The Absurdity Of Performing Electronic Music Live

Maybe I should just turn touring into a sitcom series 🤔
- Patreon! Join us! / bennjordan
- The Flashbulb - Nothing Is Real: theflashbulb.bandcamp.com/alb...
(also available virtually everywhere music is available)
- ZDoggMD: zdoggmd.com/z-blogg/
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Who? Why?
3:05 - Regarding COVID
4:27 - Hacking a DJ Unit
6:30 - BPM Metadata
7:25 - Live Remixing
8:57 - TECHSPLANATION
11:53 - Problems
14:11 - Everything Goes Wrong
17:09 - The Setup
19:30 - The Performance
21:28 - The Teardown
22:30 - Silent Disco
24:10 - Sign Off

[@beardyman]

I feel you bro….

[@sonnyobrien]

Underrated reply

[@theoneandonlymeshe9174]

❤️‍🔥

[@sigrice]

I was just about to recommend beardyman to this comment section

[@robertschnobert9090]

​@@sigrice is this the real beardy man? 🌈

[@sigrice]

@@robertschnobert9090 no, it's fake

[@lambd01d]

I think a lot of people underestimate how much work goes into making and performing music. They think you just press a few buttons and magic happens, when what really happened was you spent hours wondering why there's no sound coming out, why things are out of time, why your music sounds like shit and how you thought you'd recorded your best performance but you actually forgot to hit record so you have to do it all again, which is usually not as good etc.

[@meteorheartofficial]

And when you finally get through all that, you only get an un enthusiastic "that's cool" when you show your friends.

[@tiagops]

So true, just troubleshooting sound and midi is an art.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

Tbf, he's the exception to the rule. Most artists in the electronic realm really do just "press play" and then twiddle with knobs that don't do anything.

[@goldgazebo9196]

This hurt to read.

[@PetrGladkikh]

BE ALWAYS PRESSING RECORD BUTTON. DAMMIT!

[@randommcranderson5155]

This was a well produced mini-documentary and you're totally right about the absurd part of getting the equipment to go together. I don't think I'd have the balls to go play for others with a raspberry pi proto board as a central component of my performance - I hope you had spares.

[@ferenclucas2842]

Man I don't think I'm going to buy Gemini any time soon

[@CloudObsolete]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ-lfGupdtFspNksi=PB4ql77bzNTOZSkb

[@DuckForPope]

The software engineer in me was thoroughly impressed when you broke out wireshark to analyse the packets coming from the Gemini. 👍 Really nice work!

[@lucsolomusic]

^This!

[@chuckyb_]

I'm no software engineer but i had to do some similar things to get hardware to play nice on stage. Nothing to the extent of firing up the ol linux box to packet sniff though thats insane XD but holy fuck i know this struggle D:

[@thecriticallyilldrinker6214]

@@chuckyb_ same

[@chuckyb_]

@@thecriticallyilldrinker6214 at some point I wanted to be done with all the cables, hardware, setup time, troubleshooting on stage 5m before showtime etc so I gave up and I've been running an ableton set with two midi keyboards in a rack mount pc ever since. All the processing is done in my rack I just plug in two USB cables and my mic and let my engineer do the rest XD

[@darthxavier777]

As a solo looping improv artist myself. Seeing the anxiety in someone else's eyes in freaking out over a functioning MIDI pick-up, Was so relatable that I kinda got stuck in my tracks. I genuinely have never felt that kind of kinship with anyone before. Getting your rig all set up and explaining it just hoping that some one will (get even a little of what you're doing), and praying that you're not just talking to deaf ears, stopping half way through in your head going (does anyone even care?) And then soldering on. This video just helped me out more than you'll ever know.

[@danielleohallisey4218]

Yeah… same here. I’ve had similar gigs, similar problems. Oh and BTW, Benn is the only KZbin artist that I not only watch; I listen to his music. Keep on keeping on, Brother!

[@scarfypedia]

watching the flashbulb struggle with a shitty cable was really affirming somehow

[@dodzidenudzakuma]

This made me so happy! Just seeing another technologist having to tech the F*** out of their setup (because it's not all jams and loops). It gave me peace, and I'm content in the struggles of working with gear sometimes. Also, I'm no longer going to be apologetic for liking to read manuals. Thanks for sharing and being open with us. Also, cable labeling is KEY. I don't know how much time I've spent labeling cables...

[@davewebster689]

What do you use to label them with?

[@Pracemusic]

​@@davewebster689 i use a labelmaker most of the time, but there is multiple options. great to see all the generals of the one-man-armies over here . I salute u!

[@KozmykJ]

Reading manuals, in bed, is a most reliable way of getting off to sleep. 😜😴💤💤

[@festuswilliams654]

@@KozmykJ fax..

[@alexhill7305]

One underappreciated detail about live music that really comes through here is how much energy it takes a musician to set up all their shit, after which they do the actual performance and have it come out right. Huge respect for putting such an amazing and complicated set together.

[@StudioVoodooMusic]

As a modular performer, I totally feel you. It's a huge effort to get setup and then to reset afterwards. I have a few key elements including a quick-connect device for modular I built for myself, and my favorite tool, the ERM Multiclock. That little box has been my performing salvation and keeps everything in sync, which is one of my biggest challenges.

[@K.KILLORAN]

I feel like a first year college freshman who is gaining confidence in their chosen study path, working on the 101 classes, developing some techniques and styles, who one day overhears the PhD students discuss their doctorates and I realize just how long and daunting of a road is ahead. Wow.

[@gatorgoforth3097]

Feels like I'm watching a documentary about myself. I love "There's a thin line between "practice" and "procrastination".

[@Pracemusic]

Thanks for this vid!! I also was a one man army at one point carrying 30kg of luggage through barcelona prepared for 2 months for a rooftop show where they forgot to bring speakers for..

[@brendanramsey8311]

This is the video I have wanted for a while now. I’ve felt so mystified by live electronic music. I am used to DIY hardcore/metal, where people turn up with guitars, amps, a drum kit, and some mics. Electronic has always been a big “how”.

[@hostnik777]

To be fair, almost no one has as complex a live one man show as this. You have to be an uber-genius to pull all this off with artistry and minimal technical glitches.

[@sousastep]

EPROM used to bring his whole modular rig on tour with him, but later whittled it down to something more reasonable kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnaslXmQp8yep7c

[@strayferal]

Still - lots of metal bands do make use of samplers or synthesizers, not just pianos and organs. The symphonic bands do not bring an orchestra with them - they bring a synth, which is basically an electronic instrument. And modern synth-goth bands especially do make a huge use of synths and samplers.

[@Activemeasures2023]

Imma shoutout Mr. Bill for those that like electronic music performed live. He used to tour with a Drummer and had his Ableton set switching between midi instruments so he could perform it... Eventually he just said "no-one cares, it's about what comes outta the speakers" and stopped. But he taught the techniques so hopefully other people continue it.

[@WarrenPostma]

The thing is while I wanna shout at Benn to just use a laptop, computers/laptops are freakin chaos magnets. Every single time you need them to not fail is when they do fail.

[@abdaimegaming2679]

this live performance he's doing is so hard and risky to pull without mistakes ,big respect

[@audioartisan]

Loved the performance clips. You're a damn good musician, Benn. Thank you :)

[@leachim66]

Thank you so much for the detailed look behind the curtain!

[@laynegustafson5008]

I always love montages over Flashbulb songs in your videos. Thanks for covering the setup and show!! Really enjoyed this one.

[@MahlenMorris]

I'm more amazed that while in the midst of a time-tight and panic-laden situation, he still finds the wherewithal to shoot video so we can watch it happen.

[@engeomusic]

I've been waiting for this type of insight into your live performances since I discovered your music 4 years ago. Thank you for sharing. I'd really love to see the whole performance video!

[@rec.19]

This is so passionate, i love it my guy! I just wanna ear you play live as i let it all go and let it be the last thing i ear as i slowly fade peacefully into nothingness. You are inspiring me so much and i only got here today. That's insane.

[@unsoundmethodology]

"I don't know why I'm doing this to myself" - as a (low key) music electronics hacker and programmer myself, that's an entirely too relatable sentiment.

[@benbauer1065]

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you. I liked that you gave us a full view of the whole process. It was very helpful for me to see the passion and serious dedication you have for performing your music vision the way you see it. This was inspiring.

[@Strages_Powers]

Brilliant work Benn, you are a genius! This was such a great video and really shows what it takes to be a complex electronic music live performer.

[@matthewjarzabek]

Thank you Benn for making this, you're amazing and your productions made my existence much more enjoyable.

[@xzeenynP44]

I respect you as an artist and content creator so much...please do not stop what you do. It is both inspiring and fascinating.

[@coltranius]

Best gig vlog I’ve ever seen…thanks for sharing this.

[@mgmcdb7606]

Great video man. Good to see all the hard work. Very inspiring.

[@messagenorth]

man you nailed down the feelings of dread before a performance so accurately. you pack it up knowing the next time you touch it you gotta commit or else. that has given me so much anxiety over the years but lately I realized I'm quite addicted to the pressure that comes with the responsibility. stellar video and show!!

[@ultratone]

As I witnessed how hard it was to make the show happen, so was it wonderful to see all the people out there loving it. The scale on both ends seemed exponential, but worth it. Thanks for sharing. Made my bands 1st show in six years this weekend seem easy by comparison, even if it didn’t feel like it at the time. Music is worth it.

[@jjay775]

Whoa! I’ve been following your vids for the great technical insights and didn’t realise what an insanely good musician you are! Fantastic stuff Ben.

[@falazarte]

This is the best video ever made about the complexity of good electronic music.

[@holstonmatt]

most of electronic music rather it good or bad have some short of complexity rather making it being complex or the music itself sounding complex or both a good example of electronic music being complex sounding but being easy to make is noise music and some of it extreme subgenres like harsh noise wall where it just a wall of noise that have very subtle changes even tho most of it is just static and harsh noise where it noise that have these interesting textures

[@djgautz]

That was fascinating ! Thanks for taking us through the setup and the actual festival too ! ❤❤

[@caseTelevision]

Really appreciate you sharing your experience! All your behind the scenes prep work, and the last minute stress is relatable. Seems like everything worked out well! Congratulations!

[@Malladak]

very inspiring work ! Thanks for sharing

[@n3g4tv34]

You're amazing Benn, Thank you!

[@joesimmonds2849]

Brilliant video. Thanks for the insights, Benn!

[@harmlesseggplant9909]

I'm really glad you wound up deciding to follow through on the Infrasound booking. Was pretty handily one of my favorite sets of the weekend. Was lovely to have a chance to geek out over it + Richard Devine with all my weird nerd friends.

[@22plowman]

I was lucky enough to catch both of your sets, thank you for all the hard work! It was really cool to see you pull this one off

[@gabrieljennings5492]

Thank you, this is exactly the video I was hoping for from that event. It's good to see the Axoloti in there holding everything together, it was one of the first videos I watched from your channel and made for a nice call back.

[@willymcnamara1429]

i loved this video! i was fascinated by the technical breakdown, and surprisingly moved by the festival section. thanks for making this!

[@peterpiper0815]

Thanks for this trip!

[@TheRealTeebz]

awesome. much thanks for your experience and sharing it.

[@diegomorera8822]

I appreciate this video so much, and all of your videos really, awesome stuff!

[@unfa00]

Now I want to hear that entire live set. That was amazing.

[@rayderrich]

Much respect for making all your knowledge and creativity come together for this show. I wish I would have been there.

[@wassup287]

I saw you with your Treefield setup in Portland over 10 years ago, it was a freezing cold weekday night, I drove 2 hours to come see you because I had been a fan for many years prior, it was a truly incredible show, your projector/visualizer setup was something incredible and indescribable. You were walking around and I was too shy and awkward to say hi. I appreciate what you do.

[@PeterKudelin]

pretty emotional near the end. awesome video man

[@flamshiz]

you're the flashbulb??? holy crap I remember listening to you while I was growing up. dang that's incredible

[@b.w.22]

Hey man, this was my first video of you and your music. I just want to tell you that this was genuinely fascinating and I was pretty stunned by what you were able to do in a live setting. I’m sure soloing like this feels overwhelming at times, for another set of hands will halve somethings weight. But I’ve found in the music world that not everyone is willing to carry the load. In some ways, this endeavor of yours is a kind-of ideal for me and it’s really inspiring to see someone flat-out do what I’ve always dreamed might be possible. So yeah, really for real - great job.

[@PseudoPulse]

What a great video Benn. Love it when people show what its really like

[@maxgilfordsmerling3032]

You are my kind of geek, dude. Invaluable overview, just deep enough, and THANK you for the hard work of cutting it up for our intake. (He bows reverently.)

[@SebastianGrantElKiva]

this is the kind of inspiring work that makes you take a long look at everything you do. Truly mind-blowing attention to craft.

[@BeatMax2023]

Very nice! Awesome music!

[@audeon_visual]

Thank you so much for the inspiration as always. I have to refine my live setup for sure. I love your work man.

[@plumcharlie]

Wow. So much effort. Thanks for sharing.

[@liquidmodernitytasteslikeu2855]

omg what an extremely high quality production, wtf, lol you are so versatile in skills and talent!!

[@daroujo]

1- Thank you for making all these darned beautiful, informative and interesting videos. You've been my favorite KZbin creator for a long time now. I'm cash tight right now, but when I'm back in a more financially comfortable situation, I will definitely sign up to your Patreon. 2- "I don't know why I'm doing this to myself" was fairly on point, BUT, in the end you do this because you're a tech-inclined perfectionist and you seem to be unable to just let "hmmm, I wish [this] could do [that]" be. Which ultimately seems to let you create what you wanted to create in the first place! 3- It always amazes me just how brilliant you are at so many different things. My jaw drops at the tech stuff, then also at the music composition, and then you go into this incredibly smooth and wonderful jazz piano part and then whip out a crazy guitare solo. DUDE. Wow. I know hard work has a heck of a lot to do with it but still, wow fucking props! 4- How did you manage to fix or overcome the last-minute issues of the "Everything Goes Wrong" section? 5- Are you... okay man? That smile at 22:30 hit hard. At the end of all that, I felt emotionally drained, and I can't imagine how you were feeling coming back. Though I have a feeling 23:57 probably sums it up relatively well. Uhmm, do you want a hug?... Either way, I'd be interested in hearing a real postmortem of the experience, and the reasons behind the "last show in the foreseeable future" quote. 6- Again, thank you. I really appreciate what you do!

[@fameslame]

im in tears at starbucks watching this, finally something i can share with family who knows nothing of the struggles i have with my passion. its kind of a personal thing. most people arent intrigued by watching somebody set up their gear or practice their set nor does anybody for that matter want to sit through the creative process for more than 5 minutes (EVERYBODY HAS ADD). I APPRECIATE EVERY OUNCE OF DEDICATION YOUVE POURED INTO THIS. above all your ability to remain cool throughout what some of us would have had meltdowns, tantrums, hissy fits, episodes, timeouts, ,anxiety, and the rest of the spectrum of coping we artists have. I'm blown away with how much this resonates with me. Thank you again for your dedication. I'm a much bigger fan of your work now, and will support in any way I can. you just paved a path I feel that was once just a foxtrail, with some cobble stone.

[@patkelly8309]

Your show looked insane! Absolutely loved it.

[@stellar_cartographer]

Benn, that you so much for sharing your music and making absolutely next-level videos!!! A request, please keep the rest of the improv jams! I felt like I was with you in the creative process checking things out and feeling the moment, and then the fast forward kicked in. It would be awesome if you kept more of the early improv work!

[@ts4gv]

Thank you for making videos for us.

[@joshatlas]

Awesome video and super insightful. Above all the music was amazing! Thanks so much and keep them coming please, especially live set up videos :)

[@i_never_asked_for_an_alias]

Very nice insight in to your work.

[@kunalpareek8321]

Oh man. This has been my fav Benn Jordan vid so far. And I have definitely seen everything that has come out in the last year. Such a cool life this is.

[@wujisound4529]

Stellar documentary! (If that's what you can call this?). I can tell you put a lot of work into it. Really appreciate the break down & drawings of all your gear. Glad to see you're potentially doing more shows as well. Would love to have you out here in rainy Seattle!

[@WarrenPostma]

I loved this episode even though I didn’t watch it when it was posted a year ago. I think it’s amazing that you did what you did, to get this rig functional. And hearing that aliasing/dithering issue would have driven me right mental. You soldiered on.

[@mulph7738]

Cool to see you on the road and a gig.

[@popguy68]

Awesome. You are an inspiration!

[@channelite]

I enjoyed seeing your live music setup. Very entertaining video!

[@allyouracid]

Very interesting, thanks for these insights. Love these kinds of videos. :)

[@kinetic-cybernetic]

Thank you for sharing this journey. Glad to see devices syncing is not trivial and I'm not the only one.

[@Robert_Babicz]

respect for your work....

[@simonmcg23]

Absolutely fabulous that was riveting thank you. You’ve got yourself a new Patreon

[@toi_techno]

great to see you gigging! got you pay a short live set at the Electric Picnic staff event a couple of weeks ago (it made me very happy)

[@drewlaplante]

I clicked because I love to geek out over gear and specifically live electronic setups. It surely delivered on that front. But I also ended up finding this video deeply moving and inspirational on a soul level. Thank you. Grateful to have discovered you and your channel a few weeks ago as I start to dive back into music production in earnest.

[@wessanderssays]

This is so awesome! I had to miss infrasound and missing you was one of my biggest regrets of not being able to make it happen. Also great to see all my nerdy friends in the green room respecting your privacy =P

[@e.d.1642]

Hi Benn, I just discovered your channel and seeing how much time and effort you put into solving all the many problems that arise actually gives me hope, it relativizes the problems I have that seem insurmountable and it shows me that with dedication and resolve, creating quality music is not out of reach. Just have to dive deep into the shmuck.

[@talentedleather7333]

You are a real inspiration. Thanks so much!!!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Great vid. Man, when I used to play live, I'd spend weeks mapping out the gear and cabling. Now, I've made a super small and easy live looping rig - an Elektron Analog Keys and Pigtronix looper. That's it! Two pieces of gear, two cables. One stand. It feels so good to show up to a gig carrying only a single gig bag.

[@monomakes]

Lovely stuff!

[@brujua7]

Thanks a lot Benn

[@iosmusicman]

Benn, you are truly amazing, talented and … well a little bit crazy (in the nicest sense of the word). That is high wire without a safety net and I loved it. If only I could have seen your whole set live. Cheers. Lee

[@dfxmonkeyhead]

That was really fun to watch, Benn. Thanks for showing "how the sausage is made". I'm working on a performance rig, and it's great to see how other people do it.

[@stevebriggs6469]

Congratulations! This is the first music type video I've ever seen that references WireShark :)

[@1000110000010102]

Well produced insight into your efforts on live set prep! I was doing basically the exact same thing last weekend, including prepping sample BPMs when I should have been on the road to the gig LOL. All those years of Tetris paid off when loading the gear into the car. :)

[@thealgorithm_]

Thank you for the great video, I am enjoying your content a lot. I have a piece of feedback regarding your thumbnails: On my end, bottom texts tend to be covered by the time duration, which makes half the text unreadable on some of your videos. Hopefully that is helpful!

[@penguineer]

All the emotions - loved it!

[@SamiJumppanen]

Wow, such an impressive video - yeah, the video alone! Then everything in it... Top quality, like always.

[@hazmatforhumanity7318]

God this gave me goosebumps and reminded me so much about what I love and hate about performing live. Talk about a dream line up too! With Telefon Tel Aviv and Richard Divine! Wish I could have been there!

[@badoedipus2551]

I thought this was super cool. I don't see a lot of videos on youtube where artists talk about the problem of live performance and then kinda take you into the actual context of it. I only wanted more.. and might have liked the.. you talking endlessly about the philosophy of it.. also I super enjoyed seeing you play the guitar. It was bad ass.. I'm a metal guitarist into machines too... kinda a rare combination.. it feels to me?

[@dawlessstrolling5306]

Very, very cool to see. And very well put together. As someone who only did one "real" electronic gig of "just" 30 minutes, it's great fun to recognise all those steps!! It's insane but I'm glad people like you are doing it! For people who like those experiences, I like to write something down about that gig. [sorry it got a bit lenghty!] End of 2019 a friend called me that he was organising a very small party in the different rooms of the building where he lives. And that he liked to challenge me to perform there. There was not supermuch time to prepare, and I did not even really have songs with the setup I was using back then. (in the past - 1998 to about 2013 - I mainly used computers and after 2013 stopped making music for years. I was just getting into it, again, with hardware). I used a Moog Grandmother, Boss RC505 loopstation, Korg ES2 as "MIDI-brain", and a very small Behringer mixer. So having a week off of my dayjob, I just relentlessly made music - like one track every day, until I had enough for about 30 minutes. I practiced endlessly and recorded my set multiple times to check afterwards. Stubborn as I am, I wanted to use different patches on the Grandmother. So I created patchsheets and (haha!) practiced to patch as quickly as I could near the end of each track. I succeeded in putting a set together in the short time and that was very satisfying! I practiced packing everything, I bought backup-cables for everything, and then the day was there. Since I have no car, I had to go by public transport. One big bag with foam protection with the Grandmother in it, over my shoulder. One fantastic and long trolley (with wheels) with everything else. It was quite do-able in public transport, although not ideal. Finally arriving after some searching in that city, the door was open. But.....there was a very steep stairway that I had to take. Yelling and calling made no sense. And there was a quite busy market place so I didn't want to drop my stuff and go up the stairs first. So somehow I managed to create a rush of power, and go up those stairs with al the gear on my own. Preparing and connecting everything was quite stressful, but luckily there was another "first-time-electronic performance-dude" so we were toghether in it. I played after his gig. But his gig was over in like 10 minutes in stead of 30, and I did not have dinner yet. Haha, so allright, just go for it. And even it was REALLY small, small audience and such, it still felt very intense to press a "play" button and just GO for it. I never heard my Grandmother on a PA system, and it sounding so f*cking good made some of my nerves go away. I was very lucky that the audience liked most of it, although it was very awkward that I had to patch between tracks. But they were lovely and forgiving. And it was great to see some of them dance to my music - really fun if you are just not experienced in playing live. After it I felt relieved and kind of satisfyed. One thing I learned is that you must be reaaally willing to do this - I lived in almost complete isolation to finish this, and deadlines bring lots of stress. So I immensely respect the musicians that really time after time go for this - it's a lot of dedication.! I filmed it and put it online, but I think direct links are not tolerated by KZbin. If you happen to like to see it, it's somewhere between IDM and Electro and Ambient, it's findable under "MAHU live gig Collectifest". Unfortunately the audience was largely at the site where the camera wasn't :( but anyway! Cheers from Holland! Enjoy music while you have ears!

[@sepixsound]

while pretty much all of your videos are great, i feel this one is exceptionally well made. it really stands out, plus, it's interesting even for people who don't know you or anything about music production. great work!

[@ArturTadevosyan]

awesome live show!!!

[@Grateful.For.Everything]

Super Enjoyable!!

[@dropkickmonk3y]

That was awesome!

[@telumatramenti7250]

I'm a hardware guy. But performing without a laptop (or two of them) has been so difficult that I had to give in. These days my live setup includes a laptop and a 15.4 touchscreen DIY FX processor, multi DAW synth I built from a mini ITX motherboard with a mobile CPU and a wooden box. And it's these two things which make it possible for me to only bring a mini-mixer, two tiny MIDI keyboards and a couple of synths with me. Kudos for going all hardware, but it clearly takes dedication I just don't possess.

[@AshleyGittins]

This was a stupendously good video. Can someone spell out what the name of the SBC was that he used to interface the ethernet and midi busses? Sounded like Axelotte or something? My google-fu is weak.

[@KozmykJ]

Hearing people speak in loud music environments. Wear earplugs/isolating earbuds. The drop in volume allows your hearing to operate at a level it can deal with. I discovered this, quite by accident, while having to wear plugs to recover from hearing damage while also having to continue to play on stage AND to work as a sound engineer.

[@robbymendoza4091]

Your tunes are dope!

[@EdenMakesIt]

I love your channel so much. Ur awesome

[@drfluffy3983]

"I don`t know why i am doing this to myself" I tell that to myself every time when i create a new live session setup :P