LEAH KARDOS

Using Ableton Live 8 Looper To Make My Own 'Alleged Dances'

Just now ordered a copy of Ableton Live 8 and I can't wait to get my mits on it!! From seeing what DJ Kutiman did using it to make the awe inspiring Thru-You youtube project, the capabilities of the Launchpad in live performance, to the completely awesome Ableton Looper application, I am very juiced up to write some music integrating this technology (and the temporal/improvisatory aspects that come with it) with more traditional instrumental score writing.

Kinda like what John Adams tried to do with his "Book of Alleged Dances" in the mid nineties with the triggering of prerecorded loops during string quartet performance, with Ableton you could create such loops on the fly while a performance is in progress... you could even bank these loops as they are made and re-trigger them in various combinations to create interesting textures and harmonic colours. Such exciting possibilities... and I imagine much more exciting and gratifying than watching a performance played along to pre-recorded material on CD (which, unfortunately, is what happened in the end to Adams' project).

I really love this idea of recording being temporal rather than definitive - to capture something quickly and manipulate it instantly. If only I could find a cellist who would be happy being my guinea pig for a day or two...