Scanner: Live in Sydney Australia (1996)

Another gem from the Scanner Archives, with an early concert at The Lyric Theatre, Riley Street, East Sydney Australia, on Friday 4th October. Live scanned mobile phone calls picked up from the airwaves in real time were mixed in with the improvised music.
Filmed on Hi8 by Brendan Palmer

[@mauktenieb2970]

Such a live masterpiece...

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Thank you, that's very kind

[@chenguefer156]

Fantastic, first time I heard it was a big change for me, a new direction, new path.

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

thank you!

[@chiquitafeldberg8259]

The way you artistically placed the calls. So well done. Such a fine mind you have Robin Rimbaud, a fine mind indeed

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Ah, thank you so much!

[@tiadiad]

I am very happy that KZbin is doing it’s job, and helping true artists have a say. This channel is exactly why I fell in love with the platform.

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

When this technology works it's fantastic, but when it doesn't it's a nightmare!

[@davidramirez591]

Loved it!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Thanks!

[@circuitousvibes5226]

Taking us back to the chill room. Big ups. This is brilliant.

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Exactly, those important days indeed!

[@lestweforget7438]

Totally

[@croiners4166]

Wow! Thanks for putting this up, this was from when I first started listening.

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

The first of many videos from the archive to follow! Glad you enjoyed it

[@ferdinandfeys2531]

great to hear ... and brings back old memories from the 1 performance like this I once saw in Belgium

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Ah, thanks Ferdinand! If you let me know what performance that was I might even have a recording of it in the archive!

[@ferdinandfeys2531]

@@RobinRimbaudScanner if I remember well, Vooruit Ghent, but don't remember the year. Probably 2nd half of 1990's. I remember the phone-voices of laughing woman suddenly mixed in the middle of the music, really loud. Really funny

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

@@ferdinandfeys2531 I played at Vooruit a few times. Vividly remember getting lost inside that labyrinth of a building backstage too! I'll check the archives and see what I can find!

[@darrenspooner1482]

Finally i found his channel. I came here because i see a documental of genesis p orridge. The music. Is a sonic experience

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Happy to welcome you here, thank you!

[@isabellaforciniti4495]

That's insane stuff, dear Robin!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

glad you enjoyed it!

[@MengQiMusic]

Awesome music and a great piece of history! 👍

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you!!

[@mcshafty1]

Wow, I saw you perform in Melbourne around this time. It's amazing that you've kept such an astonishing archive. Anyways, I've had a lot of pleasure and gained a lot of inspiration from your music over the decades

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

I remember that Melbourne show too! That was such an amazing trip for me, an opportunity like none other. My archives thankfully prove to be a constant source of surprise and will be continuing adding them here and to Bandcamp (scanner.bandcamp.com/community) so stay tuned!

[@doelman]

Brilliant work Robin

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@barlobarlo303]

It's interesting how an event that happened on October 4th, 1996 can jump to June 4th, 2020 and capture our attention for 39:24. Maybe time travel is possible. Ah, and t's not surprising that Scanner is directly in the middle of it!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

and that's the joy of time travelling :-)

[@d4rk_l1nk_techno]

that live performance is really inspiring. Amazing work!!!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Ah, thank you so much!

[@turfoid7899]

I remember ur work, 🙏just wondered if ur still doing music 👍🏻

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Well, thank you for remembering 😀 And yes, most definitely still VERY busy doing music in so many ways! scanner.bandcamp.com and www.scannerdot.com

[@electromagneticradiation305]

Yes that classic Scanner that inspired the F out of me. I forgot about you for years & just found this radio channel David T Walker & my brain exploded like wholly ish I haven't listened to my dude Scanner in years. I'm having my midlife crisis & relaunching my failed music career for the 10th time & hearing this is so inspiring. What are the chances of us collaborating one day & I want you to perform at my venue when I get one

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

You 'forgot' about me? Oh NO!! 😀 Don't worry. Great you are back into music again though. Let me know once that venue is up and running too!

[@chiquitafeldberg8259]

I want a mid-life crisis, sounds fun😅

[@petrosvouris7864]

This is great, are you only using the Roland PMA-5 for drums? are there any other videos or albums that you are using the PMA-5? cheers :)

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Thanks for watching. I'm using it for some melodies, bass lines and rhythms combined with others from the sampler on stage. I used it extensively at this time, so live recordings all feature it. I still have it too!

[@reductiverecords5295]

So good. Absolutely love this. Do you remember what fx units you used for this performance? These tap delays sound like a Boss SE-50 :-) Thanks a lot!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Well spotted. It was indeed the Boss SE-70 so close enough. Still use it today too! Thanks for listening!

[@supamarx5782]

Hi Mr Scanner. Is the track from about 28 mins available? Wonderful (Warp) Artificial Intelligence type electronic brutal beauty. I would be gutted if I missed this brilliance at the time or is this wonderful improv for the show. Either way you are electronic god. Oh yeah BTW, Shazam thought it was Live Together by Lisa Stansfield!

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

I never released this actually, no. Many pieces were created as structures for live shows and I would play around and improvise around them. I must make the effort to get these out as there's a whole host of unheard music in the archives! I love how impressive Shazam is :-)

[@drillbag]

what were you using to scan the phone calls?

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

Well, nice and simple - a radio scanner that you could buy in a decent electronics store that allowed access to all the analogue phone networks at the time!

[@BrunoWiebelt]

not legal morally ok ... in art many things are ok ...is it interesting ? I did not come to an conclusion ... that's a good thing

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

As I said at the time it's important to question things. Art can make that happen. Interesting how the 'morality' of this voyeuristic culture though has become so commonplace some 25 years later. It was VERY newsworthy in the early 1990s. Today our culture is saturated with such things that we almost don't question anymore unfortunately

[@BrunoWiebelt]

@@RobinRimbaudScanner it opened me up

[@circuitousvibes5226]

@@RobinRimbaudScanner Seems to me that we have many more exhibitionists than voyeurs. Also, we are all too aware (and accepting) of a digital life that is constantly monitored, particularly by data-mining companies or governmental agencies. The naughtiness of your work has faded, perhaps, but the artistic impact remains, I think. We're still having a discussion about it.

[@tiadiad]

Bruno Wiebelt It is ok if it is art. And this is it. Most people are not allowed to do something like this, but he can. Allow the artist his space.

[@Fantishow-is-a-butt]

Found this because I recently repaired a PMA 5 and heard it was part of your live performance setup. This is absolutely spectacular! Some of the folks in those calls you picked up were really going through it.

[@RobinRimbaudScanner]

thanks for listening to this old gem then! I used the PMA-5 for many years too. Hope you have fun with yours!