Lisa Busby is a Scottish composer, vocalist and improviser, born in Paisley, based in London. Situated across experimental music, performance art and pop song, her practice often utilises the found and the prosaic, and manifests in various entangled modes; recorded composition, live improvisation for sound/body, performance video, non standard scoring and long duration works.
Instrumentally she works with voice, turntables, hardware, software and lap-steels. (A Lap-steel is a type of steel guitar that is traditionally played on the performers lap)
For the majority of her live performance Lisa explores the relationship of body, voice and sound through composition, improvisation and performance. For example the piece ‘Skin Meditations’ is built around her and fellow artist Lou Barnell reading short pre-written sentences then reacting to the words in a physical and sonic way. (This description is very vague as I’m still attempting to grasp this type of experimentation.)
Focusing on the improvisational aspect of Lisa’s performance, watching these from my laptop instead of occupying the same space as the artists offers a completely different perspective. Similar to Jessica Ekomanes work, which should really be listened quadraphonically, I feel witnessing Lisa’s work in person would take on a whole new meaning. As a spectator you would be able to hear every breath, click of the ankle, stretch, brush of hair etc thus adding to the whole sonic composition.
MY QUESTION FOR LISA :
Focusing on ‘Shit I can DJ’, could you explain your thought process in selecting hardware/instruments etc for your work? Do you almost improvise in the selection of equipment’ leaving it to the subconscious?
(Note. SUBCONSCIOUS MUSIC; the dictionary description of the word reads “of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one’s actions and feelings.” How many sounds do we subconsciously take in?)
Inspired by Busby’s Shit I can DJ, I attempted a classic disc jokey trick of playing a record backwards. A balancing act, not only visually interesting the rewinded sounds and distortion morph the original track into something totally different. The DJ Ron Hardy would play this song ‘Its House’ by Chip-E backwards. The original vocal sample says ‘Its house’ repeatedly but in reverse it almost sounds like ‘watch me’. Maybe Ron noticed this change and wanted people to watch his skill. This is my intentionally distorted attempt.
How to play a record backwards the ‘old fashioned way’:
First remove the vinyl slip mat from the turntable.
Screw the counterweight so the tone arm hangs upwards.
Unscrew the cartridge and flip the other way round then attach back to the tone arm.
Find an object for the record to balance on. This should be a little smaller than the record center. I used a roll of medium sized tape to achieve this.
The song you want to play backwards must be facing down so the flipped cartridge and needle runs in reverse across the grooves of the record.
Hit play.
By slightly moving the record so it sits off-kilter with the object used to balance on creates an interesting distortion on top of the already reversed track. Playing with the pitch control also add’s a wobbliness to the sound.
Personally I like music that is true to itself and the artist/producer/performer is being honest with me. They are presenting work that they believe in, regardless if I or the audience likes it. Artists that become money addicted and follow the profitable strategies from major labels are of no interest to me. If I was money motivated then maybe that type of music/business would appeal to me.
I find myself drawn to music that is multi layered and has numerous avenues I can explore. Conceptual music that follows a cohesive or abstract story throughout an LP/EP/Mix really intrigues me. Being an avid reader of fantasy when I was younger, depth to an artists sound and eye for storytelling is something I still listen for. Like a multi-layered RPG game, music that is deep, engaging and fun. If an artists work can distance me from the present, to me that is good.
Environment: Ones environment is key to understanding why we like certain music and sounds. Our environment not only presents us with a physical landscape which we actively and subconsciously draw from, environments affect our emotional and critical ways of thinking. The people we meet, our friends, family, the things they listen too, people or ‘types’ of people we dislike, politics and religion–these all fall into the melting pot of influence.
First I’d like to explore other musicians view on environment before analysing my own;
Visiting Practitioner Lisa Busby touched on the impact of living in Paisley (Scotland) had on her. Busby mentioned that she had always sung in choirs for school and her church, a collaborative, pleasurable experience she has continued to explore in her professional work. Being part of a social group such as a choir within her environment, has clearly impacted her as she tends to collaborate with other artists. For example her Skin meditations performance in collaboration with Lou Barnell presents two bodies improvising as one. A mixture of singing and movement, Busby subtly carries on the ideals of being in a choir and working in unison.
Visiting Practitioner Electric Indigo spoke a lot about her environment and more importantly being a woman in the male dominated Techno world. Brought up in iddilic Vienna its no doubt a young eccentric woman would become captivated by the otherworldly sounds of Techno. From speaking with a few friends who live in Vienna currently, they have made it clear that although the city promotes ‘the arts’, Vienna is in fact an extremely conservative and wealthy city. It’s hard not to draw parallels between Indigo’s exploration into Techno and the creation of the genre itself. The same way in which Indigo moved from Vienna to Berlin after the wall came down in 89, the Bellville Three (Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson) began making music inspired by the abandoned city of Detroit in 83, bored of their lives in the middle-class suburbs. Indigo was drawn to the squat parties of Berlin and the communes that emerged from them, Berlin as a city was in stark contrast to the pomp of Vienna. The parallels between Indigo and the Bellville three is testament to the reactionary sound and nature of Techno. With a foundation routed in afro-futurism, creators such as Sun-Ra, Miles Davis and Parliament urge listeners to ‘find a new home’, these ideas are key in understanding Techno and also Indigos own musical awakening in Berlin.
Visiting Practitioner Yassmin Foster‘s foray into music is deeply routed in her ancestral past and desire to understand more about the culture she was brought up in. Similar to the way Busby’s environment shaped her, Fosters relationship with London and the Jamaican community born out of 1940’s Windrush Generation greatly influenced her passion for Regga, Dub and Lovers Rock. In her lecture she spoke about being born into a Sound-system and drumming household, it is evident that her sense of community is strong and stands incredibly high in importance when organising parties. A particular portion of her lecture was spent analysing ‘the dance’ much to my enthusiasm. I feel that when discussing ‘sound’ not enough emphasis is put on the body’s reaction, the way we move and interact with other dancers can be seen as a physical manifestation of the sonics in the room. Although Foster was critical of Steve McQueens ‘Lovers Rock’ episode (Small Axe), if we dissect the segment towards the end, the dancing is loose, abstract and confrontational, urged on by the trippy sounds of Dub and accompanied with Marijuana. Foster also spoke a lot about how her Legs Eleven Sound-system helps her connect with her past. The anamnesis of playing certain records, setting up the speakers and interacting with the audience is crucial to her burning passion for the culture. I don’t find this surprising at all if we consider that UK Sound-system culture is not only a homage but a wishful look back to the past.
The producer, DJ, writer, activist Terre Thaemlitz also know as DJ Sprinkles has talked about environments at length and the way in which house music has fabricated a sense of ‘universal understanding’ when in reality house music is hyper-specific. Here is a link to a segment from Thaemlitz’ Red Bull Interview from 2010 discussing why ‘music is not universal’. It is interesting to look at Thaemlitz’ view on things as he offers a different perspective, often very nihilistic but brutally honest.
Thaemlitz’ highly informative and original album 120 Midtown Blues (r.2008, comatose recordings) opens with a confrontational message, that analyses house music as a hyper-specific form of music. Here are some points from the into;
There must be a hundred records with voice-overs asking, “What is house?” The answer is always some greeting card bullshit about “life, love, happiness….” The House Nation likes to pretend clubs are an oasis from suffering, but suffering is in here with us…[] House is not universal. House is hyper-specific: East Jersey, Loisaida, West Village, Brooklyn – places that conjure specific beats and sounds. As for the sounds of New York dance floors themselves, today’s ‘house classics’ might have gotten worked into a set once in a while, but the majority of music at every club was major label vocal shit..[] Besides, New York Deep House may have started out as minimal, mid-tempo instrumentals, but when distributors began demanding easy selling vocal tracks, even the label “Strictly Rhythm” betrayed the promise of it’s own name by churning out strictly vocal after strictly vocal. Most Europeans still think “Deep House” means shitty, high energy vocal house.
Essentially Thaemlitz is discussing how the hyper-specific beats of certain areas outside and inside of New York became de-contextualised, in order for mass sales in Europe. Thaemlitz is angered that a genre of music specific to his past environment (he now lives in Tokyo) is distributed to the masses as something completely different.
John Cage: What would you say if while presenting your sound work, something was at least audible?
I personally feel that the sounds heard in the space of ones own work should be embraced, these sounds would differ between every listener thus personalising it.
For example John Cages piece ‘4.33’ challenges the idea of silence, especially a paying audience. Each time this piece is (isn’t) played, the background sounds will differ due to location, the audience, time etc. Although the piece in theory is ‘absolute’ silence, silence will never be achieved. Cage illustrates to us that he/us can create sound and challenge the idea of it at the same time. Every time Cage would change the performance sheet, the crowd would burst into a coughing fit. The sequenced coughing between movements ultimately becomes the music, and thus Cage the artist.
Thoughts from Classmates;
“It’s part of sharing and showcasing art that its initial intentions will be changed due to people always creating or relating personal meanings from things”
“Do we think of the audience and environment as taking part of the communication and relationship or are we thinking of them as consumers?” *
“João Gilberto would threat people if they would keep coughing during his show”
“You can try to reduce as much as possible but in the same way the audience brings in their own influences and experiences into the viewing of your piece, they will each be hearing something else (breathing, heartbeat, ambience, footsteps)”
*In response to this question I feel that this depends on the desired outcome of the artist. An interesting (not really sound related) example would be to look at Andy Warhol, who really challenged this notion. In a sense Warhol treated his audience as consumers but he made it very clear that his ‘art’ was a product. Not only using household products to underline this, but in their creation at the ‘Factory’. On the other hand, Warhol’s work does have the ability to transcend its original product form. Due to the popularity of his art/prints Warhol handed ownership to ‘consumers’ thus making them actively involved. By this I mean Warhols popularity was strengthened by the community that talked about his work, took friends to exhibitions, bought a print, lent a t-shirt etc.
Jessica is a Berlin based electronic musician and sound artist. Through her live performances and installations she creates a transformative element for the space and audience. Achieving this with Quadraphonic performances that surround the listener and immerse them in her world.
Notes from listening;
Her work has a very emotive, layered sound that creates the sensation of moving forward or travelling.
Very dubby and atmospheric, however listening on a stereo system does not do her work justice as the whole scope of her sound is meant for 8 channels. Upon listening in the Performance Lab, her work becomes a completely different entity.
Influences from her environment Berlin are very clear. The sonic landscapes she conjures are otherworldly, abrasive and beautiful. These words are often linked with Techno, more specifically Berlin Techno, her sound likened to clubs such as Berghain and Tresor. Ekomane performs in nightclubs, theatres, sound spaces etc preferring a more ‘social’ setting over a gallery.
COMEDOWN (2020)
While the nightlife scene is put on hold, spaces such as Berghain are offering alternative escapes for art lovers. Ekomanes ‘Comedown’ instillation held in the Panorama Bar (Berghain) explores the positive/negative effects of clubbing and reflects on the current Covid-19 shituation and modern life; capitalism, 9-5 work, segregation etc.
Although the ideas Ekomane talked about in her lecture interested me, I struggled to find meaning in this actual piece, the message didn’t really come across to me. Most likely because I was listening to this in my bedroom rather than the cavernous, brutal space that is Berghain, I felt the array of sounds were corny and almost too typical from a ‘dance music’ perspective. These sounds included horns, sirens, 808 beats, drum fills, rewinds etc. I feel like such an interesting topic at a crucial time in the entertainment industry could have been expanded more.
CITIZEN BAND (2019)
For Citizen Band Ekomane explored the hazy and quite funny realm of audio radio communication between truck drivers in the US. This commissioned piece is comprised of anonymous radio conversations between workers and radio hobbyists in Indiana and Nebraska. Between AM and FM lies the ‘Citizen Band’, a range for short distance communication.
This communication became an underground public forum for the working class. I find this particularly interesting because the idea of strangers chatting via radio is something lost to my generation. Being so connected through social media and other digital outlets, any other form of communication is dying out.
If the internet had never been created would radio bands such as the one Ekomane presents be harnessed in a completely different way?
MY QUESTION TO JESSICA :
Being based in Berlin do you feel that your environment and experiences with Berlin specifically influence your work? Is there something about its Techno and Industrial roots that made you gravitate there?
A: In Berlin people are generally a lot more open and willing to give things ago than in France. More women in the field of sound, Ekomane loves the sense of community and sisterhood within the city. Toggle panel: Portfolio Slideshow
