Re: Using pre-recorded material in performance

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

I also think that you can't really count on most of us as a group about 
this topic.  What I've felt about myself and others on this topic 
really seems removed from how an audience feels about such things.  If 
you're going to a loopfest, people might be a bit critical about your 
prerecorded loops.  When I play in a club I'm sure no one cares.  The 
person who went on before or after me is playing records or CDs.  
Compared to that my preprogrammed drum sequences are "live."  I had a 
revelation a while ago when Jon El-Bizri and I played a rave.  We got a 
good response (as good as one can get when your audience is on a 
different floor than your playing on in a loft) but I noticed that the 
IDM band who dropped of their CD and had the following DJ play cuts 
from it got an equally good response.

I've found what most folks want form a live performance is:

1) To be social (see also: Get laid) this means have some sort of 
"common experience"  This doesn't even have to be a good experience.  I 
go to plenty of bad movies with friends knowing they'll be bad so we 
can go have coffee afterwards and groan at each other saying, "Oh man 
good thing you can put out an out of control fission reactor by dunking 
it in the bay." (Spiderman II)

2) To drink/drugs as it helps the above.

3) To be entertained/moved but not if it conflicts with the first two 
laws of performance.  You can put an amazing performer in a club with 4 
people and chances are the crowd won't grow much.  I was always amazed 
that the prog rock band Jaws would play near Ithaca College and Cornell 
and a club on the hill would be PACKED.  Same band downtown would play 
to an empty club.  I asked, "could all these kids really be into this 
Mr. Bungle/Zorn/King Crimson like band?  I knew they didn't think it 
sucked, but I imagine most were there for the group experience.  I 
think it was a shock to them when they moved to SF and their college 
crowd wasn't there and as amazing as they were, most people shy away 
from music that is that complex.

Anyway, this could all be bullshit, but it's how I perceive things.

Mark