Christoper Willits doing his thing. (photo by Jan Kruml)


Excellent electronic music certainly moved the crowds at this year's Decibel Festival, but when sound intersected with light, we most impressively glanced into the future. Multi-media artists provided inspiration that lasts long after the event ends.   BY IAN RICH

With a broad range of talent from near and far, the 2009 Decibel Festival brought it home to Seattle. Attendants were able to explore the ways technology can be used creatively in the ever-intertwining fields of music, visual art and performance. The vital aspect of Decibel is in the connections made between fans, artists and educators to form a community focused on innovation and collaboration in the development of meaningful experiences (not to mention really good music). Musical highlights at the festival included veteran dub producer Mad Professor, who had us swimming in a sea of delay populated by fat, soothing bass lines. Benga, from the UK, spun irresistibly booty-shaking dubstep records with that characteristically huge, wobbling bass nearly blowing my pants off. Mala, another dubstep pioneer, created a dark, intense atmosphere with his “chamber music.” Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC Radio 1: Experimental played fresh, boundary-pushing music. Choice party environments made the music sound even better as Gaslamp Killer threw down an eclectic, high-energy set for a big crowd at Volunteer Park, my favorite venue, and deep house DJs rocked the boat—literally—at the Future Funk H2O double-decker party.

Setting Decibel apart from most music festivals was the dbConference held at the Seattle Art Museum. The conference consisted of workshops, film screenings, a lecture on sound installation, and a panel discussion—all with free admission. I attended two of the workshops during the conference. On Thursday, the session on multi-touch interfaces featured two means of interfacing with a computer that go beyond pushing buttons or clicking a mouse. Portland-based Fashionbuddha Studio demonstrated their homemade multi-touch screen (see video below), built with a camera and short-range projector inside a box with a translucent top. The projected surface becomes a touch sensitive display that can be used for interactive visual art, a virtual music controller, or any combination thereof. Randy Jones of Madrona Labs talked about his work on a force-sensitive controller designed for “intimate control” of electronic music, recreating the intuitive relationship one can have with acoustic instruments such as a hand drum. He demonstrated a DIY version of the device (see image above, to the left); the data being modeled on the computer to respond acoustically like a hand drum. Both presentations emphasized the fact that these exciting platforms could be built by anyone with some motivation and a relatively small investment compared to the price of similar commercial devices.

Multitouch MIDI controller from fashionbuddha on Vimeo.

The next workshop was on Friday, where the amicable Christopher Willits demonstrated his guitar signal processing techniques using a mixture of hardware and software. He walked us through each step along the path of the signal; from the initial raw sounds to the looping, layering and effects he applies to create melodic soundscapes and rhythmic structures (see a similar instruction in the video below). His enthusiasm and open, sharing attitude lent an encouraging breath of fresh air to the introverted atmosphere sometimes found around electronic music. The workshops were a great opportunity for music producers and fans to see some of the work that takes place behind the scenes of professional artists and interface makers.

XLR8R TV Ep. 111: What You Talkin' Bout Willits? Part 11 from XLR8RTV on Vimeo.

The “Optical” showcases were another unique feature of the festival, where electronic music composers cum visual artists displayed their cross-section of talents. Held in an auditorium and dinner theater settings, these featured musicians employing projected visuals to create a multi-sensory experience. Appearing again, Christopher Willits fused his music with images of the natural world changing in cycles along with the sound. Frank Bretschneider created a spellbinding array of projected particles that would morph simultaneously with his raw minimalist sound, forming a sort of literal visual translation of what we were hearing. The duo Mountains offered live processing and layering of acoustic instruments with field recordings to generate an intricate, organic sound. Combining the visuals of layered home-movie style video and abstract imagery, it made for a compelling performance. 

The Decibel Festival left me with an urge to go forth and create something myself, coupled with a feeling that it is really possible. The increasing availability of affordable hardware and software tools has democratized music and video production, allowing artists to set up a studio in their own home. The internet also plays a huge role, providing a means of education and a way to get your work seen and heard by people around the world. Check out the links below for more information on the festival, artists, and educational resources.


Decibel Festival
Madrona Labs
Fashionbuddha Studio
Mad Professor
Benga
Mala - Digital Mystikz
Mary Anne Hobbs
The Gaslamp Killer
Christopher Willits
Frank Bretschneider
Mountains