005 brett larner / toshimaru nakamura after school activity larner - koto nakamura - no-input mixing board
After School Activity was recorded in Oakland in 2003. The first two recordings come from Mills College, one recorded in a studio the other performed live, but it is the final track that provides the most vivid picture of what was occurring between the two musicians during this time. The third track entitled After School Activity was recorded on Artship where the two access to record anywhere on the vessel they desired, it was the top deck that drew Toshimaru in. The work sits somewhere between a recording of a live event and a studio recording. By now we are well aware of the low-fi recording habits of Japanese experimental music fans, at underground gigs around Tokyo for example many audience members can be seen keenly capturing the event to minidisc. These records are full of the live sound of the venue, including sounds not associated with the music itself. These types of events have most recently been played with by those musicians in the Tokyo scene whom tend towards quite performance. How can one in any city get away from the urban sounds without entering cut-off spaces. At these events the live-ness and the willingness of the performer to accept his or her surrounds becomes fascinating in itself. After School Activity captures this live-ness whilst being a performance without audience. An extrememly exciting document of a brief moment. Toshimaru Nakamura is well known internationally for his no-input mixing board. He has developed an often copied style with this instrument and is a sought after collaborator. Canadian Brett Larner performs, composes, teaches and improvises on the koto. For years he lived in Tokyo where he split his time between the contemporary koto and electroacoustic improvisation scenes. japan improv
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