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Concert Thu Mar 20 2008
Trigger finger
This Saturday, Lampo closes out its winter season with its fourth show, a return performance by electronic/computer music legend John Bischoff, who will perform four pieces for you. Show starts at 9 p.m. at the new Lampo, 216 W. Chicago Ave, 2nd Floor. Cost is $12 at the door.
Bischoff is not only a 30 year veteran of composed electronic music, but he's also pioneered the concept of "computer network music." His most known setup is a 20-year old computer network called The Hub, normally played by multiple players, but here, all "band members" are played by John himself. In this work, "one player broadcasts a rhythmic 'trigger' message to create a timing grid upon which all musical actions are based. All players—in this version, all played by the composer—respond to some statistical percentage of the triggers, a choice that is continuously variable between all or none, by generating sounds of their own creation." If this sounds like an upper mathematics take on Terry Riley's "In C," you might be right. I don't know - I frankly don't understand that part. However, you can check out the sound samples for yourself, which are more than worthy - "Piano 7 Hz" shuffles a deck of piano chords with hissing, whirrling electronic sounds, to provide parlor-music played by a fast-deteriorating automaton. Other tracks like "Aperture" (title track from the CD of the same name on 23Five Recordings) suggest Xenakis' electronic scribble but with a more floral background - light and airy, but also industrial and uneasy. The Lampo web site has more information about the four pieces being performed, but I can't explain the processes, so I simply direct you there instead.
Sarah / July 21, 2009 1:06 PM
I'm going to have to research Bischoff. I'm amazed I've never heard of him before - San Francisco LLC Formation Lawyer