Re: Wormz...

[Matthew Ross Davis <regis@sounding.com>]

On Thu, Jan 03, 2002 at 02:18:31AM +0100, Rainer Straschill wrote:
> could you please tell us (me) a bit more about your activities in
> "improvised dance music" ?

It comes from two directions: A) my deep involvement with improvised 
music, 
and B) my desire to see more real musicianship and spontaneity in 
electronic
"dance" music. Those two meet in the middle with an aesthetic for 
experimental 
sound combined with stuff that can really groove. I think we greatly
underestimate the ability of people to enjoy new sounds within old 
contexts.

My experiment with dance music extends from free improv work with live 
sampling of objects and instruments - including my voice - in a very 
avant-garde mode of operation. Depending on the situation, I may or may not
combine these with synth sounds and more driving elements of the groove...
oftentimes I enjoy working in a very ambient sort of mode, where the beat 
and
rhythms actually emerge out of the improvisation, but which may escalate
into something much more upbeat or not.

When I'm working in pure improvisation, it is a lot about bringing the same
indeterminacy and element of surprise into live electronica that is present
in a lot of live improvised music in other disciplines. Obviously, as folks
have pointed out, this works better in some situations than others... and 
I'm
actually working now on a new mode of operation where I'm mixing 
improvisation
with pre-sequenced elements to create a somewhat more energetic and "fun"
sound.

I guess what it is I'm really doing is "building" my own electronic 
instrument
and method for improvisation - I'm constructing my boundaries and freedoms 
in
a multitude of ways in order to provide multiple paths of musical 
exploration.

Some of my more successful attempts are documented on http://craque.net

. mrd .
. craque .