Laptop performance, though it is a new medium for creating and disseminating music, is often critiqued using traditional musical performances criteria. The location of sound is not
physically tied to the sound maker, creating a problem differentiating
the source of a sound. The gestural language of a laptop performer
is similar to an office worker, how can that be stimulating or even
exciting? How can one become of virtuoso of the computer? If one
laptop can substitute for an orchestra, why put them together as
an ensemble? ALE aims to create new music while addressing these
issues through live improvised performance.
The core of an ALE performance is structured
improvisation. Like jazz musicians, the members work together closely
monitoring each others' sounds and responding in real time. One
moment the overall sound is infused with abstract dance beats, and
next with deep organic drones and robot bird songs. Rules are made
on the fly and often broken once established. Depending on the
audience, the architecture, and the collaborators, a 45-minute set
might resemble space debris burning across the night sky, or a 90s
rave party in ultra slow motion. Every performance is distinct and
in many ways unrecognizable from the last.
The group consists of two
faculty members, Rick Silva and Adam Tindale, and two students,
Greg Debicki and Bryn Thorhaug. ALE is both an experimental music
ensemble exploring digital sound creation and a
rare opportunity for emerging sound artists at ACAD to perform
alongside established artists in the field.
Upcoming Performances
Recent Performances
Happening Festival
January 27, 2010
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
High Performance Rodeo Midway
January 8, 2010
Epcore Centre, Calgary, AB
Sled Island Festival
June 24, 2009
Alberta College of Art + Design, Calgary, AB
December 4, 2008
Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, AB
With the Kinkonauts
November 5, 2008
EMMEDIA, Calgary, AB
With runran
October 10, 2008
EMMEDIA, Calgary, AB
Audio
Example Jam Session (mp3)
Biographies
Faculty Members
Adam Tindale is an electronic drummer and digital instrument designer. He is a permanent instructor of Interaction Design in the Media Arts and Digital Technologies area at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Adam performs on his EDrumset: a new electronic instrument that utilizes physical modeling and machine learning with an intuitive physical interface. He completed a Bachelor of Music at Queen's University, a Masters of Music Technology at McGill University and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Music, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Victoria.
Rick Silva was born in Sao Paulo Brazil in 1977. He received
a BFA in Film from University of Colorado in 2001, did post-bachallaureate
work at the European Graduate School in Switzerland, and received
his MFA in Digital Art in 2007 also from the University of Colorado
in Boulder. In 2007-8 he was visiting professor of digital media
at the University of Georgia (Athens), and is currently a permanent
instructor of first year studies /digital media and technology at
the Alberta College of Art and Design (Calgary, Canada). Silva's
artwork has been exhibited in festivals and museums in five continents
including Transmediale (Germany), Sonar (Spain), Futuresonic
(England), VideoBrasil, DOTMOV (Japan) and The Whitney Museum of
American Art's Artport. Silva has performed his work live in London,
Tokyo, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and Houston's
Software Cinema Festival. His artwork has been written about in the
New York Times, The Guardian UK, Liberation, El Pais, and featured
on the CBS Evening News.
Student Members
Greg Debicki is a second year student at the Alberta College
of Art and Design. He composes electronic music under a the names:
No Trebles, eN.Ti and Woulg. Currently he is exploring different
ways in which to conceptualize his music and also experimenting
with programming generative music.
Bryn Thorhaug (STAEL) has experimented and produced
electronic music for years, but is now looking to further his craft
at the Alberta College of Art. His music has a wide spectrum of
sound hailing inspiration from various genre. Having a background in
traditional visual arts STAEL creates bodies of work and
manifests ideas from a blank palettes.
Previous Student Members