The perfect set: A permanently consistent but surprising performance creating visual patterns as a simultaneous translation of the corresponding musical sequences, which is instantly understood, accepted and positively answered by all participants.
This might sound abstract, but how do you verbally explain a completely nonverbal conversation about the universe that exists within each sequence of four, eight or sixteen beats? Not to mention that the participants could be perfect strangers with no common language but music. Not so easy without the use of another medium just as effective transporting “immaterial” information as music. Like visual arts – supposed visuals could be generated by some sort of musical instrument. Linking a MIDI controller to imaging hardware instead of tone generators does a part of the trick. Beat counters, stop-motion like video frame triggering and real-time audio analyzers do another part. The factor that does the rest is rather hard to describe without the use of new-age buzz-words like “synesthesia”. Some people use the word “virtuosity” for what seems to be the very same thing to me. Musicians usually prefer the word “practice”.
According to this, any attempt to document a VJ’s work in a decent way on "dead" or static media as paper, written words or even videoclips, appears to be an idle thing: Performance -which I consider the only relevant form of output for a VJ- is alway live, existing in it’s original form just for an instant, a flick of the lid or for a frame’s duration. Static, pre- or postproduced content can only be seen as an imitation the real, live thing.
Just plain words, nevertheless, would be even less adequate than reproducing or exposing the static content. So please consider the videos on this site as an momentary collection of clips, comparable rather to doodles or pre-studies than to a finished piece of arts. Be assured that these clips wera uploaded without a thought on "marketing " or any other "serious" issues- they are as the were in the whim of a nightly cutting spree, as intended or unexpected club take – possibly incidentially found on YouTube- raw cuts in any state between freshly collected footage or half-cut which seemed representative, funny or interesting to me for any reason. Nothing here is thoughtfully selected in some sort of PR strategy or even produced for presentation. Advertising people, "conservative" CG professionals or editors might produce stuff like this – I don’t.
I am just a VJ.
2: Excerpt from Electronic Washroom (Insektorama)
3: AX11 – Persistence
4: AX11 – X-Incarnation (Reel 2005)
Biography
- 1986 first live set as rhythm guitar, second live set: "synthesizer" (CBM C64, guitar FX)
- 1990 engaged in various "electronic" projects initially with two bandmates, three AMIGA 2000s, sampler, DAT, guitars
- 1998-2001 studies in architecture, including academical classes in visual arts, applied geometry and CG
- 2003 debut as a VJ on a mid-sized Berlin Psytrance event, equipped with a handful of Linux-scripts, way too few clips and plenty of enthusiasm. Stuck with it.
- 2007 Releases: Kicking In (April), Persistence EP (August)
- the Asterisk-project (VoIP) adapts some tracks from "Kicking In" for an online-demo
- 2008 Release: Leviathan
- 2009 Doomsday Morning, Departure Maxi
- -2009 around the clubs as live act and VJ; sets with (among plenty of others) Antigen, Charles Tone, Eltron, Exanimo, Humanoid, Influxx, jarendo, Jojodyne, Jorgk, JoNaz, Krisae, Marcel Cluso, Moarice, Momo, Nanday, Plastic People, raumagent alpha, Shawnodese, Tanith…
Screenshot: Blender 2.46 (Linux/x86)
So far…
A VJ-set is -supposed you do it right- not less of a challenge than a live-act – as far as I can tell after 20 years as guitarrist, basser (not to mention the rather experimental line-ups) and four years as a VJ. En contraire: As a musician you usually know where the music is going to; as a VJ you have to rely on your own understanding of music and on the common sense of the musical part of the set; if the latter is consistant in its expression, mood and direction that’s not a problem: the groove will find it’s way – and the party rocks…
I don’t want to tell much about "empty" sets without any message or without the ability or intention to express themselves – or about sets getting ruined by bad luck or technical failures – fortunately there were not too many of those. Everyody knows them – and whenever you forget that there’s bad luck you will remember soon… Supersitious?! Who? Me?!
Booking inquiries
Artist: Fon +49 30 42018932 – Fax: +4930.33090480 Mail: booking at ax11.de – VoIP/SIP: thomas.amm@ekiga.net
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