The Anxious PA - LIVE - Need your input!!!

It's about to happen, Live In Brazil. End of July. If it goes well, we'll take it even further... But this is the start...

I believe this will be a PA that blow ppl's minds, and really take our sound forward. Chrissi and I are working our asses off on this. Don't think I've slept properly for 2 months. But really need to know these q's FROM PPL WHO ARE NOT PRODUCERS:

1) When you go to see a PA, what do you expect?
2) When you go to see a PA, do you want to hear orginal tracks (ie the exact same tracks on the vinyl you buy) or released tracks put together on a mixing desk as best as possible, or would you prefer it all remixed and made different, or tracks you've never heard before?
3) How would you want 'The Anxious' PA????

Who love to hear your thought on this guys.

This is a q to NON producers (but if you approach this from a non-producer standpoint then OK, I'll forgive you hahaha)..

;)

I think I'd best like to hear spontaneous mixes with the original parts...

I sorta think about it like this:

DJs will be playing the vinyl mix.

If you simply play those versions of all your tracks.. you mind as well have spun a DJ set with your stuff exclusively...

So make it YOUR show. The best possible expression of the track that you can come up with at that moment. Make it something where people will want to come hear you do your LIVE version of the tracks.. not the set in stone vinyl version.

Something that they won't hear anywhere else ;)


Just my $0.02 :lol:

That being said.....


BRING IT!!!! :lol: :lol:

Personally, I would love to hear a mixed set, of tracks I knew mixed with stuff I didn't.

A PA from you guys would be awesome, your energy and presence would make for an experience to say the least, I'm sorry but I haven't seen Chrisi on stage, but you'd pretty much feed off each other eh?

Option 2

live PAs are often simulated dj sets with people behind a laptop...not my thing. i don't want to hear the tracks as they are on vinyl. i want the performers to really mess with their music...make it as original an experience as possible.

When I`m there for dancing, I just don`t care.
I won`t trainspot or come and stare at the PA to see what is being done.
When I`m right in front of them speakers, gettin down, as long as the music is clear, rocking, and does enough to keep me interested and surprises me then that`s cool.
I don`t expect a live PA to involve spontaneous live jazz drumming and what not, just good music.
If all the music that just rocked me provides a journey, and is by one artist, then even better.

Hello Mark,

I play Live and have done so for 4years.
I focus on playing live from machines and dont use a laptop because it is too demanding of my attention and tends to draw you in too much so that you cant focus on the people as much. It seems that it isnt very favourable and has a stigma attached that makes people think you may be copping out.

So, I play my stuff from machines and those machines are the same ones that i use to produce tracks from for release. Its a sort of system that i have developed over time. That way when I play live my tracks are open to improvisation to suit the gig. The tracks are similar to the ones I produce for release but can be played with Live to either ramp them up or minimalise them. They are similar because the machines have all the parts to the produced tracks.

As a punter (puts cap on), i expect to see someone using equipment as an instrument and play their personal style of music. I dont expect to hear the released version but i know it will be similar. I listen for the personality from the artists and the showmanship of them enjoying the Live delivery of their tracks. usually this means that they will enhance hook lines from their tracks and do stuff like break down tracks to show-off a bassline or a vocal. I like to see them knowing their stuff and the enjoyment of really driving it home for the punters. i guess its like how a band will get a break to do a solo etc.

I dont know much about your sound or your PA as I havent come across it yet, but i am sure you are good and will seek out some of your stuff.

I guess most of all Mark, you should let your personality come through and have a natural ability to connect to the punters and enjoy the art of showmanship. The rest will follow.

Enjoy :)

i think its great to hear tracks that everyone knows, twisted up a bit. its also good to hear new material, stuff you cant get on record, i think that makes the live pa a bit more special.

definately change the records ever so slightly & keep each show different from the last one (ie different remixes, running order etc)

keep people interested.

as a listener to live PA, i really think that you must be a performer above all else - connecting with the audience is absolutely the primary aim of live music.

its all been said already...there has to b elements of "live" shit, tweeking
and twisting fukin the sound right up...if i was to hear your
tracks come out them speakers exactly like they are on vinyl
id b dissapointed!


cant wait all the same tho...hurry up!! :clap:

Technical, chin-stroking stuff aside...

I think mixing up original stuff with known tunes is the way forward. You can be clever, but still give people some recognisable hooks etc. to hang on.

But... the key thing is eye candy. No-one wants to watch you and think "he could be checking his emails for all I know". i.e. get AT LEAST a hardware controller. Maybe one of those AirFX things - I bet that looks funky.

i agree with dirtybass, when im dancing away i could hardly care less, i just wasnt a nice clear sound that builds and drops on the right places.

but i have to say, its nice when you hear someone changing the songs around a little here and there, maybe playing the odd song you've never heard before aswell

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TechMouse

Technical, chin-stroking stuff aside...

I think mixing up original stuff with known tunes is the way forward. You can be clever, but still give people some recognisable hooks etc. to hang on.

But... the key thing is eye candy. No-one wants to watch you and think "he could be checking his emails for all I know". i.e. get AT LEAST a hardware controller. Maybe one of those AirFX things - I bet that looks funky.

---

i used one of them on my live set. good bit of kit - bit peaky on the rez tho, if you arent carefull you can hurt people when filtering with it. The best bit is that you can screw it on to a mic stand, which is a damn good idea, as the amount of times i had it on stage and passed me hand over the top accidentally... :roll:

For a live PA I'd much rather there was a combination of well known stuff and new stuff and it was mixed such that it fits in with what you want. I've heard a few PA's that are just carbon copies of released stuff done live which were good and I've heard ones where it's been really jammed up together and messed about with, which are also very good.

Both sides have their positives and their drawbacks, just playing carbon copies of tunes you aren't doing anything you couldn't have done with the vinyls so people don't feel it's as truely 'live' as it could have been, jamming it up freestyle means some people will be pissed off with tunes being changed about or whatever.

I the end though I think a mix between the two works out best, you (hopefully) know what your most popular tunes are so you can use these tracks and just lamp them fairly straight out twisting them up a bit but not too much and use that time during your set as a breather so you can plan out how to turn stuff inside out afterwards.

As for all new tracks and stuff. Nothing wrong with it per se, but people do expect to hear certain tracks from people, well known signiture tracks especially. It doesn't mean it can't work though, I mean last year I saw Subhead and I'm a great fan of their filthy take on wonky techno and I hadn't heard a single track before, but I still loved it to bits.

In the end though I think you are best just telling everyone else to **** off and doing what you want to. No point really going out of your way to appease someone, if they are coming to you then they are interested in what you are doing so the idea of worrying over stuff once you've kcked your PA stuff off the ground is a bit unwarranted.

I can only give my bedroom DJ point of view.

Q1) When you go to see a PA, what do you expect?

A: I would expect a mixed set in the style of the DJ who is performing it BUT with the addition of a personalised heavy touch, say: a) a track remixed live + samples, loops, bits n'bobs b) intros, outros, voiceovers, tongue in cheek references

Q 2) When you go to see a PA, do you want to hear orginal tracks (ie the exact same tracks on the vinyl you buy) or released tracks put together on a mixing desk as best as possible, or would you prefer it all remixed and made different, or tracks you've never heard before?

A: I'd love to hear a bit of everything, it all depends on the structure that the DJ/producer wants to give to the performance. So, a well known original track with a surprise intro and an added new killer bassline or hook; or a never heard remix full of character (Brazil - techny latin rythmes - they might either love it or hate, depending on how is done).
No probs with tracks never heard before

Q3) How would you want 'The Anxious' PA????

A: I'd like the performer to enjoy what he/she is doing, being confortable and confident (therefore without trying to be too clever and/or different or trying too many tricks) and playing the set in a way that would maximise his/her character and style. I'd not be too interested in seeing he/she mixing on 6 decks with one hand and preparing dinner for 8 guests at the same time.
Personally I'm not a great fan of trancey keyboard sounds.

:dance:

Take yer loops, do whatever u need to do with them, and make it rock :rambo:

Non producer point of view...

If I'm out dancing, then as people said - don't really care as long as it sounds good and gets me going.

Producer point of view (sorry) but it is also something I like to hear...

I'm working on trying to take bits from tunes I've done and Mash them up in the sense of have all the parts seperate and on seperate machines and then play what takes my fancy ie be able to for example have the drums from one tune and the hook from another and the bass from another at the same time so it messes with the heads of people who know the stuff trying to work out what's what...

As a punter, I like to hear shit I haven't heard before, top quality music that really thumps or makes an impact with strategic placement of tracks I do know, thrown in and changed around/mixed differently or combined with other tracks... and theres gota be visible physical interaction and tweakage.
Doesn't matter what gear is being used as long as there is that interaction with both gear and crowd...