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

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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.

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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...

I want a show when I see alive pa. I want to see the dj/producer not just the top of there head stuck in there equipment I want to see them feeding of the crowd and using that to fuel and direct the set.
I think that you need a blend of all 3 aspects of the tunes that your playing
1.tunes that every1 loves and knows as if they was playing them at home

2.remixing tunes throw the live pa, effects loops ect ect so that there is still that familiarity but you get that wow factor when you introduce something new that excites the dance floor

3. new unheard tunes/sounds always pushing the boundaries forwards you can ever go wrong with that


(but more of 2 and 3 imo )

well either work it out so you can make it up on the fly
( which is really difficult and requires lot's of prcatise and can result in a shit set if you don't clue into the crowd)
or pre arrange it and leave filter tweaks and effects to be done by hand
plus maybe a few extra angles so you can run some stuff live( e.g. an acapella) but the set will folw a predestined path and the arrangemenst for the songs will all be there.


up to you
those are your options.
i must say , i used to write tracks and play them at the same time live a few years ago , and whilst it is extremely unnerving and requires you to do it fairly often to stay on the ball.
once you get it right it is an exhilarating experience , and you'll play the best gigs of your life.

people make me laugh how they bleat on, because you dont have 10 looms and endless kilos of hardware its then less of a live because its a laptop, what a load of crap, ive done both and to be honest id take a laptop any day over hardware... ive been turned down by flight companies at the airport because of overweight, ive had to repair stuff before gigs with gaffa tape with minutes to go, ive spent endless amounts of money replacing trashed stuff. I could do easily more with a laptop and some controllers and effects than i could ever do with 200 kilos of hardware. i mean patterns are pre wrote anyway on the drum machines and various hardware sound modules, so whats the difference? you are changing the patterns, building up and down, yea and laptops can do that, lives not just about loops, theres a wicked midi side to it also which most people slatting it forget about. You can play synth stabs live in a hardware set, same in the laptop set up with the support of vsti, i can make a live by not even touching loops in ableton but just using vsti's. endless drum machines and endless 303 vsti's. So now is it a live ?

its classed as live in my books if theres someobody there changing the sound, however they choose to do this is upto the individuals involved

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Originally Posted by Heroes

people make me laugh how they bleat on, because you dont have 10 looms and endless kilos of hardware its then less of a live because its a laptop, what a load of crap, ive done both and to be honest id take a laptop any day over hardware... ive been turned down by flight companies at the airport because of overweight, ive had to repair stuff before gigs with gaffa tape with minutes to go, ive spent endless amounts of money replacing trashed stuff. I could do easily more with a laptop and some controllers and effects than i could ever do with 200 kilos of hardware. i mean patterns are pre wrote anyway on the drum machines and various hardware sound modules, so whats the difference? you are changing the patterns, building up and down, yea and laptops can do that, lives not just about loops, theres a wicked midi side to it also which most people slatting it forget about. You can play synth stabs live in a hardware set, same in the laptop set up with the support of vsti, i can make a live by not even touching loops in ableton but just using vsti's. endless drum machines and endless 303 vsti's. So now is it a live ?

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:clap:

100%

"live" just means you are doing it "live" as opposed to " prerecorded"
simple really isn't it.

I agree.
Just get on with it, and make it sound good.
As long as your not miming to a DAT then it`s cool beans.

i'm gonna give some highly technical advice...

make sure the set kicks maximum watts of @ss...

;)

this is brilliant guys, amazing advice. thank you so much :clap:

really, i wanted this post to tell me what ppl expect out of a PA. i would never, ever do that whole DAT thing, it's just not an option. this PA has to be live, but yeah, you can't be expected to make tracks up on the fly cause that's impo0ssible - my god how much of a genius would you have to be to do this?!?!!!

basically i know the effort I put in as a DJ, and as long as the PA matches that effort, I don't think you can go wrong. i think i'm gonna go with a mixture of new and old tracks, bunging loops in and creating riffs on the fly and making sure it's just not a simply 'laptop' show. sure we'll use laptops, but there'll be keyboards, effects, a mixing desk and all that sets a PA apart from the DJ experience.

respect to everyone who replied here, loooking forward to hearing some more!!!

when i'm hearing to some live pa, i don't want to hear something too complicated, especially from guys like you, i mean your music is straightgforward, so i expect your live pa will be something similar,. i think it's not too good for crowds when you're too busy with equipment making some riffs, stabs or whatever on the fly. and stick too much to it..
when i'm there for dancing, i want to dance, no matter if it's djset or livepa,. so, i want to hear it simple and effective instead of some pointless complicated structures..
i heard some artist who tend to do things too complicated, which is good in way of experimenting on fly,and so,,but i found it boring, because even the one element was perfectly reworked on fly,,rest was stillthe same and very boring,,hope you got my point...
i also think playing the tracks in the set,,is much much better than play them sepparatelly..
i'd advice your live pa shouldn't be too different than your djset. it has to bring something new,it's without a doubt,,but when we all love Mark EG making some crazy things behind the decks,,, what we'll do when you'll be just covered by some laptop sticked to some brand new perfect onfly riffs??
i think your djing is always gr8 show,,and my opinion is that it has to stay so,,no matter you're playing live or on decks...
i wish u good good luck,,,and looking forward to this new live pa show... cheers

heheh,i would expect hard,anxious tehno remix :twisted:
i think live Pa must include everything but not too much(original tracks,remixes,unreleased ones..well all together) :cool:

Not sure how this is in UK, here in Austria only guys who are DJs themselves would recognize if you play released tracks or non-released.
95 % of the party-crowd just knows some tunes like for example Hardcore Salsa or Schranz Slippy :lol:
I allways love to hear tracks I allready know when I`m visiting an event just as guest. I played together with Speedy J. 2 weeks ago and he played a track where I thought to myself, man, you got that tune, what`s that, and finally I recognized it and it was somehow really amazing.
Although I`m not such a big fan of Live-PAs, The Anxious LIVE would be something to look for, hope you`ll come to Austria one day ;)

When I go to a live PA, I expect tracks that are released allready so I have a feeling of "hmm, I know this tune, it rocks". But I also expect newt things so that I can think "hmmm, brilliant things to follow in the future" ;)
I also allways expect something "extra", in the means of samples, remixes, whatever, so that the live stays interesting.
I surely don't expect only a collection of self produced tracks nicely fitted together in a one hour set.

I've seen a lot of live PA's that are actually a bit boring after a while. So avoid being boring :lol:

a live PA also should have energy, intensity, imo.

good live PA's I saw are f.e. Patrick DSP's, Speedy J, the Advent, ... .

they all had just that little bit of "extra" I mentioned.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MARK EG

but yeah, you can't be expected to make tracks up on the fly cause that's impo0ssible - my god how much of a genius would you have to be to do this?!?!!!

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Matthew Herbert?

I dunno - some people get quite close.

Jamie Liddell as well

But yes, they are both in genius territory :D

Neil Landstrumm was doing some very cool stuff last time I saw him.

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Originally Posted by Mirsha

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

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This is the most bang on thing anyone has said in this thread....

i agree... i think when u start asking people what they'd like to hear etc within ur own PA then it all gets a bit "techno jukebox"..... just do your thing, if people dig it sweet, if they dont, their loss!

all depends on the edge you want?

keeping it clean and fresh, or taking it dirty and "illegal style"

for me, the man seb marx has an amazin live pa sound - he made noises i've never heard before.

we like to hear a few tracks we know.. mashed up (for instance opal's live performance of drok is insane compared to the vinyl) sorry more acid trance/techno..

and new material, and your energy - it will rock :clap:

good luck

If you did a 30 minute megamix of Stimulus on Planet Rhythm 41 that would keep me and my bro happy ;) :dance: :dance: :dance:

i think someone needs to end a live pa by setting their laptop on fire...

that would rock... :twisted:

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Originally Posted by djshiva

i think someone needs to end a live pa by setting their laptop on fire...

that would rock... :twisted:

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Or smashing it into the ground and beating it with a pair of headphones.... :rambo:

For an Anxious LIVE PA I only wanna hear Anxious tracks...

Even better if they are improvised versions of them... They don't have to be exactly like the vinyl... Its cool when they start up slightly different (with the main identifying elements intact of course) and while your dancing your wondering.. "hmmm is this BOA 4?" (for example)

-Johnny

i think that if you do a pa and just use the tracks as they were put on vinyl then you might aswell not. It's a great oppertunity to let people listen to your stuff in a way they've never heard them before. I do think that diversety is very important in pa's as most become boring after 30 minutes or so (for me) I think it's a great platform to experiment and show people how diverse you can be

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MARK EG

this is brilliant guys, amazing advice. thank you so much :clap:

really, i wanted this post to tell me what ppl expect out of a PA. i would never, ever do that whole DAT thing, it's just not an option. this PA has to be live, but yeah, you can't be expected to make tracks up on the fly cause that's impo0ssible - my god how much of a genius would you have to be to do this?!?!!!

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I don't think its a matter of genius so much as performance chops at whatever instrument you're using as a primary input. Having other people using controllers would help. Live makes it very possible, with the right set up to do some very comprovisational things in a very easy manner.

As for my PA from a dancing perspective, I want to hear someone that is going to take full advantage of thier increased ability to maniuplate the sound to bring phrases in and out in unique ways that still keep the groove going and my mind bent, bringing in new sounds mixed with old and full of feeling.

The last bit is by far the most important part, if you're into what you're doing that enthusiasm transmits more than anything else. So long as you're not like the guy I saw banging his head away while DJing whilst the shoes were carelessly flailing about in the dryer.

But I'm confident that wouldn't be the case :)

Either way I hope you guys come to the states and do this, i'd love to check it out.

Mark, making tracks on the fly ain't that tough bro. especially with 909, 808 or other hythm machines like this. they were made to be programmed on the fly. uncle jeff taught me that shit back in the dizay. if you hook up some outboard machines to your ableton rig you can have lots of fun improvising on the machines and structuring with ableton.

actually we've been messing with some of that shit.. might incorporate it in... rigged up the virus via my midisport and we were away... really cool.

:clap:

Aye... I'm doing that for my PA tonight..
Gonna start the set with a blank pattern on the machinedrum, with a kit I've designed beforehand.

That way at least I know that the sounds will interact with each other properly, but I can determine my tempo and style right on the spot.

;)