Alexander's progress

I thought this thread was due a post.

[i]Eels[/i] seems to be a bit of a hit - Gordon made a nice video for it, I've read a couple of blog posts and nobody on the Levnet has tried to have me killed for recording it, which I guess is their version of a thumbs up. I've been performing it live too, to good result.

The live sets are becoming largely noise-based, which is something that'll draw grumbles from certain corners but now that I've found ways of exploring noise with the Theremin I'm quite anxious to do so. My set in Oxford (my first ever headline gig) was a good example, it was far more aggressive than anything I've done before. There's a nice little improv I've gotten into the habit of doing, which seems to centre around a background drone with interchanging organ/string layers (produced by putting the Theremin through different effects chains) and angry, high-pitched screams through the fuzzbox.

Actually it's just nice to be arriving at the point of playing artspaces and theatres and feeling a bit more relaxed about the whole thing. The recording of the album is going okay but I no longer know which direction I want to take it in. I'm already a little apprehensive about playing gigs to a bunch of people who came to see some rather sweet, classical Theremin playing and instead get a much more violent, inaccessible sound. Perhaps it's time to start recording my live sets and seeing if I can get anything worth releasing out of them.

Booking another UK tour for early next year soon enough, hopefully alongside another awesome performer.

Alex,

Do you find it easier to improvise in front of an audience compared to improvising without an audience (say for a recording)?

I feel more comfortable when I improvise in a live setting than in the studio. Probably because in the live setting, I have no choice but to keep playing whereas in the studio I tend to question what I am doing.

How does this work for you?

[i]-- Kevin[/i]

Always better in a live situation - the pressure is a great catalyst for that, I don't know why but it's the complete polar opposite for playing rehearsed stuff. I always do that better at home, but improvising in public always makes me think on my feet better, do something creative with little (or big) mistakes that end up in the loop. No idea why it works that way though.

People like Eels. I'm just back from Sonic weekender II and I played it to White Label Records (i.e. Ann Shenton, Marc Hunter - they are also Large Number) and our producer Pierre Duplan - all of whom declared it totally beautiful.

Thankyou, Gordon. I think that's the most awesome thing I've heard all day; you're a lovely man. I'm going to go grope myself.

I found the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRqGcCM4VPw).
Nice!
Is this done with a looper also?

Hey!
Thanks, for the video find RensD.

Good Luck!

teslatheremin

[i]On Amber Eels[/i] uses a looper, yes, although it's a slight cheat - the phrases are pre-recorded and introduced when needed. Otherwise the track would be well over 10 minutes in length.

I've started recording a christmas-themed track, christmas-themed in the sense that it's for a musical advent calendar I contribute to once a year, not to much in the sense that it's bleak, cold and claustrophobic.

[i]christmas-themed[/i] [...] [i]it's bleak, cold and claustrophobic[/i]

So, heavily influenced by Charles Dickens, then.

Almost, yes. But with organ and dinglings.

This album has become decidedly pig-themed. It's called Scrofa. It looks like this. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/Nosephant/scrofacover.jpg)