Experiencing electronica directly.

A couple of years ago I saw Imogen Heap play at the Royal Albert Hall.  I had been looking forward to the gig for a long time having enjoyed her music with Frou Frou and her solo work and I sat in my seat in eager anticipation.  I’ve always felt Imogen is an innovative artist and I was curious to see how that would translate to the live experience.

I wasn’t disappointed.  Apart from being completely personable and open with the audience, she also managed to include us in the music being made.  She told stories behind the songs she played and I loved the humour she brought to the stories and then the emotion that I felt when she actually begun to play.

Imogen also bravely made use of samples during the show.  At one point she sampled the audience as we sung a refrain and included us in one of her songs.  At another point she sampled herself and layered up a song bit by bit until it was fully formed.  This could’ve gone so wrong (and she did have to restart the sample at one point), but the overall effect was beautiful and made me feel as if I was part of the experience, rather than just a passive observer.

Some people have said use of modern technology detracts from art and music as it creates a barrier between the person creating the art and the person experiencing it.  It is suggested that it brings us out of the music to the gadget that is creating it, but in this instance it firmly rooted us in the music and made it a more powerful experience.

Imi makes extensive use of social media and regularly has video chats with her fans to create music together and share ideas. I’ve loved watching her video diaries online (check out some on her website, she is so endearing), joining in with these video chats and that her connection to the people who buy and love her music is immediate and unfiltered by record companies.  Not only is this refreshing, but it makes me feel more connected to the music she creates.

As a brief aside, Marc Cohn also manages to connect directly with his fans via Facebook in this way.  I love hearing his thoughts on music as he has them and love even more that he (and other musicians who communicate in this way) have control over their voice and what they tell us.

So, not only did the use of technology make my experience of the music at the Imogen Heap gig more immediate and personal, it also means I can interact with her at other times and connect with the music on another level than just the aural.  This can only add to the overall picture and gives me another avenue to integrate music into my life.  Despite some of it’s flaws (as briefly discussed above), technology (and social media) can actually add to our artistic experiences and when used in the right way can bring it to a level previously unimagined.

If you like technology and music then you must also check out Imogen Heaps Gloves that create music.  But that is a whole other blog post.