TeKiNovah Live Performance - follow the project gestation period

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:54pm

Incubation period (Part 1)

My name is Williams, I am 43 years old. I always lived about music and graphic design (in parallel) until I was 32 years old. Mainly DJ residing in clubs and print / web graphic designer in communication agency. I started to learn concepts, techniques and beat-making quite early S2000 (Sampler Era) then RS7000 (Groovebox Era) and I try some tracks played LIVE within DJ Set (with few failures).

After my studies (in 2003) I followed my girlfriend, found a position as artistic director (junior) but it was a kind of ambush (which I would not expand on) but my boss at the time telling him about my project to create my own music studio advised me to make a loan since everything is going well at work. I made this loan and 4 months later I was kick-off for professional insufficience (1st Job = 1st Bad experience). My insurance only included disability and death to be helped/cleared… This is why I regularly recommend on the web or IRL not to confuse Home-Studio and Studio Pro (which seems obvious in 2020 could not be in 2003) And above all, to know the basic techniques, the studio environment and also to know yourself well even before buying anything …

After all that I came back to my hometown, redeveloped the djing thing then left for Lower Brittany region of france after meeting a new woman in my life. There, I decided to get back to production in a really serious way after having sympathized with a great team organizing a big French festival.

I expanded my network and then my girlfriend decided to go to Paris to learn “acting”, so I went back to my hometown. Finding my lifelong partner in crime, we started to produce together and in few releases we tried the adventure of label manager (vinyl only) for 8 releases and few remixes. (European and Latin American artists) Music genre was house with percussions and a bit more diverse at the end of the releases.

The assessment that I can make of my past is that all the choices that I have been able to make strategically in terms of career, was the good ones but have always been made too late. That is to say that each decision, I should have taken maybe 5 years earlier - On the other hand, they are experiences and all experiences are good to take. Both successes and failures.

In this experience of collaborating and managing a music label. I always found myself in a situation of compromise. Graphic designer is also to be in compromises, your productions are ordered and when the work does not please : it hurts - you have to learn how to sell them.

I say that because when I was forced by the disease (no vital pronostic engaged though) to move away from the production and the label, I decided to really take the front and no longer be in the compromises whether in terms of music or graphics that I produce.

Also the graphics and the music are important so I decided to produce multimedia experiences associated with my music, and to do everything myself.

Sorry for this long piece of text, but it’s where i came from and why i take this road. Other post will be more interesting, i hope so

William_WiLD · November 24, 2020, 8:25am

I will come to that in my next post. But :

So what’s your audiovisual concept so far? Is the picture you took as kind of a logo for this thread your visual language?

Nope. Just to illustrate the thread (i’m graphic designer I usually illustrate my point, haha)

All drawn? How do you work? After Effects? Blender? Flash? Really curious!

Yes all of that + video except i use Cinema4D for 3D… Video : After Effects + Premiere and for Draw animation i use Cartoon Animator Pipeline 4 + Mocap (Facial Motion Capture) because i can only afford this one… I do not traditional animation like cuckoo it’s a very time consuming process… cuckoo is very talented and experienced animator it was or it’s his initial job. i’m not talented as him.

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:54pm

Collabs & Label Management period (part 2)

(Under William WiLD alias)

Label Management and MindReaders was very cool project. Sure enough the mutation of the medias (vinyl, cd, usb key/mp3 - SL1200, Pioneer cdj, …) have an impact on the decision to put “on hold” Limonada records. Also we finance the label on our money, non profit organization so it was very hard in the end to stay at zero-zero balance so we have to take a tough decision. Plus with this experience, network and relationships - we feel we missed the opportunity to invest more on us and our music…

I was more techno than house so it weigh on me too, to make more house stuff. more and more this idea to make my very own music without compromise and playing live evolved from “the idea” to “the solid desire” to do so… I know from then i need my money capacity back to invest in gears. I may have to make a choice at some point …

Then comes health issue, it was the final drop, what pushed me - i needed time to me, to find the causes, a treatment which today is not really found after around 8-10 years. (anyway) focus on me… leading to no compromises and i continu on my “realize my dreams” road.

What i have done so far together with my friend is here :

https://www.discogs.com/fr/label/184208-Limonada-Records

(Note: The dawn EP on Primary was Fred & Nico, i was not in this one. i joined Fred later to revive the Mindreaders project, as an opportunity to join Limonada Records - not founded by us at the beginning. We join the label as remixers firstly. We help the founder and took over around the fourth release. We made 06, 07, 08 by our own, officially)

If you listen, The remix we done for Arno Gonzalez “Marbella” was my favorite… because i’m more Free Jazz, Deep and Techno guy so as this one is more detroit"ish" jazz deep house it sit better with my taste.

I also must to admit time flies - and I no longer have the same career goals. I want to find the pleasure again and make myself happy. Do more personal things that is for sure.

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:54pm

Starting to think i need my own sound signature period (part 3)

We are immerged in masterized music since the beginning, first thing first was to forget it and learn to listen music differently. When you make music it a different things. And there’s an « adapt period » can take more or less time to be accustomed.

As i said I had plenty of gears, but feeling I miss knowledge, music theory and practice - I need to do something to use all that gear (it doesnt take long to me to sell everything and come back to it later…)

You start to think I need to know first to use the tools, the concepts, how do others do… In my learning period, there’s not much on internet. Learning company like lynda, groove3, askvideo do not exist. Plus I’m French and nothing or nearly nothing in my language. In a small town and not living in Paris. I have to make my English better (to me it was tv show to help) and reading books (in english). By chance, it was my thing, I was good at learning and addicted to.

That’s (i guess) where finding its own signature starts. Because, with everything you’ll watch - you’ll not agree with everything. So you’ll go more in-depth, eventually will try to meet sound engineer, other electronic musicians. For me, it was hard because every people I met was good audio engineer but for band. And to me music genre have an impact on techniques (and it’s more pronounced today). And those engineer, at this period of time simply not get it.

By learning, trial and errors I get better at it. Music evolves also and by listening this change operate, I feel there’s more on top of chord progression, arrangement/construction and good choice / taste in sounds. « A sort of creative processing to stand out » I firstly notice that on kick. A use of more distortion in hard house music with a crazyness inside (yeah green velvet, sharp, uk hard house, Miami bass & more)

That’s when you realize you also have to learn « sound synthesis » and how effects can take a part creatively in the process of making a track.

At this point if you recognize yourself, my best advise is: stop everything and ask yourself a few questions. Why do you like electronic music, or this music genre much ? What are your absolute favorite artist into the music scene ? Why in terms of construction, in terms of sounds ? What do they use in terms of sounds ? How these sounds are mixed and match ? What are the result of your emotions ? What sort of sounds do you like ? How they were made ? Or how do you think they was made ?

And start to build up your own sounds, your own library of sounds.

Even more, start to find your own tricks. Your own techniques. How ? Yeah experiment, a lot of trial and errors.

Don’t make specific tracks for a specific label to succeed faster. Absolutely, make music you love ! Be proud of every track you made. Release as soon as you confident with the tracks - like wine your tracks will get better and better… Listen the beginning of your favorite artist discography, you will probably notice a certain curve in terms of quality… If not it’s probably artist who’s there from the start. They created something so… the real flow is there from scratch.

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:54pm

The Process to make progress on my own sound signature period (part 4)

What's released and what i do really like so far

So my first step was to listening every single piece of vinyl i own since i started djing sure i guess it’s an advantage a certain way all those years of djing but also a constraint as you put really high your level of expectations without noticing it much. You also want probably to be recognize by your god fathers which make sense, as this music scene/genre is important to you.

I distinct few things by that. There were music i like to play when it’s released and in the context of a party and i don’t really like it anymore (but it’s a good memory and it remember memories as well) There were absolutely stunning music that i feel i can play again today without any complain at all. (Those are important and i made a playlist from them) Then, there’s modernized music who fall into the category of “stunning music as well”.

There were totally different music genre that i listening too when i don’t want to listen electronic music and those are important as well.

Part of the process then was to analyse “stunning music (past)” and “stunning music” (modernized) in terms of construction, in terms of sounds, in terms or processing, in terms of emotions i feel when listening full time or part of it.

I made few Ableton Analysis folders by putting a track to analyse and fake the arrangement with emty midi bloc - i go indepth in this regarding my energy and tiredness it’s quite demanding - so just do one a day…

You will wrote what type of sounds you like - dislike
what type of creative idea in terms of construction the musician had…

Try then to learn sound design and focus on types of sounds you really like only. Things you can use for real in a futur track of your own.

Sample collection

You can also do the same with sample collection, finding what the closest to your taste and analyse how do they made things. You may realize there's two types of phrases :

the dominant ideas (Foreground, Theme, Main gimmick whatever you call it)
the ideas which support them, put them in value by their secondary qualities or background positioning

It’s something to learn that. Because, you’ll learn how things are intricate with each other.
And both Foreground and Background elements are strong even if we call the secondary “week” part from time to time.

In terms of Sample Collection, i don’t fall into the puzzle game trap. Creating my music by myself for the most part is important. But, i accepted like in a band that i can’t do everything nice. As an electronic musician you’ll make Bass, Theme, Drums, and anything so basically like in a band, unless you are multi-instrumentist there’s nothing wrong to collaborate with other musicians. So i may borrow a proper shaker played by a real percussionist… simply just because the groove is in there. You can’t make better with your own shaker and you own mic without any practice at all. Unless, a latin groove expert lived not far from you… nothing wrong to borrow a great part. If the sum of this part and yours match and you are satisfied. Well done.

Generally, every primarily part (main, foreground, theme) from sample collection are left. That’s how i deal with that. the foreground is me, even the background are from my experiment. (i may use textures from sample collection, top groove, one-shots or re-creating it - i may extract frequencies elements from a multi with things like regroover pro or re-synthesis options on certain vst synth)

I learnt Sound synthesis exactly to make my own sounds, so i borrow only tiny fragments that inject groove in my track. And also, to kickstart myself and explored other sonic territory and at some point - i delete those parts and continu on a more personal sum of parts.

Acoustic sounds, Synthetic Sounds

There's something here and for my case it's part of finding my own sound signature. There's sounds in electronic music i dislike. Mainly, synthetic clap, rides and synthetic attempt to recreate acoustic sounds. My approach in the use of those sounds is i use only things i like. So i tend to use Acoustic version of the Synthetic one i dislike.

I do not use sampled sounds from copyrighted music. With nowadays algorithm i don’t want to be sued neither taking the risk to be sued… So if i need vocals i do it myself through a processing chain or vocal processing gear. Or i pay someone to shout the phrases i want and i make a contract whereby the person bequeaths me the rights of his vocal parts or I give him/her a percentage of the rights - it’s a featuring. Done.

Gears, setup and this Live Performance

From scratch of the project gestation, my idea was to composed the music on gears and have a certain freedom in terms on performing my sounds live. I remembered that I have never been as productive as on a groovebox. So when i look over the market of groovebox and drum machine few years ago i find elektron and i gel with it instantly. From the dark trinity to more recent devices - a big part comes from elektron synth.

Essentially the Analog Four (One finger chords, Movment Lead & Pad, Pluck, Gimmik), the Digitone (FM Bass, Keys, Organ, Marimba, Plastic, Wood, Glass and Bells weirdness) and the Argon 8M (mainly 7th or 9th chords of Pads, Soundscapes or Textures), a TB Clone for TB alike phrases.

On the Drums, Loop side, i will use an Analog Rytm + Toraiz SP16

There’s a small digital mixer + few AUX pedals, the master goes Analog Heat then PA system.

Then there’s a computers with Ableton and Resolume Arena (gear are synced by E-RM a Multiclock USB) where dummy midi clip are following patterns on my music gears, triggering all my visuals and story telling so the story follow along with timing i choose and tracks i perform.

(don’t worry i will extend on that and gives more informations on why i choose that kind of combinations)

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:54pm

Express myself and be creative (part 5)

Even now there’s things subject to change… depending when i will make a real world test. When i wrote i want to write everything by my own that’s doesn’t mean that i want to perform all by my own… I don’t know yet if triggering dummy clip, working my story telling by layers will work. Maybe someone who glue well with me will have to play visuals along i play music… that’s a possibility if i’m not satisfied with sync and triggering things.

But that’s the technical stuff. We 'll come back later on that.

But why the hell do you want to express yourself or be an engaged artist for dance music?

Yes that’s a question isn’t it?

To me it’s not very far from Detroit artist, there were engaged to release their music. Auto-production play an important role in alternative music. But in House music and the gay related period it was just pure fun and sexy vocal shout. fuck me baby, jack had a groove, underground… all those cool shout vocals was there like spice. And gel well with clubbing and people partying. But as a non detroit french guy, who absolutely love playing jazz, disco, garage, house, tribal, wild pitch and detroit or tribal techno - i feel i don’t want to use those kind of vocals, and also, i feel like i want to express more. to story tell something.

Story telling in a partying audience

That’s where things take a bit of time in terms of taking shape in my creative mind. What if i drop negative sequence in video in front of people smiling and partying. They are there for fun… for sure, i can’t split to their eyes something could cause a bad trip. So i dropped a lot of ideas… sure i can play without a partying audience but suddenly my work is balancing more in the movie maker instead of a multimedia live performance (music and visual) - Does music imply Dancing. Well not really for sure. But my network is more on clubs and festivals instead of Art Museum or Art/Intermedia festival. So i have to adjust a bit (see compromises… haha)

So the idea was grimm’s tale, disney, comics and their second level of reading and interpretation i can make something trippy and fun at first implying more serious aspects in the background. At the moment things are fun in the first place - i can make everything i want… So i love southpark, Beavis et Butt-Head. I can make something.

Then i remember :

Michael Jackson – Leave Me Alone
There’s things as sounds in the music that’s happening in the video as an action.

JAY-Z – The Story of O.J

a lot of Gorillaz and …

Björk – Hunter (and TeKiNovah bear idea start to take shape)

The Depeche mode Exciter tour where visuals was appealing to me, the song with the big blue and shark swimming on te background

Shaka Ponk (SHKPNK) is a French electro rock band with Goz digitally created 3D monkey…

And more Experimental/intermedia Artist i meet at Interstice festival in my town, Herman Kolgen i absolutely love his work it’s more experimental and scientist linked with sound experiments, stunning works really dig it…

The Performance :

The explaining (French Subtitle in English)

Global warming and the fact that it is certainly too late to turn things the opposite way but only wreak havoc. The idea of going in the direction of certain anticipation films by reading certain rather flip-flopping projections by different scientists and environmentalists was there. The form of my story telling acted. I have just to looking for very probable hypothesis and to write it all in the form of a realistic and cool fiction since it starts in cartoon. The cartoon lightens the point a little and makes it less dramatic even if it is indeed the case.

Special relation between Image and Sounds

I’m a big fan on that one. What’s happen in a horror movie if you switch the lights on and cut the sounds ? suddenly it may become funny and laughable. Most of the time you will have a fear jump when both match each other and are linked. A high level in volume sfx when something happening, you know it will but you jumped or laugh. So it can be things as “story telling” and “disruptive element”… That important part of my work

Go further than music videos

Yes, i have to go further. that’s why i imply more senses than Vision and Hearing. Giving vote to the audience a bit like Video games (gone home) or Black Mirror Bandersnatch (Interactive Movie) was in my mind but assuming my budget is from zero to none for now, this idea was not possible for now. Impossible to give everyone in the audience a VR Headset, that would awesome to me, maybe in a futur we would be able to make something like that. it would be a game changer to me. Maybe also a little bit complicated in real world gigs to make something like that.

Then we have Senses like Smell and Touch where we can make things to enhance the show. Without forgetting the scenography and how my images are projected (we can quickly pass from the cinema room to a real visual experience). Lights and Mapping depending on the place.

Next post will go more in depth with maybe snippets of audio, VLOG video… i hope you enjoy and find it interesting. Don’t hesitate to comment and write your thoughts

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 6:20pm

Visuals, VJing, what's done and where to go (part 6)

In the beginning i remember coldcut and those sort of things on trippy cartoon sequences i was very young and i really love that stuff…

Visuals as far as i remember, in partying, was really geometrical, loop, hypnotic-psychedelic colors, kaleidoscopic and it stay like this so long that i’m bored about this way of mixing visuals (a little bit like lasers for lights). I know it match certainly the music and the partying. But to me it’s very decorative unless you go in a trip with it. it extend well the lights so in terms of scenography it works.

Nowadays it moves in a sort of 3D holograms with shapes, mapping, projection on semi-transparent materials such as fabric veils, light reflecting cord. I like that more because it work on the impression and the idea that we have of space … we can reduce it, increase it, give it another form, work on present architectural elements and bring them to life, give them the impression of moving.

But, it is also in terms of scenography (the benefit) and not really enhancing the story telling - however this can extend the projection frame and give more freedom to the animation - break the frame and try to merge the scene with the space where the gig takes place.

Where i want to go is more to enhancing the story telling that doesn’t mean those visuals more scenography oriented are not welcome. But i want first to work on the story telling and its enhancement as collective experience. And also, i choose to linked (parts) of the visuals and sounds in use in the Live performance

Not forgetting as well Live triggering which is obvious… i’m not found of the gloves idea to control the music… even if it seem really powerful. My idea is not to create a different or more powerful midi control… But more focus on interactions. Interactions within the audience, interactions between Sounds and Visuals. Interactions between Chaos, Probability and Me, to make things more interesting for me as well…

The idea to play my tracks differently each time is also what i like in Live. I always loved when a band make recreation of their classics in a way, the thing is very different to the original album state. Which can causes therefore issues with the story telling control - things can get messy. (or maybe the opposite and make things interesting …)

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:53pm

A Whole Story versus Modular Live Performance (part 7)

Sure i may loose an interesting aspects in the Live Performance is the Modular aspects of the session. A Live Performance that reorients itself according to the audience (a bit like a dj set) seems to me an obvious advantage. Especially since, it is a little in this sense that I create my music, it is quite diverse.

If i take advantage of this, every track goes with it’s own part of the story telling. Re-organizing on the fly break the logics in the story - as i view as a progression. Therefore, i can “on the fly” opt for a different form of the tracks, a different flavour. (like a different edit version - club version , breakbeat version, dark version or something like that) the groove and the feeling are different but it may not broke the main thread if associated with the Main theme and development…

(I may expand this text according to my progress because this point is still ambiguous in my head)

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:53pm

Changing the perspective/point of view of the Audience sonically (part 8)

It’s also something interesting. Sure you can’t do that too much… But, we can move from normal state to underwater, a different space (room > hall > space)
invent different sonic results > in a dream…
like macro-photography > in the body (at a medical level with microscope visuals or mimic it), or materials at a different level of zoom
Music can follow this Visual phases

I remember a track of Alex Kid who done that in a way… where we pass from the dancefloor to the toilet (french kiss recreation)… and it was kind of funny. Simple but effective - we perfectly imagine the place just with some processing reverb etc…

It can be something to push even more…

Note :
I usually wanted to experiment Ambient music underwater or in a swimming pool just to experiment it. i have a track where few sounds gives the idea or a mermaid singing - or whales maybe something creative to play with.

I remember also with Limonada i have done a movie clip to go along with a track we released… and i feel like some parts goes underwater… i done that in a more simple and loop way. but i felt this sonic interactions with visuals when listening the track so i do it…

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 2:53pm

Important references for the Story and Characters (part 9)

I remembering watching a tv show called zoo, i find the idea interesting with climat change. the idea behind the show was interestig, the way the show goes don’t pleased me. but that something i keep in mind

On the idea to have more path with the story i thought it would be better to imagine the characters, the polar bear became bipedal instead of quadrupeds. And i immediately thought to CosmoCat.

Sure from Cosmocats to X-Men “sabre-tooth tiger” or “Wolverine”, there’s just a step. Anyway what’s interesting is i can go acting, movie and make something with not too much budget but i need a good makeup artist

mqdefault cosmocats_8

Those idea can turn very nice with multiple style (different Cartoon style, 3D, Video + sFX), in the multiple movie sequences, where the sum of its part equal to a full Live Performance or a long movie.

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 3:13pm

Trigger of this desire to make a Multimedia Live (part 10)

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I worked with a friend’s wife, who’s choreographer. she has her dance school with several teachers and different genres. The end of year show but she wanted to improve a bit like a dance show. We worked together for several shows. For each edition it had its theme and then we worked together to find a guideline projected on a giant screen.

In general, we did not want to distract the viewer too much, so that they remained focused on the main thing, which of course is their children dancing. For the sake of timing, most of the time I worked on the visual loop. But in the last edition I tried to offer mini films, by playing the main characters of the show. These elements were projected moments before the entry of the dancers and the start of their choreography.

During the show, I was in charge of the projection and making sure that everything was in sync. It reminded me that I also made fireworks soundtracks with story telling.

Without a doubt, these experiences led me to want to merge my two passions in the sense of a necessity. a personal outcome since all these experiences were collaborations and my freedom of expression always shared.

What really appealed to me was the vibrations of the audience in this collective sensory experience, it is very intense emotionally, much more than just music. a little as if the neuro-conductors were much more solicited.

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 4:16pm

References for Story Telling, writing a script (part 11)

The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby

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Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland

PekeDorty · November 25, 2020, 4:45pm

Dude You ARE serious about this! Super interesting writeup — following with high interest!

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 5:03pm

Thanks pete !

I am rewriting my research and the different phases I went through to give a little idea of my different approaches and experiences relating to the subject. i will really soon make more post on the project itself.

really thanks to follow. When i have this idea, i knew that it would not interest everyone. (it’s lot to read too even if i try to organize as much as i can)

But maybe people with similar experiences or similar project will come and give their thoughts and experiences …

I also know it’s a lot of works and efforts… Time & Money are really difficult to handle in every artistic projects. we need to have a touch of madness to get started in this, I hope that I will make others want to get started…

cema · November 25, 2020, 7:58pm

Interesting story! Very ambitious project, now as you gave us some details about your background I can see you have all the knowledge, experience, wisdom, patience to make it happen.
Time and money as always to consider, best if you take these resources halved compared to what is in your optimal plan. Also, step-by-step, constant little progression, every puzzle has its place.
I also like your open diary style project view, I think it helps to look yourself more objective, somehow realistic. I would do this with my own projects, but too shy

William_WiLD · November 25, 2020, 8:04pm

Thank you for the encouragements @cema ! when i see your avatar i’m wondered if you were in something like that it felt like you playing with things onscreen behind … i like also the labyrinth overlay lights ! great avatar

cema · November 25, 2020, 8:50pm

oh, it’s real photo of me live acting with visual decorated my face… back in 2012, Mike Parker and Stanislav Tolkachev followed up, good memories, thanks

William_WiLD · November 26, 2020, 9:48am

Funny my friends book Stanislas in my town with Sascha Dive, Sergio Parrado, and other friends. it take place in Cargö @ Caen (Normandy - France) 30/11/2019

And Mike Parker is a graphic artist as well, i google it … very cool…

i listening a bit of your tracks as well … sounds cool cema

cema · November 25, 2020, 9:13pm

World is a small town I am proud we discovered him early, I guess it was maybe his second gig abroad. Super talented artist with a trademark signature sound.
Mike is also a true artist, both visual and sound (like you), totally live recorded and improvisative style, often starting with a paint sketch which inspires the sound - I like this holistic approach.

William_WiLD · January 6, 2021, 5:59pm

Little collaborative study started here (Part 13) :

If you want to collaborate - thanks by advance