[NewMusic] What you play is what you play

[Robair, Gino]

Matt D. wrote:
<<Hmmm, I personally like knowing what the objects are that make the
sounds.>>

Your so 20th century! ;-) My favorite music tends to include sounds that baffle me as to how they were made. It was like that when I first heard AMM, and even the first time I saw them: it wasn't always obvious who was responsible for what sound in the darkened room (that was when they had Rohan on cello, as well).

<<So, while you may not be hitting
things, "percussion" does suggest something to do with tightened
membranes or things usually hit with sticks. I guess what it comes
down to whether you want people to accurately visualize you making the
sounds they're hearing.>>

But that's not what I'm doing much of the time. What about when I'm playing a wall or floor with a rattan stick, or swishing ice around in an ice chest, or bowing styrofoam? I'd be just as happy 
doing what I do on a table or an upturned metal tub. It's just that drums are easier to schlep. But frankly, they're just tables much of the time. Messy ones.

<<Frankly I'd rather people say I play drum machine than "overprocessed
sound generating module" or "electronics".>>

That's your call. It's interesting that you are such an intrepid explorer of sounds, but conservative in how you refer to the devices you use.

On the release I did with Giuseppe Ielasi, I asked that I be noted as playing "wood, metal, skin, hair" because the stuff we did was so sculptural -- seemed like one should indicate the materials used rather than "instruments". Of course, some idiot at AMG listed me as doing "hair styling," even though I was referring to horse hair on my bows. At least they spelled my name right....