Electronic Music: Live!

Electronic futurism
While electronic instruments were already popular in recording studios, the concept of an exclusively electronic performance was unknown until now-iconic German quartet Kraftwerk put on their first live shows in the 1970s. Combining the sonic experimentalism of their krautrock forebears with the possibilities of emerging synthesizer technology, their groundbreaking sound aligned perfectly with the sleek, chrome-lined future of popular science fiction. Emulating robots, their live set saw the four members performing on synthesizer and drum machine stations as rigidly as possible.

Modular virtuosity
With their many knobs, sliders, buttons, flashing lights, and tangled cables, early synthesizers initially seemed prohibitively technical to traditional instrumentalists. It took visionaries like American composer Suzanne Ciani to fully grasp the potential of these unique tools. A successful sound designer and musician throughout the 1970s and 1980s, her passion for synthesis paved the way for approaches to composition that continue to inspire today. Deploying the semi-generative note sequencing capabilities of Don Buchla’s Series 200 synthesizer, Ciani improvised elegant melodic motifs based on simple yet evolving patterns. With highly expressive manipulations of its controls, Ciani wielded the unconventional Buchla interface as a full-fledged performance instrument, breathing life into electronic music.

Enter the rave
As early techno and house records made their way overseas in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a revolution of electronic music began in the UK and Europe. Mass gatherings, which later came to be known as raves, saw young people dance the night away in front of massive stacks of speakers. These raves were typically soundtracked by DJs, though a subset of technically-minded producers hauled their equipment to warehouse rave stages, initiating a trend of live electronic performances. Aphex Twin, the Chemical Brothers, the Orb, and numerous other acts made their names as life performers.

During the same period, British duo Orbital – who memorably used dual headlamps to navigate the controls of their machines in the dark – became a must-see for fans of forward-thinking electronic music.

DJing as an artform
As the rave scene continued to flourish throughout the 1990s, a second wave of techno DJs emerged from Detroit. Inspired by the motor city’s original techno innovators, these upstarts took it upon themselves to push the medium of turntables and a mixer to new heights. Nobody exemplified their rigorous, uncompromising approach to performance more than Jeff Mills. Earning legendary status by deftly layering three records at a time on a trio of Technics 1200 turntables, he eventually accompanied his already renowned DJ sets with live drum machine performances. Transporting dance floors into dizzying frenzies with virtuosic skills on the Roland TR-909, Mills remains an inspiration for many of today’s superstar DJs.

The Ableton Live revolution
Berlin’s Robert Henke, also known as techno act Monolake, is one of the original creators of Ableton’s Live production and performance software. Brilliantly leveraging the increased computing power of laptops around the turn of the millenium, Live’s uniquely intuitive software interface allowed artists to improvise in real-time. The software was an instant hit with producers looking to perform without the restriction of flight cases full of fragile equipment. Henke himself relies on Live for his heavily improvised performances, in which he manipulates and processes audio in real time. While Henke no longer leads the company, he does still develop instruments, effects, and tools specifically for Live. One of his most popular creations is the Granulator. Named for the granular method of synthesis it employs, this instrument allows user to drag in audio clips which can then be broken down into tiny fragments played back with a keyboard.

High-concept AV performance
While electronic performers continued to innovate underground, high-profile international artists also embraced the potential of emerging performance technology. And few were willing to experiment as freely with these powerful new tools as the Icelandic artist Björk. With a unique sound already relying heavily on electronics, her live shows evolved to showcase new technology such as the Yamaha Tenori-On – an unconventional, grid-based instrument. She went on to collaborate with cutting edge visual artists Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham and design lavish world-touring stage shows with the likes of acclaimed multimedia artist Matthew Barney and Tony-award winning broadway director John Tiffany.

Finger drumming
Akai’s MPC drum machine revolutionized hip-hop production and was also embraced by a handful of live house or techno acts, but it took the likes of AraabMuzik and Jeremy Ellis to fully explore its potential as a performance instrument. A trained jazz pianist, Ellis saw the potential in applying his musical acumen and digital dexterity to the customizable sample pads of the MPC. Rather than playing a single instrument via a standard keyboard, he could play drums, horns, keys, vocals – anything, really – simultaneously, and with virtuosic agility. Ellis’s finger-drumming exploits eventually earned him a spot in acclaimed hip-hop act The Roots, with whom he continues to tour and perform today.

The rise of controllerism
Unlike the MPC, MIDI controllers make no sound of their own, but rather trigger those of other electronic instruments or software. With the proliferation of these relatively affordable instruments, emerged a new generation of live electronic performers, dubbed controllerists. UK musician and programmer Tim Exile is one such artist who sought to harness the full potential of MIDI for live improvisation. He eventually constructed what he called his ‘flow machine’: an array of controllers interacting with custom-programmed software for generating complex sequences, musical motifs, loops, layers, effects, and beats. Integrating everything from vocal snippets captured from an audience to sounds uploaded from fans across the globe in real-time, Exile’s flow machine helped him weave compelling performances from a multitude of sources directly in the moment.

The Monome
In contrast to Exile’s sprawling approach to controllerism, in the late 2000s American beatsmith Daedelus devoted himself to a single controller: the grid-based Monome. Connected to computer via USB, the LED backlit pads of the Monome correspond to an array of customized sample slices. With the computer tucked away out of sight, Daedelus’ singular focus on his instrument of choice lent itself to the sort of instrumental performance typically reserved for jazz or classical prodigies. Combining manic energy with extreme focus, Daedelus’ spellbinding performances became a mainstay of the US festival circuit.

Modern live techno
While Ableton Live has made it possible for producers to perform and tour with just a laptop, computer-based performances can sometimes leave audiences wanting, at least in terms of visual spectacle. How can a laptop performer convince an audience that they’re not just checking their email? Bulgarian artist KiNK answers this challenge with an array of controllers, computers, hardware drum machines, and modular synthesizers. Manipulating his equipment with the flair of a showman, his performances feature identifiable physical movements that produce clearly discernible sonic results. His engaging performance style has won fans the world over, and inspired a new generation of live electronic artists.

Algorave
Combining internet culture with programming skill, the emergent field of algoraves sees computer displays projected onto screens at live events where performers type lines of computer code to generate their beats. Eschewing what they view as the inherently limiting interfaces offered by conventional music software, they seek to take matters into their own hands while flexing their coding skills for an audience. Ranging from highly experimental to successfully danceable to downright outlandish, it remains to be seen if this niche performance style will obtain a long-term foothold in electronic music – but there’s no question it represents a fresh approach to live performance.

Sound and space
Karlheinz Stockhausen was already exploring spatial sound in his '70 world expo pavillon in Osaka, and electronic artists such as Suzanne Ciani have early on worked with quadraphonic sound to place musical elements in space more precisely than with stereo. But clearly, recent years have seen some major advances in sonic spatialization technology. Increasingly complex speaker arrays now allow for the exact placement and complex movement of sounds throughout the listening environment in real-time. Budapest’s Spatial Sound Institute, for example, invites renowned electronic artists to residencies on their 36-speaker 4DSOUND System. With an additional 4DSOUND rig now installed at Berlin’s MONOM, and ISM’s Hexadome surround audio-visual system inviting electronic artists to produce custom work, spatial sound is fast emerging as a new frontier for electronic performance.

Is virtual the future of live?
Virtual clubs have existed since the massive multiplayer game Second Life launched in the early 2000s, and live streaming has been steadily gaining steam for the past decade. But as the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 began to set in, the use of streaming platforms for musical performances exploded. Virtual festivals have been held popular multiplayer games like Fortnite and Minecraft, electronic artists have begun to explore the potential of virtual reality headsets, and studio live streams are becoming commonplace as artists try to remain connected to their fans. At the same time, mobile applications like Endlesss are allowing real-time collaboration between musicians and producers thousands of miles apart – as fans tune in via YouTube. If these platforms can establish themselves as a reliable source of income for performers, virtual events will surely play a key role in the future of live electronic music.