Popol Vuh…now that is a compliment. Thanks! Here’s a little info on our approach. Thanks for asking.
This performance is made up of 9 scene’s. Each scene has it’s own bpm and key. The key is determined by the instrument played by Madhav (Duduk is Am, Kaval is G#m, etc.). Duration of a scene is not predefined, but they usually last between 6 and 10 minutes. Within this structure of tempo, key and duration we freely improvise. I do not use microtunings, but Madhav does whenever he finds suit.
The sound design for this project was very specific, as we had to deal with the lovely, but also immense natural reverberation of the church. I brought a Doepfer P9 with mainly Mutable Instruments modules and an Intellijel Performance Case with a WMD Performance Mixer, Zadar and various Noise Engineering voices. I searched long and hard to find the right sequencer for my style of structured improvisation. For a few years now I use two Industrial Music Electronics Stillson Hammer MkII sequencers, clocked by Pam’s New Workout. And I love them. They are intuitive, flexible and rich in features aimed for live use.
Quite a few sounds worked really really well with the natural reverb. I should mention a heavily modulated FM bell sound from Noise Engineering’s BIA and a deep kick sound from MI Peaks. I also did two free hand touch controller improvisations/duets with Madhav. For that I brought a 4MS POD skiff with a Make Noise Pressure Points and a Doboz Touch Sensing Note Memory, driving MI Plaits, MI Veils, Erica Pico DSP and Erica Black Hole DSP. No clock, no sequencers, just the joy of us two communicating in sound. Bliss.
Microtuning is definitely something I will explore in the near future on the Doboz TSNM. Thanks for reminding me to keep exploring new territory. Hope my little story inspired you too.
