Here are some photos taken by Dave at Electrofringe, Saturday October 1, Newcastle Leagues Club. Photos 1, 3 & 4 are of Morceaux De Machines, a Canadian outfit whose intense manipulation of the speakers cut through the air like a rusty razor blade. Pictured second from the top are Newcastle locals, Orange Lozenge, who played a cool drum'n'bass set.
Some notes on recording...
OK, so I'm meant to be getting stuck into this album. Because I record at home, I have to deal with all sorts of factors - equipment problems, procrastination and isolation. For the past few weeks I've been waiting to have my Duo soundcard repaired by M-Audio. It turned out that they didn't have the right part, as they've discontinued the manufacture of USB soundcards for laptops. I was using Nick's computer to record vocals - using his customised machine and hardware setup would drive me crazy. Everyday there would be a new development version of Ardour installed. Weird, unpredictable things would happen. Not to mention that I needed to understand a pretty complicated patching setup involving so many audio devices. I just wanted to be able to plug a mic into a computer and get on with it. Usually, by the time I had discovered the correct settings and connections, I forgot what my vocal idea was in the first place!
Now that M-Audio have kindly sent me a replacement soundcard that's firewire, you'd think I'd be sorted and making trouble-free music. Nooo...Nick sort of got it working for last week's gig with the help of Freebob. I wrote down the lengthy startup instructions - 7 separate commands were needed to get Jack going with it. Fair enough, at least it worked.
This morning I sit down to record some more vocals and I can't even get my computer to turn on. Nick mumbles something about 'kernel problems.' He is being deliberately vague because he's got some work to do on Ardour. Aargh!
Finding it hard to get motivated. After returning from Electrofringe yesterday, I'm charged with ideas of different ways to make art. I want to change the way I perform music - using home-built sensors to generate sound, while trying out different software combinations and manipulating the voice more. When I stop procrastinating and get back onto the album, I'll work on new ways to reinvent the set.
Elec-Chronic Wizzen Dorf, the Saturday night gig, was packed out. And some managed to even hang in there for our 2:30am show! Thanks to all those Newcastle locals who toughed it out to see us play. On Sunday, zine market stalls and an outdoor stage right outside our hotel room meant we were right in the middle of all the action. It seemed like everywhere there were venues with unexpected things happening - stuffed-toy creation, stencilling, live improvised soundtracks. So much great stuff to take in.
Later that eveing there was a cabaret and a poetry heckling competition. The poet able to withstand the worst taunts and tomato missiles was to be proclaimed the victor. The poets took it so well - smiling and joking while a circle of jeering people let them have it. The comp ended in anarchy, food flying through the air. Even the audience got pelted, scattering in all directions.
Our Open Source Audio panel went really well. It was a lot to cover in an hour with 3 speakers, but it gave people an idea of how to get started, what apps they can use, and a bit about the history and leagalities surrounding it. I've never been part of a panel at Electrofringe before, so it felt good to be able to contribute something on that level.
