late-night laptops

Wollongong – ¼ Inch @ Music Farmers (Peter Newman, Aaron Hull, Metalog)

After a day full of nephews, pilgrim-dodging and nausea-inducing rides at Luna Park, what better way to unwind than to hop on a train and head to the ‘Gong for an evening of improv, sound art and electronica?!

Stepping off the train into the chilly sea breeze, Wollongong was unfamiliar territory. I had expected a somewhat bustling town centre, but was surprised to discover a series of dark, empty streets leading to the main mall. Recently-abandoned shopfronts with “For Lease” signs stood alongside bridal shops, ??? and a sewing machine store which looked like it had been transplanted there from 1972. The “mall” wasn’t much better, with the piped muzak making us feel like we were trapped in the world’s biggest elevator...going nowhere...

Finally some signs of life greeted us, in the form of a small strip of cafes and restaurants. The welcome warmth of a latte was all we needed to keep us going, as we trekked on to seek out the venue.

Music Farmers is a real treat! An oddly-shaped corner warehouse space, it’s been converted into a mish-mash of hang-out lounge, café, music store and performance space. Racks of vintage clothing sat behind the well-worn pool table, and the walls were filled with posters from gigs and album releases from Wollongong and beyond.

Featuring some of the leading musicians of the genre, this gig certainly held a lot of promise. I am quite open about my difficulty with understanding laptop performers, but am also quite open about my desire to get to a point where I do understand and appreciate it more. Hence my attendance here - I really am trying!

The first performer was Peter Newman, presenting a laptop piece accompanied by visuals. These were projected onto a side wall, making it a tad difficult to see easily. Admittedly I closed my eyes for much of the performance. What I did see of the visuals was interesting, but for me they didn’t seem to have much of an effect (positive or negative) on the music itself. I was drawn in by some of the sounds emanating from the speakers, but once again was left feeling a sense of needing more. I’m not sure exactly what the “more” should be, but it has been a common element in almost every laptop performance I’ve seen. And I think that might be the key word – “seen”. I miss the tangible sense of performer interacting with instrument. I don’t understand how the sounds are created, blended, performed. I don’t get any clues as to the origin of the sound and how it might then be manipulated. I was challenged on this point by my gig-partner – let’s just call him JD – who asked whether I felt the same when watching, say, a cellist or a trombonist? I don’t play either of these instruments, but I have a fundamental knowledge of how a performer produces the bulk of sounds, and can easily see how this happens in a live performance. It was then proposed by JD that maybe I had the same feeling when listening to a CD as when I’m at a laptop gig. Hmmm, yes I guess in some ways I do. I miss the interaction of human to instrument, and the physicality of performance. So there doesn’t seem to be much point in being at a live laptop gig when nothing would be lost by listening on my own stereo at home.

The second performer, Aaron Hull, was another laptop artist though this time without the visual element. At least in terms of projections. I did find this performance slightly more engaging, as I could actually see Hull moving knobs on his effects panel during the piece. There was an interesting sequence of sounds, particularly towards the end when a sudden crescendo dropped off to nothing. I was actually hoping that this was the end of the piece – not because I didn’t want to hear more, but because it would have been a fantastic and unexpected ending point! Another of my gripes with improv/laptop performances is the seeming need to always start softly, crescendo into a more assertive and ‘busy’ mid section, and die away slowly at the end. How about finishing with a ‘bang’?! The formulaic and predictable nature of much of this genre seems to also be inhibiting my ability to bond with it...

After another short interval break the final ensemble ‘Metalog’ gathered on stage – Natasha Anderson with her customary array of massive recorder, laptop and various mics, pedals and other gadgets; Jim Denley with sax and flute; Amanda Stewart on voice; Ben Byrne on live effects; Dale Gorfinkel on percussion; Robbie Avenaim on drumset (with his fabulous collection of bits’n’pieces and robotic drumsticks). What a wealth of improv talent! I was looking forward to hearing what they came up with – after hearing most of the players in various other incarnations (as soloists, or performing in other ensembles) it was fascinating to hear them all together.

The sounds which struck me the most were the vocal utterances from Stewart. Un-vocalised clicks, smacks and slurps added a surprising and refreshing layer of sound to the ensemble. They fit perfectly with the delicate smatterings of sound brought forth by Robbie Avenaim and his instruments. Anderson and Denley are undoubtedly masters of improv, however I didn’t really get anything new from them this time. Gorfinkel made his way through a swag of instruments, big and small, including vibraphone and a kind of ‘extended trumpet’ replete with clear hose tubing to extend both the physical and tonal range of the instrument. Initially this was an intriguing concept, but as the session wore on it became too much of a cliché to have any profound musical effect.

Again I felt that there were several opportunities for a natural ending to this work, but just as the moments arrived they were snapped back into action by one ensemble member or another. It seemed mostly to be Jim and Dale who would take one of these endings and force it into a new direction. I felt myself becoming more and more impatient with the work, shuffling in my seat and letting my thoughts wander, so was actually a bit relieved when JD mentioned that we had to leave to get to the train on time.

A short jog downhill and we were a few minutes early for that late night train, hurrah. It would have been another hour until the next one. The broken coffee machine on the platform was a disappointment, but plenty of crosswords made the long dark journey home seem not so long, nor so dark.

Thanks to JD for having the sense of spontaneity to propose this little adventure, and for having the patience to help me understand more about all this stuff!