Dínamo Festival - Mattin / Taku Unami / Jean-Luc Guionnet

[skrobek]

maybe... what should I read ?

[grisha]

The message was thoroughly expressed and the world said "ok, now why do we care?" Why do it again unless you can bring something extra to the table?

even if you disagree with above claims (in italic), i think you should try and answer them.

[skrobek]

Yes, it was done 30 years ago. I said I thought it was a hippie thing. People stopped doing it because it didn't work at the time, in my opinion it wasn't because the message had been exhausted but because the world refused it. It was 30 years ago, the world has changed. It's not because it was refused back then that it's not worth trying again, differently.

Musically, a lot has happened, so that music is informed by new things. New world, different point of view, I don't see how many new elements could be brought to the table.

I don't really buy the argument that it has been done before, because as Taku Unami says, it's all been done before, and there's no reason to believe that a new music is possible.

If you listen to Vladimir Ussachevsky or Richard Maxfield you realize that what you call EAI has all been done decades ago... ok so the sound is better now but what do we care about the sound ? Phil Collins's records sound perfect... radicalism is in the act, not really in the musical innovation...

[jon abbey]

as Taku Unami says, it's all been done before, and there's no reason to believe that a new music is possible.

if he does say this, he's wrong (IMO), and it's a very easy copout to think this (I hear this from too many people). it's mindsets like this that push people into empty, superficial performance art, because they don't have the balls to actually try to make music.

If you listen to Vladimir Ussachevsky or Richard Maxfield you realize that what you call EAI has all been done decades ago...

this is absurd and makes me seriously question your listening comprehension.

[jon abbey]

but if your point is that Mattin is about as radical as Phil Collins, now that's something I can agree with.

[skrobek]

If you listen to Vladimir Ussachevsky or Richard Maxfield you realize that what you call EAI has all been done decades ago...

this is absurd and makes me seriously question your listening comprehension.

Of course you can think what you want, and I think I remember a conversation about this some time ago on this forum, but I heard Japanese musicians like Yoshihide or Nakamura before I got into those, and it was really a showk for me to hear pieces like Music for Sine Wave, or even Le Caine's Dripsody... it made me think about what we called modernity... but that's another subject...

about Taku, yes he really said that in a long interview he gave to the French mag Revue & Corrigée this year...

a good read if you can read French. I think it was conducted by Michel Henritzi.

Anyway, "listening comprehension", I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that...

[skrobek]

but if your point is that Mattin is about as radical as Phil Collins, now that's something I can agree with.

Did you know Phil Collins recorded the drum sounds himself before the shows and then assigned them to the pads his drummer uses onstage ? Now that's crazy...

[jon abbey]

I don't speak French, but I have very little respect for Michel Henritzi these days, based on the Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism fiasco (in which he admitted to not even having read the Cardew piece) and the "interview" he did with Tetuzi Akiyama that was translated for the Sound Projector which basically consisted of him trying to push his agenda on Tetuzi and ignoring his answers. there's plenty that I don't agree with Unami about (and plenty I deeply respect him for, the AMPLIFY fest wouldn't have been nearly as successful without him), so if he does really think that, I can add that to the list of things we don't agree on, but I'd be more inclined to believe it if he told me directly.

Anyway, "listening comprehension", I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that...

it means that if you really think that, I question your ability to understand the music under discussion. maybe there are superficial sounds in common at times, but big deal. I hear high pitched whines on many NY subway lines these days, but that doesn't make them Sachiko M.

[skrobek]

I question your ability to understand the music under discussion.

this is just as vague, there are many ways to "understand" music...

[skrobek]

I have very little respect for Michel Henritzi these days, based on the Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism fiasco

Oh come on... that was just a joke !

Henritzi has done a lot for the scene, he organized tons of gigs, including for Keith Rowe, he has released great records by the likes of Axel Dörner or Keiji Haino and makes beautiful music... not to mention is writing.

[jon abbey]

Oh come on... that was just a joke !

good one!

[esquilo]

I've been trying not to participate on this discussion - or at least on what this discussion is focusing on, but....

...I think there is more to be said about this concert to what was already written. Trying to be as unbiased as possible I really think it was a great concert - and this without really considering any confrontational / philosophical / agenda intent. I'll refrain to analyse it in the forms it has been discussed about on the last posts - I'll try to refer to the music and the overall performance only.

It is rather complicated to fully convey what happened and even listening to the recording of the concert (and I'm re-listening it as I write) it does it no justice (I'm curious to check the video of it, tough) - also because the mics were too far way from the stage where most of it happened. Being in the middle of everything, especially for the audience that was on stage or just in front of it, was a totally chaotic experience with your senses and any notion of orientation being assaulted continuously.

Music-wise we have to focus on two different aspects that interconnect. First the musicians (Mattin, Unami and Guionnet) who set up the performance (please understand that this was not a Mattin solo concert and the whole concept of the performance was discussed for several hours during the afternoon prior to the concert by the three). On one side they were the composers of the full "piece" but also performed as part of it. Unami played very unconventionally for what we would expect from him (also physically with his arm being cast), as Miguel described, firing very short heavy-metal-like riffs and feedback spaced in time; Guionnet was playing backstage and was only seen near the end of the performance when he moved towards the room - he played continuously for long periods, at start just single notes (sometimes softer, sometimes louder) that were very short in duration (1 sec or less) and he varied the timing between them and longer continuous notes later in the performance; Mattin did not physically played or even sat at his laptop...but an audience member was instructed to press a key every x minutes (or maybe to another cue) on his laptop unleashing blocks of pre-programmed blasts of saturated loud noise (there was obviously a cue to the start of it as the laptop was silent for more than 30 mins).

The timing issue mentioned above regarding the audience member pressing the laptop key every x minutes or to an unknown (to me or others) cue or even the timing between Unami's riffs or Guionnet long periods of playing is really the key issue about this performance. The instructions given to the audience members where not fully random as it may seem. The big majority of the instructions had a timing parameter (not all, I agree, Miguel's one had no timing for sure) or a external cue (liking reacting to someone else's action). For example, this guy had to close the room's door very loudly every 5 mins; someone else had to scream every 10 mins; someone else had to jump for x mins after the other guy screamed. This are just examples. So, during the duration of the performance an orchestrated piece was being constructed, where each element (instrument?) was being added at a time (the entrance of each person was also timed by Mattin). Since no one knew exactly what were the other persons' instruction everything felt chaotic; but if you zoomed out for a while there was obviously a construction (even if not linear or regular; and also considering some people would stop their instructions after a while - but this was also an interesting random aspect keeping the overall piece forever changing). And there was not only random elements changing the progression of the piece, for example some audience members had to react differently to different cues and most importantly Mattin was suggesting new instructions to some audience members throughout the duration of the performance, thus adjusting any parameters or simply keeping it alive and changing.

I'm not saying it was always successful, but it was a great experience. As I wrote above, being in the middle of everything was really crazy - the room was completely dark so all your coordinates relied on listening....but your listening (and your listening expecation) was constantly being challenged, confused....different sounds, of different kinds and different volumes, were coming at you from everywhere in the room (behind you, in front of you, or sometimes even to your ears - as some people where instructed to interact with each individual on the room). Sometimes it felt like being in the middle of a storm or a surreal world (maybe some concentrated more on their tasks as to "survive" on this environment at the same time fuelling it even more without realising). I'm not sure if anyone felt provoked in terms of the performance / happening experience (so I can't say if the musicians were preaching to the already converted or not) but I'm sure that the ones that tried to listen must have felt something (rewarding or not). And those and the rest sure had some fun.

A funny story that confirmed my experience - one of the musicians participating in the festival (his name will be kept unsaid) felt very tired during the Annette Krebs concert (that preceded the Mattin / Unami / Guionnet performance) and went to an "hidden" area, still in the main concert room, that was closed to the audience so he could take a nap. Since he was sleeping when everyone was told to leave the room before the concert under discussion he stayed in the room the whole time. For some reason he woke up mid-way into the set after a loud Unami riff and for some moments - and this was what he told us - he was not sure if he was awaken or having a very strange nightmare (people screaming, vomiting, laughing, singing, guitar noise, distant saxophone, etc). This is a true story.

[jon abbey]

Luis, awesome post, you should report more on your perspective of the rest of the fest. no one's totally objective, and I'd personally much rather hear a report from someone smack in the middle of everything.

And those and the rest sure had some fun.

I obviously wasn't there, but I have two issues with what I've heard about what happened: I don't think that someone shouting into Annette Krebs' ear is OK under any circumstances, and I would have had real trouble watching Unami play metal riffs with a still fractured arm, whether or not it was entirely his idea.

Mattin told me today he's playing No Fun next time, that might be interesting.

[Jason Brogan]

I don't think that someone shouting into Annette Krebs' ear is OK under any circumstances

I would have thrown a punch at the bastard!

[esquilo]

Luis, awesome post, you should report more on your perspective of the rest of the fest. no one's totally objective, and I'd personally much rather hear a report from someone smack in the middle of everything.

I'll try to report some more - I just need to find time to write. I don't really like to do it but since no one will do it either (apart from Miguel there were no other IHMers there, as far as I know) I guess I have no other choice.

And those and the rest sure had some fun.

I obviously wasn't there, but I have two issues with what I've heard about what happened: I don't think that someone shouting into Annette Krebs' ear is OK under any circumstances, and I would have had real trouble watching Unami play metal riffs with a still fractured arm, whether or not it was entirely his idea.

I don't think anyone really shouted into Annette's hear - there was no one shouting into anyone's hear as far as I know. But if you heard it from her I may know what she is talking about. Though if she felt violented in any way I'm with her - I think she did leave the room midway through it.

I must say though I was happy to see all the other musicians participating, following hardly their instructions, especially Okura, Veliotis, Filip and Dörner who were really commited.

I can understand you wouldn't want to hear Unami play metal riffs. But it was the whole experience. Besides, all of the musicians involved played other sets - none involving heavy-metal guitar riffs or people jumping around in the room.

This set was also an interesting and somewhat unexpected, at least to the majority of the audience, counterpoint to the other two sets of the evening that preceded it, all very quiet, thoughtful and gentle.

Also something I forgot to wrote, since the "piece" was constructed one piece at a time and there were all this different timings, I completely lost the feeling of real time - and from talking to others I know they felt the same. Everyone though that it was much longer (especially the final stretch when everyone was trying to agree on the concert to end) than it actually was.

[jon abbey]

I'll try to report some more - I just need to find time to write. I don't really like to do it but since no one will do it either (apart from Miguel there were no other IHMers there, as far as I know) I guess I have no other choice.

nice!

I can understand you wouldn't want to hear Unami play metal riffs.

while there's certainly truth in that, it wasn't quite my point, it was that I'd personally feel uncomfortable watching him put his ongoing healing process in jeopardy.

[skrobek]

without considering any confrontational / philosophical / agenda intent. I'll refrain to analyse it in the forms it has been discussed about on the last posts - I'll try to refer to the music and the overall performance only.

why not ?

Your report sounds GREAT. I'm sad I couldn't be there.

In my opinion, it is impossible to separate the music from the social agenda.

Letting the people ACT is crucial in this. I'm thrilled. This is POPULAR music.

It's been done before ? OK. Why should it stop ?

[Miguel Prado]

Thanks a lot Luis for your comment. I know that my text was rather more focused on social or political aspects of what had happened there. Everything you've written is very important that people understand in a way more accurate.
On the other hand (and because my understanding this type of event) I completely agree with what Julien says.

Sometimes, many discussions of this forum I think they should, to some people try to understand certain works, only from artistic or musical viewpoint, while others (including myself) are trying to find a political or social reasons, because that in the end we are talking about avant-garde, and it is obvious that this kind of artistic events represent an opposition to certain attitudes. For me the problem is that if we adopt a cultural vision only if we are interested solely by a type of music for their courage in the pioneering culture, we may be creating a new orthodoxy as valid (which has a quality), always looking for a seal of approval. The feeling of insecurity or embarrassment to certain material, for me it is always positive.