Saw pics of myself playing and it's not good...

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:48 am

Well, I saw pics of myself playing live at a house party this weekend, and I'm disappointed with myself.

I never realized how little stage presence I have anymore. I've succeeded in going 100% improv (starting a Live set with a blank session view and going from there), but I never take my eyes off the screen, I'm totally engrossed in what I'm doing, and it looks...

...Boring.

Damn. I wasn't always like this!!!

When I was rocking hardware and triggering pre-written patterns on a midi sequencer, it was a hell of a better show. I could go nuts behind the gear and people loved it.

It took those pictures to really show me how boring one can be when performing. I mean, it took 100% of my concentration just to avoid fuck-ups and get my next element ready to bring in, and the transitions were a major headache... Because of that, I completely forgot to have fun.

I gotta get back to automating stuff. Sure the chin-strokers think what I'm doing with improv composition is wicked cool, but it's lame for the uninitiated to watch.

I guess it's why athletes watch video of themselves - it's the best way to critically analyze their past performances.

My advice to any stage / performing musicians; Watch a video of yourself for an hour with no sound. If you get bored, guess what: your audience will be too.

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:50 am

it's the OTHER 10,000 people that have to have fun, what'd they say?

252 posts until the next name change?

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:54 am

...worst part about it was because the gear was so low, I had to sit down. I think that really hampered things.

Pics to follow.

mechcon · Post by **mechcon** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:55 am

M. Bréqs wrote:Well, I saw pics of myself playing live at a house party this weekend, and I'm disappointed with myself.

I never realized how little stage presence I have anymore. I've succeeded in going 100% improv (starting a Live set with a blank session view and going from there), but I never take my eyes off the screen, I'm totally engrossed in what I'm doing, and it looks...

...Boring.

Damn. I wasn't always like this!!!

When I was rocking hardware and triggering pre-written patterns on a midi sequencer, it was a hell of a better show. I could go nuts behind the gear and people loved it.

It took those pictures to really show me how boring one can be when performing. I mean, it took 100% of my concentration just to avoid fuck-ups and get my next element ready to bring in, and the transitions were a major headache... Because of that, I completely forgot to have fun.

I gotta get back to automating stuff. Sure the chin-strokers think what I'm doing with improv composition is wicked cool, but it's lame for the uninitiated to watch.

I guess it's why athletes watch video of themselves - it's the best way to critically analyze their past performances.

My advice to any stage / performing musicians; Watch a video of yourself for an hour with no sound. If you get bored, guess what: your audience will be too.

I saw photos of myself at my first gig ever, I was so fucking frozen stiff... granted my recent one turned out quite well

tip was, to get sloshed, slap on a gas mask, and just go with the drunkly flow

timothyallan · Post by **timothyallan** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:55 am

At least you're man enough to admit it

Just because you are modulating synths with an lfo synced to the tempo of 7/12 beats while playing 3/4 breakbeat swing breaks overtop of 4/4 beats in realtime doesn't mean that anyone else knows wtf you are doing. If it looks like you're checking your email, you won't be very interesting.

You can either do what you were saying, and try and automate some things up, or put a camera on the screen so people can see how much madness you are causing. I find that you've got to balance it by having stuff automated as well as some things that require 'concentration'. You know the drill... throw in some smiles to the audience/air to fist punching/full body knob turning and you'll be sweet...

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:02 am

DeadlyKungFu wrote:it's the OTHER 10,000 people that have to have fun, what'd they say?

252 posts until the next name change?

...Nah, I'm keepin this one. It's not regionally specific like the old one was; once I left Montreal it ceased to be pertinent.

I would love to play for 10K people - hasn't happened yet. About five hundred at any single time is the most for me so far, I would wager. But the people at the house party this weekend were all a bunch of chin-strokers, so it was somewhat "cool", but I gotta hype it up again at my upcoming gigs in the the club / warehouse party scene.

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:06 am

this is a good topic (done to death but worth talking about)

the problem is that most people don't get that excited to perform unless they are doing enough to the song to make it interesting to themselves. but (here in lays the problem) when they are doing enough to the song to make it interesting to themselves then they are no longer visually that entertaining cause they are focusing on the computer too much.

then some people say "you need to do less to the music so that you can actually perform a little" which ends up boring the musician cause they want to tweak every knob on the screen. and when the musician is bored the crowd knows it.

the answer I've found: I realised at my last show that people are really entertained when they see you physically pushing a button and can easily discern what sound is being made by it, even the simplest rhythmic tapping of a sample can get the crowd yelling "yeahhhh wooooo". I usually don't bring my kaoss pad but I did that night and it turned out to be something the crowd really dug cause I was sampling sounds on the fly and then triggering them with the two sample pad things on it. even though that is extremely simple I found myself being totally entertained while I was doing it AND the crowd could understand what was going on at the same time.

so I'm building this controller box now that is covered in switches and arcade video game buttons that I'm gonna start using as soon as I'm done with it.

the point is, find something really simple that you can tap away at and then entertain yourself with it, the people will see it and understand.

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:08 am

Twiddling the knob.

Using the mouse

Playing the keys

......BOOOOOOORRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG......

BTW, I cut out my face. I don't want my face to be associated with a performance that lame again. And yes, I'm wearing an ascot... But because it was a halloween party, I feel that I still have a shred of hetrosexual integrity left.

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:10 am

depeche modeing - verb - to overemphasize using a controller in order to convey the importance of it in the mix.

new piece of laptop DJ gear, a table to put under the table they give you. people who don't dj on a computer never use a computer standing up.

As a spectator and not a DJ I'd say eye contact, arm pumping, basically cheerleading, acting like the guy in the front row tripped out on some f-ing designer drug would be acting, it comes back to you in vibe, right?

when I play out my DJ sets to myself (I always sell out the one seat venues) I'm hunched over my laptop, focused, grooving, not moving, head bobbing, wife yelling to get my attention...

i think some silly headgear is in order.

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:10 am

are you playing someones living room?

edit: another thing, if your music is chill then it's alright to be a bit layed back on stage or even be semi non existant, but if you're going for energy I'd say do everything possible not to have to sit down, sitting down is the enemy, bring your own table or slap a piece of wood accross a keyboard stand to make a table you can stand at

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:11 am

Johnisfaster wrote:are you playing someones living room?

A basement... It was a house party, about 45 people.

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:13 am

thats awesome, house parties are the best

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:20 am

Johnisfaster wrote:thats awesome, house parties are the best

Yeah, I really like getting to socialize with people before and after a set. Plus, it's people you know, and if you don't know somebody, you'll know them by the end of the night, since there's a pre-established social connection through somebody there.

It was a hell of a lot of fun. It was 40% music nerds, who had heard of Live and about what you could do with it, while the rest were kids who didn't even know that you could make music with a computer... So in both cases, they were an easy crowd to please.

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:22 am

mechcon wrote: tip was, to get sloshed, slap on a gas mask, and just go with the drunkly flow

You got sloshed in a gas mask? I hope you didn't puke!!!

mechcon · Post by **mechcon** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:36 am

M. Bréqs wrote:
mechcon wrote: tip was, to get sloshed, slap on a gas mask, and just go with the drunkly flow
You got sloshed in a gas mask? I hope you didn't puke!!!

nonono! that'd be icky!

Saw pics of myself playing and it's not good...

Saw pics of myself playing and it's not good...

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