Oh God...my nightmare clash scenario has came to be...

[deschwah]

i just cant fkn wait.. really cant wait

as my mate left last night his parting words were fk steveie wonder, we're getting wrecked

ableton or bust

next

[sifi]

Fascinating to read about the inner workings of a dance-act "Live" set-up.

But does this mean essentially every live gig will be the "same"?

[toooldtoknowbetter]

I'm thinking Ray Davies in Avalon.

[sifi]

I'm thinking Ray Davies in Avalon.

[toooldtoknowbetter]

Maybe, but where?

It says Jackson Browne in Acoustic. Would they put the Kinkmeister on JazzWorld?

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

I'm thinking Ray Davies in Avalon.

[worthyraver]

Orbital play live using MIDI sequencers. This kind of sits in a very grey area between DJing and actual 'live' performance.

MIDI for the uninitiated, is electronic information generated by modern day sythesizers and drum machines at the same time as the keys are struck - each notes value, it's length, velocity etc can be recorded without actually storing the music itself.

Orbital painstakingly play each instrument, for each song, into the sequencers, seperated into as many loops and parts as they want. Each instrument has it's own track and can be triggered individually (they could strip a song right down to just the kick drum if they want) or as a whole song part (the bridge for example) with all required instruments playing. The sequencers hold no musical notes themselves but are simply controllers for the actual keyboards originally used to play the music. When playing live, pressing the correct button sends a signal to the relevant keyboard which will start to play that part of the song - basically Orbital make keyboards play themselves! Because they are 'playing' each synth seperately and in situ, the sound is raw and live, just as with any 'proper' band - if they just sampled everything up or just played a CD it would sound incredibly flat! It also means that the lads can stroll over to each bit of kit, bash out extra riffs and tweak all the knobs and settings so that songs don't always sound the same. A mixing desk allows the band to further bring all the elments together and add effects like echo, reverb etc. Each part can be looped, repeated or omitted as required meaning that the band could perform a 45 minute version of 'Chime' if they so wished!

The skill required to 'jam' with MIDI sequencers and keep control of all the disparate elements is close to the concentration required for actually playing an instrument - Paul Hartnoll has likened it to 'DJing with sixteen turntables'. Effectively it enables two guys with average keyboard skills to play songs that would otherwise require six excellent pianists and two drummers to perform.

It's always obvious when Orbital play live who is shouldering more of the workload - Paul running the sequencers is always more focused and concentrated that Phil, who seems to spend only half his time mixing and the rest jigging about. Actually it's noticeable that in early footage of the band that Phil clearly didn't know the songs or the gear as well as he does now - much less jigging and more knob twiddling!

The Chems and The Prodge run variations on the same theme, though Liam Howlett plays significantly more on his keys than either Orbital or The Chemicals, and has now added 'real' drums and guitar to the live set up.

It was a bit depressing to finally see a laptop sitting in the gear racks (what next - itunes?), but it has really improved the live sound. Each gig has much more expressive re-workings of songs than it used to.

[DownseyUK]

Does anyone have any idea who might headline the John Peel stage on the Sunday night? Without asking for a torrent of abuse I’m looking for alternatives to Orbital and Stevie Wonder…

[toooldtoknowbetter]

Ray Davies?

[sifi]

Does anyone have any idea who might headline the John Peel stage on the Sunday night?

[The Nal]

Some NME-approved Indie wannabes I'd say.

[DownseyUK]

Ray Davies?

[sifi]

Ahh does Accoustic = John Peel? I'm still a relative Glasto rookie!

[4AssedMonkey]

Interesting thread. I too had wondered how much of a live set from the likes of Chemical Brothers is just pre-programmed automated noise and how much is actually "played".

I'm not sure that there is the same level of musicianship involved with something like driving a number of MIDI sequencers as there is with playing a musical instrument if I'm honest but that's just my opinion. It is clearly something that requires a high degree of skill, just a different set of skills to playing an instrument. In any event, I've always thought that anyone can learn how to play an instrument (hell, even I play a bit) but the real genius is in understanding music and being able to construct songs/tracks from your own imagination, something that's common to all disciplines.

In terms of musical genius though I think Stevie Wonder would probably edge out most. Prolific songwriter covering many genre over many years and a multi-instrumentalist almost without peer. All this with being blind from birth. I may have this twisted, but I thought almost all of his classis post-Motown albums (particularly "Mind") are all self-performed, many of them with instruments and technologies that he hadn't used before getting to the studio. An incredible acheivement really.

[Joem]

I still don't think he'll carry the Pyramid Stage as a headliner. I know how big he is as an artist and how he's probably done countless gigs to half the world over, but i think an artist or band at the top of their game with layers of sound and bundles of energy always does the trick for me personally on an open stage in the dark as opposed to someone sitting behind a keyboard for 2 hrs, regardless of how many instruments he is capable of playing.

An arena show would be perfect but a festival headline slot? Not so sure...

Thats just my opinion.

[J1mbo]

Fascinating to read about the inner workings of a dance-act "Live" set-up.

But does this mean essentially every live gig will be the "same"?

[st00ka]

wasn't there some act who said they answered their emails while they're on stage?

[LusciousLucy]

After being taken to a funk club night this past Saturday (only went because we thought it was 80s and 90s cheese but it was too late once we were in!) I have decided...I will be watching the Hartnolls.

I was sat in this club, barely got up once to dance in 4 hours and got generally annoyed with nearly all of the tunes and the music and then to find that a lot of the tunes were in fact Mr Wonder tunes...I had my epiphany which I think was always going to happen anyway...

[APC]

Orbital. Hands down. Might get halfway to Stevie Wonder but I reckon I'll turn right around again once I see sense again.

Would have preferred Leftfield though. By miles.

[J1mbo]

That was Autechre who said that.

[J1mbo]

Orbital. Hands down. Might get halfway to Stevie Wonder but I reckon I'll turn right around again once I see sense again.

Would have preferred Leftfield though. By miles.

[jimmyt]

Oh no, they are entirely different stages.

John Peel used to be called the "New Tent". Not because the bands were particularly new, just it was a New Tent at the time, I think.

[r0cky]

I've spent the weekend listening to all my old Stevie Wonder and Orbital stuff, and I'm agreeing with Lucy on this one. I'm now going for Orbital. The only dilemma for me will be if Faithless clashes with Orbital.

[jimmyt]

Orbital will split up, reform and play Glastonbury again. Stevie Wonder won't. Oh, and without Stevie Wonder (in fairness alongside other pioneers like Herbie Hancock) there wouldn't be any dance-able electronic music. And I've seen Orbital at Glastonbury, at least 3 times (it might be 4 but I can't remember anything of one of the sets my mate insists I was at), so Stevie it is. I think it's great that people are actually having to justify their headliner selection on the Sunday, though, on account of a really stellar list of headliners appearing all over the site. Normally the lesser of 29 evils gets the nod.

[jimmyt]

Would have preferred Leftfield though. By miles.