Tag: body music

Preview: “Collapsing Borders—Einstürzende Grenzen.”

krithika

Sometimes, all the good stuff come at the same time. This week is one such week where there are  just so many great events to choose from. One  great event is the “Collapsing Borders—Einstürzende Grenzen” on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 between 6-8.30 pm.

This is a live digital audio-video jam session with Markus Guentner (from Regensburg, Germany) and nospectacle (Detroit- Ann Arbor, USA) at the Video and Performance Studio, Duderstadt Center, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd.

Guentner, hailed as “the inventor of pop ambient”, is a dj as well and is known for his work on Cologne’s Kompart record label.  Here’s a sample of Guentner’s music.

nospectacle is based right here in Detroit. The group is made up of  Christopher McNamara (who teaches at the U of M’s Dept of Screen arts and Cultures), Jennifer A. Paull, and Walter Wasacz and is an electronic music, video and DJ project.They play mostly McNamara’s original compositions.They performed  a set of music to Andy Warhol’s multimedia experience at the Cranbrook Art Museum.Here’s a link on youtube.

Both the artists are known for melding sound, art and visuals. As per the program flyer, “The point of focus is to show how art and entertainment technologies play a crucial role in transcending political, cultural, and psychological borders.”

This free event is followed by an after-party, 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Sava’s (in the space once occupied by Zanzibar), 216 S. State St., Ann Arbor. Called Sonic Subliminal, the dance-friendly event features DJ sets by Guentner, nospectacle and Forest Juziuk of Dark Matter. $5 for the party.

Hmm…electronic music and a dance party on a friday night after a hectic week full of studying appeals to me immensely. You ready to party too?

Krithika, for [art]seen

REVIEW: Keith Terry and the SLAMMIN All-Body Band

Cynthia 1 Comment

This unusual performance would be best described as a mixture of beatboxing, singing, stomping, and clapping, and I was quite intrigued by the different types of sounds produced by the hands and feet. Whistles, melodies, and rhythms floated from the world’s most common “instrument”—the human body. In my preview, I wrote “new form of art,” but since humans have been around far longer than any other created musical instruments, it’s safe to say that body music is one of the oldest forms of music and dance. Knowing that the violin sounds the closest to the human voice, I wonder what other instruments were created to replicate sounds made by the body.

To draw a connection between the body and musical instruments, there was an interesting diagram in the kid’s brochure which said “Your body = Drum set.” This unusual comparison drew a connection between a handclap and the high hat (similar to two cymbals), a chest strike and the highest rack tom (a drum), a thigh strike and the middle tom (another drum), and a foot stomp to the bass drum (biggest drum, you step on a lever to play it). Now I wonder if the drum set was created to amplify and prolong the amount of noise the human body can create…

While I enjoyed the performance and the improvisation, I don’t know that this is my type of art. The eclectic mix of sounds and rhythms caught my attention, but I wasn’t captivated the way I would normally be in an orchestra concert. Perhaps the little kids running up the aisles distracted me. But I did find myself smiling when the kids sang along and when prompted, enthusiastically called back to the singers. I found this performance to be mildly strange, but I enjoy watching different types of performances every once in a while.

PREVIEW: Keith Terry and the SLAMMIN All-Body Band

Cynthia 2 Comments

When: November 6, 2009 7pm
Where: Hill Auditorium
Tickets: $10 (may be purchased at the League, leftover tickets sold on the night of the show)

Musicians
Bryan Dyer, Vocals
Zoe Ellis, Vocals
Steve Hogan, Beatboxing
Keith Terry, Body Music
Kenny Washington, Vocals
Destani Wolf, Vocals

Dancers
Evie Ladin
Nuria Bowart
Namita Kapoor

Apparently, Keith Terry and his band will perform a concert using themselves as the instruments in a concept known as “body music.” Feet stamping, fingerpopping, and chest whomping are just a few of the different actions used to create a percussion noises in this dance-like show. The program will be announced by the artists from the stage – I’m curious to see what the names of the dances/pieces will be called! What do you all think about this new “form” of art?