who do u think is the best live act today?

I realise this may be your own personal experience but may I disagree with this generalisation? Strongly? Thanks

Most trance these days is made inside the computer, as professional-quality music software is freely available on the internet. I'd say that almost NO 'little' artists use lots of keyboards and external hardware in their tracks. Back in the 90s this was the only way live sets could be done, for sure, but in recent years? No.

Most live acts today want to stand behind a big mixer because it helps them hide. Hide the fact that their li(v)e set is a sham, that they are pretending to be doing things they're not doing - lying, in other words. Without that mixer to stand behind, everybody would be able to see that the artist is doing jack shit, and of course that isn't a good way to get the crowd on your side, helping you pump up your ego. "I paid $30 to see a live performance, not someone dancing behind their laptop". They try and justify it by saying they're putting on a show for the dancefloor - but what kind of weak-assed show is it to pretend to be tweaking knobs on a mixer that anyone who cares to look can see isn't even plugged in? At least Eskimo isn't ashamed about the way he does it, standing on the DJ table with his "Gesture Show".

Check out a live act with a guitarist - is the performer hiding behind the mixer? No, because he's proud of what he's doing and wants people to see it.

At Life Festival in Ireland this summer, there was a huge mixer on the trance stage - just like there is at any other large party or festival where live acts are performing. Only one live act actually used it (and that with difficulty as it didn't even have any line inputs); for 95% of the festival the only thing plugged into it was the DJ mixer. Li(v)e acts plugged their laptops into this; one or two of them even brought MIDI keyboards with them, and one very big name even borrowed one of these keyboards and pretended to play it even though it wasn't plugged in to anything. Given that the dancefloor couldn't see this happen, one can only assume the deception was intended for those standing behind this performer.

When everyone, regardless of actual talent, can put on a li(v)e show like this, it contributes to an overall drop in quality of events and releases. This shit damages our scene.

Bottom line: It's a greed and ego thing. Live acts get paid more and receive more kudos from the dancefloor. It happens because people can get away with it so easily... because people say "it doesn't matter as long as the music is good".

Now I agree that the quality of the music coming out of the speakers is what really matters, and that a good performance can electrify the dancefloor, but this is more than possible without lying to the audience; surely a producer/DJ (which is about 90% of producers these days) totally getting off on dancing like a loon whilst DJing their own tracks is just as valid a performance (if not much, much more!!!)?

All and artist needs for a real, interactive, spontaneous, truly live set is a good laptop/soundcard and a couple of MIDI controllers; the whole lot can fit in your backpack. All the promoter would have to provide is a 16-channel mixer (obviously too small for those li(v)e acts trying to compensate for the size of their manhood) and an FX unit... hell, if you've got half a brain and a good enough laptop/soundcard you don't even need that! Look at Tom Cosm for a prime example. You wouldn't need a soundcheck because your levels are balanced inside the computer... real live sets can be even cheaper for a promoter than the fake ones, whilst being unique performances that partygoers will never forget.

If we tolerate dishonesty and arrogance on such a fundamental level of our scene then sorry, but we're fucked in the long term.

Does it matter? Well it obviously does to me! How about you?

On 2007-09-29 11:40, Zoolog wrote:
You seem very keen to discuss this subject over and over again, and i believe it has something to do with A. The way you do your own live set. B. Strange dodgy behaviour from other artists.

Im pretty much with Le Barde... Of course there are festivals who has a killer mixer that noone uses... do they pay for the transport of my entire set-up ? Do they have a sound guy ? Can they ensure that my equipment is fairly safe ? NO NO NO (maybe?) ! So why would i spend my time constructing a "live" setup groundbreaking in the interaction part, when the possibility wont be there....

There are many many layers in this, and creating music is the far most important... many producers are dj's BUT not all, the attitude you are bringing could perhaps scare some nice talent from the scene, because they would have to comply to A. and B. (C,D,E,F) in order to stand on a stage...

When all this is said i prefer a dude dancing behind a laptop DOING NOTHING... than some coked up jerk with a guitar.. ^^

Bill Hicks said:
When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking rocked. I don't care if they died in puddles of their own vomit. I want someone who plays from his fucking heart. "Mommy, mommy, the man that Bill told me to listen to has a blood bubble on his nose!" Shut up and listen to him play! The New Kids! "Hi we're the New Kids and we're so good and clean-cut..." (cocksucking noises) "We're so clean cut!" Seig Heil! Heil! Heil! A good clean country... Heil! Heil! Heil! (more cocksucking noises) Fuck that! I want my rock stars dead! I want them to fucking play with one hand and put a gun in their other fucking hand and go "I hope you enjoy the show!" (gun-fire noise) Yes! Yes! Play from your fucking heart!

On 2007-09-29 22:09, Magox wrote:
There is no doubt when passion is put into things it makes it all the more beautiful and real and these things you can definitely pick up and feel.

I use to listen to eddie vetter from pearl jam sing, and the guy gave it his all, and you could feel his passion behind every single lyric and with the fantastic voice he had it made it quite special. Even with Billy Korrigan from Smashing Pumpkins, the guy had maybe one of the worst voices that i have heard from a quality band, but yet his passion behind his lyrics help make them special.

Colin for a while now i think just about everyone has seen your passion to defend what you consider live sets. And after reading countless posts talking about this subject i feel that i understand a lil more what you are talking about. I know that you put incredible effort in providing what your fantastic live act, and i know that you feel slighted when other artists get the same or even more recognition for preparing and doing less than what you might do and i'm sure that pisses you off. But i have to say, and i think it is evident the majority of the people care about the sound rather than the live act. And even tho you are frustrated with this aspect, i think it might be a little unfair to say that a lot of these artists are lacking passion, i know you didnt directly say this, but you seem to be implying this, you have to consider that they had the desire to produce those tracks. It is not as if that those tracks that they produced magically appeared on their laptop, their was most likely a lot of love and energy and time put into the production of those tracks, and just because they don't make it "live" in your eyes doesn't mean that the music that they are playing is without soul or passion.

I think people that know your music appreciate what you do.


Remember, we are here for the sound and we are here to dance like no one is watching us.