Something I've been pondering lately in line with my Tech Sessions Vol.1 mix release ([url]http://blipswitch.net/node/])..

Ableton Aesthetics

Ableton Live software is arguably one of the most important developments in electronic music over the last decade. It has re-defined how countless users think of music, both in terms of production and performance. In my own case, this software has literally replaced just about every piece of hardware equipment in my recording studio, rendering them almost entirely useless. Among this list, sadly, are my turntables.
The practice of DJing as we know it is now undergoing a dramatic paradigm shift. Traditionally, we think of DJing as the linear transitioning from one piece of music to another to build a larger musical unit (the set). New developments, like Serato Scratch, have allowed DJs to access digital music formats while still allowing for control by turntable. Ableton Live, for those that are willing, challenges the linear model of traditional DJing. There are no longer any physical limitations on how many pieces of music you can commandeer for a “transition”—there aren’t any turntables, just an unlimited amount of channels for whatever audio you choose. Furthermore, the software has even brought the idea of the “transition” into question. If we are no longer limited by 2-3 turntables as a performance apparatus, why should we remain subscribed to their associated style of linear mixing? We are now dealing with the possibilities of large-scale collage.
In Tech Sessions vol.1, my recently finished mix being released by INgrooves, one is hard-pressed to find any moment when less than 3 individual pieces of music are not being layered together. There are even times when up to 6 pieces are being brought into the musical flow. Nevertheless, transitional thinking is still necessary. In the end, whether we are using one piece in its entirety or a composite of elements from a few different pieces, the artist still needs to be able to get from one section to another. The point is: we are no longer being forced to think about transitions on a track by track basis.
It is still important, however, that performers consider the particular demands that specific genres place on transitional capabilities. For example, minimal tracks are certainly capable of being dissected and stacked amongst up to 5-6 other pieces. Layering more than two Dubstep or Electro selections, however, would most likely result in an aural mess. Sometimes the “fast cut” methodology can be much more appropriate. In this sense, it is interesting to note how certain genres are perfectly suited to traditional DJ equipment. Why bother with Ableton Live if you’re spinning Hard House and specialize in fast cuts? Over the course of Tech Sessions, one will find that both the density (meaning the number of tracks being collaged) and mixing style will adjust based on what type of music is being brought into focus.
The mix begins with predominately minimal tracks and maintains this focus for some time. As a result, the density of the mix in this section is rather thick, with 3-5 pieces in constant circulation. Later on, around CD division 16, when the focus has shifted to GenderFix’s “Expect Sex,” a breaks track, less tracks are used, the “layering” approach is minimized (in favor of letting the track play on its own, unaltered), and the rate of transition is slowed considerably. The same can be said for the final sections of the mix when Hard Techno is brought into the forefront. Here, we see a perfect example of the “fast cut” style at work. In the second-to-last CD division, however, a different approach is used as a huge build-up of chaotic sound is generated. Yes, we are dealing with Hard Techno, but this is the end of the mix, and why not pull out all the stops? Seven tracks are brought in (many being pieces already used in other areas of the mix), and each are subject to extreme amounts of delay and reverb. The result is a chaotic web of intensity, which eventually subsides as we are carried through to the end by the beautiful deep synth washes of Rocha & Lewinger’s “Libelula.”
Another great advantage of the Ableton approach is the replicable nature of the performances. The screenshots I have provided on Blipswitch and in my blog are as close to a modern incarnation of “Sheet Music” for the Ableton performer as I can think of. Fans and experimenters, given access to the necessary pieces of music, can literally reconstruct these mixes for themselves using the Arrangement window data just as a pianist reads from a score at the piano. As a trained composer, I can also testify to the fact that when I’m working on these mixes, the feelings I get are remarkably similar to those I might have had when working on my first Chamber Symphony for example. The similarities are uncanny. Furthermore, this new approach has allowed me to bring many of the compositional techniques I have studied in the past to this new medium. In fact, I oftentimes describe this practice simply as “live composition.” The only difference is scale: instead of dealing with individual notes, we now are dealing with larger musical blocks in the form of already through-composed pieces.
In a recent blog I discussed the connections of Post-Modern art with Ableton Live mixes and the practice of DJing in general. The great Post-Modern literary figure John Barth wrote his novels as an exploration and re-interpretation of previous writer’s works and styles. The Sot-Weed Factor, for example, delves into the 18th century classic Tom Jones by Henry Fielding), Tech Sessions is similar in that it presents new experiences of these pieces as they are combined and juxtaposed among other tracks in the mix. I have become so fond of some of these collages in fact, that nowadays I often have difficulty hearing the individual pieces by themselves. I constantly find myself missing the drum-machine toms of Sigardino’s “Apufox” everytime the first breakdown of L3ktr0fuck3r’s “Hawaii Killer” is finished.
Albeit this practice is not entirely new. 20th century Italian composer Luciano Berio could be considered to have created the first “DJ mix” in his marvelous piece "Sinfonia." Berio’s piece is a symphonic work commissioned by Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic in the late sixties. It is literally a stringing together of quotations from other pieces of music. Just to name a few (and I mean a few), the piece quotes from Mahler, Ravel, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Brahms. It also includes a part for Narrator that includes text from Samuel Beckett and James Joyce among others. Of course, there is a great deal of original musical material involved, but it is essentially a collage-piece.
Richie Hawtin has also been exploring the possibilities of this new frontier in his DE9 mix series for some time. And this brings us to an important point: there is no one right way to do it. A comparison of Tech Sessions to one of Hawtin’s mixes shows just how personal these differences and practices can be. It is a true testament to the universality of Ableton Live software. In a room full of 10 different performers, you will inevitably find 10 different approaches, styles, and aesthetical biases.
But there will always be those who are quick to dismiss new developments in music (there always have been). “Laptop performances” are among the most controversial topics in the electronic music scene today. Not many people have a problem with producers doing “Live” performances with a notebook, but “DJing” with it? For some, this is a rather tall order. One objection I have heard time and time again is: “Well, Ableton keeps everything in time and makes it easy to mix things together. So what are you really doing up there?”
I would say, first of all, that, yes, Ableton Live does keep everything in time; we no longer have to deal with the pitch-control or beat matching. (Nevermind that we still have to spend hours warping/preparing the audio ahead of time) But is this really that important? Mind you, I’ve paid my dues on the decks for a long time now. What some need to realize is that, while beat matching certainly takes a great deal of practice and skill, it is still, for the most part, the mechanical aspect of DJing. There really isn’t much creativity involved in matching two tempos when you get down to it. In this sense, Live’s control of tempos actually enhances one’s creativity, for it frees up the performer’s concentration during a set so that they are able to shift their focus elsewhere. The second objection (that Live “makes it easy to mix”) is simply invalid. In a recent conversation, it was suggested that Ableton makes the use of EQ’s during a set unnecessary. I would argue that in this environment, the EQ’s become more important than ever. With 4-5 pieces being heard simultaneously, literally the only way to keep things from becoming a mess is by rigorous use of the EQ. Taking a look at the screenshots from Tech Sessions, one can see that the EQ controls are in almost constant fluctuation. This allows the performer to focus in on areas of the mix and ensure comprehensibility among the parts. Ableton Live places a whole new set of demands on the electronic performer.
We are now exploring a whole new frontier in music and staring the future of our art right in the face. Music has always tended to progress alongside technology. The piano changed the output and concentrations of composers considerably in the 18th century, the electric guitar was a revolution in itself. I believe Ableton Live will someday be viewed along these lines. Its revolutionary capabilities will almost certainly be embraced by the masses when the time comes. We live in a very exciting time and I suggest we take advantage!