Tonight gave me a glimpse of what I’ve been missing in the gap since last year’s NIME. Yes, tonight marked the opening of the RedStick International Festival, and quite the opening it was. Artists Evidence & R. Luke DuBois took me and the rest of the crowd on an exploration of sonic landscapes I could have only imagined.
What makes art likable, even if only slightly (perhaps majorly, for some)? I think it’s the elements that make it relatable. Surprisingly, that’s exactly what the strange visual musings coming at me from a bright screen in a dark room were – relatable (though, admittedly, not at first).
Across the screen flashed brilliant arrays of circular and curved and choppy lines, blipping and bleeping and blotting in patterns crazy and calm, symmetric and sporadic. I felt myself sucked into the dreamland of childhood, surrounded by birds and rain. Then, trapped in the in-between of an uncertain forest at night. In the ocean. At the arcade. Trapped in the inner workings of my mind on too many a thoughtful evening. A brilliantly confusing mix of ambience.
Welcome to the strange land of entrancement known as experimental music. It’s going to be a very dynamic week.