When it comes to experimental music, there is a very thin line between noise and sound.
The real distinction between top and average artists lies exactly in their ability to play on the edge of such a line, neither pushing it too far nor lingering in the comfort, predictable zone. On March 2nd, 2016, Sonic Youth founding member Lee Ranaldo and Brooklyn electric guitar quarter Dither showed us how it’s done: they managed to keep the balance and give an impressive, avant-gardist performance at the Ecstatic Music Festival hosted by the Kaufman Music Center in New York.
The Ecstatic Music Festival, defined as “a kind of heaven for show-goers in search of the ever-elusive, one-of-a-kind live music experience” by The Village Voice, is now running its sixth edition, and is currently taking place at the Merkin Concert Hall, a venue renowned for its cutting-edge programming.
The performance was held in an elegant, yet cozy auditorium; the pre-show atmosphere was relaxed, yet quite formal, more resembling a theater than a wild concert location; the audience mostly consisted of couples going out for an alternative date, nostalgic middle-aged Sonic Youth fans, and hard-to-please peop
e simply looking for something new to be impressed with. (They were not disappointed).
Dither opened up the show. Resembling a string quartet, the four electric guitarists positioned on stage, and allowed no space for small talk: music began and it soon filled the entire venue – the acoustic was so refined that allow
ed for a 360° sensorial experience. They performed four songs, each composed by a different member, each retaining a peculiar feel, which ranged from Tibetan melodies, to more aggressive rock-ish rhythms or experimental classical sonatas. Drones, distorted notes, audio feedbacks, and white noises hit the audience; yet, among those seemingly chaotic and dissonant sonic textures you could definitely discern intelligent and amusing patterns. Indeed, they played extensively with dynamics, and based their music on suspended atmospheres, unexpected twists, engaging crescendos, and built-up, overlapping layers: it really felt like the sounds were just enfolding and evolving before your eyes. The result was a psychedelic, aerial trip.
Lee Ranaldo soon joined them on stage, and you could tell that a perceivable sense of anticipation arose in the audience. With the accompaniment of drummer Brian Chase, they performed three songs – the “Hurricane Trancriptions”, based on field recordings made by Ranaldo in New York during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, were the most striking – at such an intensity that you could easily mistake them for a full orchestra. Though, at one point, they really became one as Ranaldo turned himself into a conductor.
The show ended on a more pop, easy-listening note with new Ranaldo’s song, “Thrown Over The Wall”, which offered the audience some catchy hooks to sing along while going home. And yet, the overall purpose of the night was another: to create something new, challenge mainstream taste, and intrepidly walk on the edge of music.
my sound(e)scape 