No Signal and Tsaifan Presents
Coordinated Live Improvisation · New York City
[ Box of the People ]
A container under pressure, broadcasting outward at high intensity.
BOX POPULI, literally “Box of the People” or “The People’s Box,” is a play on the Latin phrase ‘vox populi’ used in literature and politics to reference popular will. In our context, artists creating in a city organized in boxes (blocks, apartments, junctions) and with tools made of boxes (speakers, hardware, electrical), BOX POPULI is a container under pressure broadcasting outward at high intensity.
[ Listen ]
Open in SoundCloudboxpop_V1 · cut ups vol. 1
BOX POPULI
[ The set ]
Coordinated live improvisation. Multiple players, electronic and non-electronic instruments, mixed continuous for club peak time.
Techno foundations. Intramural crew. New York backstory.
The goal is to go further than a DJ could even. What is possible in a live performance? How can we explore the edges of sound and space? And what are we really communicating to each other and to the audience?
[ Roles ]
Loosely defined roles. Ways to approach the set, not labels that box you in.
Each show fields one Navigator, one Drummer, and three Players. All channels feed the Navigator’s mixer; the Drummer and Navigator keep time so the rest can listen.
Navigator
Operates the DJ mixer. Each channel’s volume, EQ, filtering, aux reverb and delay. Keeps time and phrasing.
Drummer
Drum machines, primary on sub and kick patterns in the mix. Also keeping time and phrasing.
Perculator
Alt percussion, hats & claps, breaks, samples, hits and other rhythmic material. Can take over drummer duties.
Bass Driver
Driving basslines (not sub), deep drones, dark sounds, punchy rhythms.
Sample Grindr
Mangling the fuck out of them. Vocals, loops, field recordings, foley, found sounds. Surprise us.
Texturizer
Atonal, ambient, ethereal, physical, spatial, esoteric soundscapes, sparkles.
Sequencer
Whips up a sequence in under 30 seconds. Evolving, instinctive, experimental, responsive.
Freak
???
