Aside from the lack of interesting visuals (out of my control, as I was told I couldn't do anything flashy), I'd love to hear ideas on how to spice up my live performance. I know I need to look up and engage the audience more, and to pump them up. what else?
Offline
New York City
jefftheworld wrote:
pump them up
Last edited by akira^8GB (May 20, 2010 7:22 pm)
Offline
Milan, Italy
For the audience is really important to see the gameboy; remember to take it in your hands when you have time.
..the "just press start and jump around" approach works well. 
When i perform live i usually love to play first a very minimal song to receive a reaction like "lol.. look, he's playing with a gameboy" and then I go crazy and I do some MAXIMAL stuff to impress anyone "wtf is this still a gameboy? awesome". (noone gets impressed tbh, but i like to try it eheh)
May i see a pic of the strange black dmg you're using in the opening video!?
edit: this is my favourite starting song. 
http://www.trebledeathsystem.com/tracks/348
Last edited by arottenbit (May 20, 2010 9:36 pm)
Offline
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
arottenbit wrote:
For the audience is really important to see the gameboy; remember to take it in your hands when you have time.
..the "just press start and jump around" approach works well.When i perform live i usually love to play first a very minimal song to receive a reaction like "lol.. look, he's playing with a gameboy" and then I go crazy and I do some MAXIMAL stuff to impress anyone "wtf is this still a gameboy? awesome". (noone gets impressed tbh, but i like to try it eheh)
May i see a pic of the strange black dmg you're using in the opening video!?
edit: this is my favourite starting song.
The intro clip on the video there was actually projected and played to the audience so that they understond vaguely what was about to happen.
What I really want to push myself to to is move around more and get the audience more pumped about the music. I find it easy to do when I'm doing a small setup with no table, but as soon as there's a table and a few effect units between me and the audience I feel I don't move nearly as much, it sucks the energy out of me. However, there are a lot of seongs where I use the units and table and can't really just get rid of them.
As for the Game Boy you asked about:
It's just a handy carry case for a Game Boy, it also has this blast shield thing that you can put on that flips down to cover the screen. I usually take that off, though, because it blocks my RCA jacks when flipped up.
Last edited by jefftheworld (May 20, 2010 10:02 pm)
Offline
New York City
arottenbit wrote:
For the audience is really important to see the gameboy
Offline
Eugene, OR
Just try to engage the audience more. I agree with arottenbit... They like to see the gameboy! btw... I love those handy carry cases!
Offline
Milan, Italy
jefftheworld wrote:
I find it easy to do when I'm doing a small setup with no table, but as soon as there's a table and a few effect units between me and the audience I feel I don't move nearly as much, it sucks the energy out of me. However, there are a lot of seongs where I use the units and table and can't really just get rid of them.
ahah.. i've got this table problem too. I hate tables. 
When i perform with effects i usually play at a side of a table, not the back. So i can stay in front of the audience without any barrier i just have tu turn 90° to use the stuff.
..but recently i just stay in the front of the table and i dont use effects at all (since i see that people really dont cares about them).
akira^8GB wrote:
arottenbit wrote:For the audience is really important to see the gameboy
It's important, trust me.
I hate when i have to play behind a console/dj table because people don't see what i'm only using to make music.
Offline
PDX, PDX
Get off the stage and get on the floor with the crowd. I've done this and it gets people closer to you, both physically and emotionally. Dan Deacon used to do this to great effect. I suppose you just need to worry about people touching your shit.
I use an especially long 1/8" RCA cable so I can dance with the crowd with my Gameboy still rocking. Also, I don't think I would be able to take the whole crowd sitting down for the show. I need some energy back from the crowd to give 110%.
Offline
UK
Who are you to define what a music performance is? Music is what the individual him/herself makes out of it and how the music is defined. Not by a set of rules that 'may' improve the aesthetic or presence of your show. Rather than the question of 'How do I improve my live performance?' ask first 'Why do I make music?'
Ultimately the only way you really learn is by experience, practice and trial and error. Be yourself, because no-one is doing that?
Offline
Milan, Italy
mechlo wrote:
I need some energy back from the crowd to give 110%.
This is really important. Even alcohol.
But i have to agree with CS, just be yourself and have fun.
Offline
São Paulo, Brazil
I have a very basic opinion about all of this: it's better to stay still and play better music than the opposite.
Offline
uhajdafdfdfa
"play"
/me raises eyebrows
edit: on that note, you might try taking a musical instrument on stage with you - I know I would find that more interesting.
Last edited by ant1 (May 21, 2010 1:20 pm)
Offline
New York City
PULSELOOPER wrote:
I have a very basic opinion about all of this: it's better to stay still and play better music than the opposite.
Offline
PDX
This is a weird vid because the surroundings are not intimate at all. You got a damn good response from these people considering you are so far away from them. It looked like a talent show or something, not an atmosphere you'd encounter often, I'd think.
From the perspective of a random viewer, I thought your fast movements were cool and your rolled up sleeves made you look like some insane Game Boy magician which I liked, since it put the focus on your hand movements. What I felt was lacking was a connection to YOU, because all I saw was the top of your head. I think a single scanning look and maniacal grin and an indication that you were having fun and enjoying yourself (some killer head bobs) would've gotten you another one of those screams, because these people were eating out of your hands already. Once you have them hooked, you've already won, and you can do whatever you want, so just have fun with it.
People don't care what you are doing as long as you are entertaining them.
If you get a bunch of people in a room to watch your shit somehow, I think to most of them, it is going to be a novelty. They don't know a Game Boy DMG from a fucking tuna can. The don't know if you are "playing it live" or running it off an iPod, and honestly, they don't care. They just want to hear some good music and have fun. So the only thing that was missing was the appearance of you having fun, because it looked like your hands were shaking and that you were on the verge of nervousness, unless that was just the video.
And a comment in general, not to your performance -
If you are so fucking cool that everyone there is there to see YOU and your name is Richard D. James, then you can just stand there and people will give you hummers on the front row even if you're catatonic.
But if someone is standing up there like a statue, like they're on break from serving lattes, what's the point of me -me being the average person that somebody dragged to a chip show even though I don't even know what the hell that means- being there? If someone doesn't seem interested or enthused by their own music, I'm not going to be inspired either, regardless of the hundreds of hours put into the tech and composition. So take the average listener and the same music, put a person up there that seems to be getting into it and having a good time (or putting on a rabbit mask or holding a bottle of Jack in the air, ANYTHING) and then Joe Listener is going to tell every person he knows, "Dude, TerdStar is the best fucking chip artist on the planet!"
The most common thing I hear from people I tell about chip music is, "it all sounds the same," so what will set you apart? Music is a drug, and you are a drug dealer, so give them a reason to have faith in your product.
Last edited by RushCoil (May 21, 2010 2:37 pm)