[Dancecult-l] liveness (Kariann Goldschmitt)

[Kariann E. Goldschmitt]

Like Luis, I'm about to make a big move myself from Rio de Janeiro  
back to California to teach a general ed summer course on Electronic  
Dance Music soon, so my mind is a bit scattered.

I think it's really important to make distinctions regarding the  
cultural preferences for live performances of ANY type of music and  
the inclusion of live performers in electronic dance music. In Rio de  
Janeiro, for example, live shows in general are extremely popular  
events and often do far better in sales and distribution than studio- 
produced albums. Famous artists consistently perform in venues here  
and even though ticket prices and entrance costs are rising due to  
music piracy, they still draw sizable crowds. Live recordings, in  
general, are more popular and sell better than studio-produced  
albums. This preference extends to DVD sales of these concerts which  
are ubiquitous in stores and with the pirated music/movie circuit. In  
this context, it's difficult to parse out the role of liveness in  
dance music events since, in general, the event is so important. (In  
other words, I'm still thinking about what all of this means.)

In response to what Eliot observed about California, I would say that  
at least on the west coast (California) scene the experimentation or  
preference for liveness has been growing since at least 2002 when  
Matthew Herbert's "swing" show with Bjork was a huge sensation at the  
Hollywood Bowl. In the LA house music scene at the time, many of the  
DJs I knew took note of that show (more than they did of Herbert or  
Bjork's albums) as an indication of things to come. This was  
especially true of what was popular with the older/"sophisticated"  
crowd who had aged out of the rave/festival scene and preferred  
something known in LA as "organica" (i.e. types of electronica that  
sounded organic). Of course, there are other examples of "live" jazz  
improvisation with a DJ that grew out of the acid jazz phenomenon in  
the Bay Area and southern california but also occurred in plenty of  
events in New York and other major jazz hubs. (See Dale Chapman's  
work on this to get an idea of how involved it can be.) Generally at  
these types of shows, the crowd would be far-ranging and could be  
divided into dance music people, those who thought they were in for a  
night of jazz, and a crowd that was specifically seeking an  
"organica" experience. That said, I think phenomena like live  
"improvisation" with a DJ or bands trying to emulate the rhythms and  
beats might not necessarily be connected to regionally specific  
preferences for attending shows and festivals. I would even make a  
claim for an LA specific reception to these events. For the events  
and shows I attended in last summer, for example, I witnessed a  
similar inclusion of live drummers and/or jazz bands playing with  
IDM, glitch, and Drum n' Bass performers. These were very "hip" LA  
crowds, with many of events targeting art museums (Getty, Hammer,  
etc.) and the summer trend for live music accompanied by picnic  
baskets full of wine and cheese.

Anyway, those are my two cents on the matter.

Kariann Goldschmitt
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Musicology
The University of California, Los Angeles


> Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:25:50 -0700 (PDT)
> From: "Eliot Bates" <oud at berkeley.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Dancecult-l] liveness
> To: dancecult-l at listcultures.org
> Message-ID:
> 	<50337.71.210.104.102.1182831950.squirrel at calmail.berkeley.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
>
> About 4 years ago I noticed the sudden inclusion of live music acts  
> during
> the outdoor rave parties in northern California. I'm not talking drum
> circles, but professional performing bands of all kinds (world,  
> funk, jam,
> experimental, live drum 'n' bass, etc.) In San Francisco, live drum  
> 'n'
> bass is quite popular these days, though it's not really  
> necessarily so
> much of a dance music form when done live.
>
> That said, 2 of those parties I referenced above no longer have live
> music. I guess the fashion has/is already passing, at least in  
> northern
> CA?
>
> -eliot
>
> +-+-+-+-+-+
> Eliot Bates
> PhD Candidate (Ethnomusicology), UC Berkeley
> Music of Turkey, recording studios, electronic music practices and  
> cultures
> http://www.eliotbates.com/
> oud at berkeley.edu
>
>
>
>
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> End of Dancecult-l Digest, Vol 26, Issue 7
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