, with which he would do visually blurring, mind-melting solos that somehow terminated in a newly-formed synth line. He also sang really, really well. Some of the newer Peurto Rican stuff really stood out but the whole thing was great. Beyond all that, with so much to do at all times and so much ground to cover, the whole thing tied together brilliantly, allowing each artist a bit of spotlight when necessary, but generally working together without a hitch. This was absolutely the next level of live performance: entirely created on the spot (save a couple of missing vocalists on a couple of tracks), masterful execution, complete pride, confidence and joy in the process and result. They also managed to go through about 4 mics and an MPC meltdown without missing a beat. Stunning. Tristan ======= [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.phonopsia.co.uk ##################################################################################### Note: Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Channel Four Television Corporation unless specifically stated. This email and any files transmitted are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank You. #####################################################################################
