I've been gearing up my system and my musical chops to start playing ambient and space music live, so I'm curious as to what similar musicians are doing. I grew up listening to Music From the Hearts of Space, so I always figured there were tons of people performing it around the US and the world, but it seems to be very slim in this day and age, except for basement studio dwellers like me.

I've always loved the music, and now I figure it's time to start playing for people and really sharing it.

So, hey, let me know that you're out there, maybe trying to get out of the basement yourself! Because a synth pad is a terrible thing to waste!

Yea...I love new age type music.
I use to listen to a lot of it it the late 80's from people like Patrick O'Hearn, Steve Roach, and Suzanne Ciani.
That's the reason I bought my first synth, so I could make those kinda sounds.
Unfortunately I'm rather limited in certain abilities to create any good music like that, as I lack the patience to get going long enough to finish anything using my daw.
So I just stick to the sound design, and don't pursue the music creation so much.

Good luck with your music.

There are people who have been able to make the transition to performing ambient/electronic music live. There are some examples on YouTube. I have been curious about how to start since there doesn't seem to be too many venues that feature that kind of music. This especially true in the sleepy, little beach town where I live.

So my questions are...

How much of performing Ambient/Electronic music is live vs sequenced?

How do you find appropriate venues where you live?

Do you perform solo or with a group?

What other aspects beyond music do you incorporate into your shows, ie lights, video, pyros, etc?

Thanks, PWM, for starting the thread.

Eventually I'd like to produce a cross between Space and New Age, but I doubt I'll even perform live as I really have no coordination in my fingers. I'm always hitting more than the keys I mean to hit.

What settings are you thinking of performing in? I can see group meditation, "church" settings and even dinner, but I'm not sure I'd personally care for going to a space music "gig". New Age I could see, though.

Coordination is mainly just a matter of practice... unless you have other stuff going on. But depending on what kind of music you're going keys are not always necessary.

There are lots of possibilities for venues depending on where you live and how open people are to your kind of music.

It would be interesting to hear people's recommendations especially regarding lights and video... which is not really something that I've worked with in the past. Video... like, what kinds of projector have you found to be good, how strong of a bulb would you recommend. Screens? Projecting on a wall? Other?

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I am not an expert on it, at the same time, there are a few things that I would keep in mind:

Always have a contingency plan and redundancy in case part of your setup breaks down.

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Keep things simple.

Rehearse your show as you plan on presenting it and with the same exact setup that you plan on performing with.

OT: I'm listening to "Towards the Sky" on MySpace now. I like!

I can't speak from experience, because I haven't started playing live yet, but these are some of the ideas I am looking at:

-I'm looking to start small. The important thing for me is to get out and actually perform. I'll probably do free shows for a while, and maybe sell a few CD's.

-I've got my live rig set up with my laptop running Cantabile Solo for about 2-4 VSTi's at a time. I use an old Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling workstation for some sounds, but mostly as my main MIDI controller and master reverb unit. I can get a lot of complexity with just that system, but I also use a second MIDI keyboard for layering, as well as a Roland Alpha Juno 1. I'm making sure that whatever I configure, it will be the same everytime I set up, with room to expand in the future.

-There might be plenty of venues that fit the mood of the music. Obviously bars with noise and drinking don't really work for space music, but I'm looking at places like book stores, lots of coffee shops, or outdoor community
festivals. Maybe there's a planetarium or an amateur astronomer's club event that could use some music? Or an art reception that needs a little different mood?

-As far as performance, I'm working up a show based on a lot of improvisational space music, but I don't want it to appear like there's no performance value, so I'm trying to do more on the fly, with minimal pre-programmed sequences or beats. I use some short loop sequences, arp patterns, and drum patterns, but I try to keep them simple or tweak them on the fly. For improvisation, I spend a lot of time programming performance presets that I would use like a specific "song" in a show, but there's no specific musical direction intended. It's just a pallette of instruments and effects that are mixed and optimized that could go in a very different musical possibility for each performance. To switch things up, I'll also play some more conventional piano songs and maybe delve into a few electro grooves.

-The big obstacle has always been motivation. I was intimidated by thoughts like:
"No one would ever want to host a space music show here in Montana!"
"The stuff I play is out of style"
"People will think I'm not really performing anything, just noodling on some keyboards"
or this little gem, "All my equipment is cheap or obselete!"

So, now my view is this: SCREW THAT! It's something I've always wanted to do, so even if I fall flat on my face, I have to give this a try.

That's what's great about space and ambient music! If it's done right, it can be enjoyable in the foreground as a performance or a recording that is actively listened to, and it can also be just as enjoyable as a background element for mood or atmosphere. I figure that was Brian Eno's take on it. So, there may be plenty of venues, like book stores, coffee shops, outdoor markets, or art showings where the music may not be the main draw for people, and yet it enhances the total experience of going. And if it's good space music, people who might want to sit and actively listen, can enjoy that as well. It would be tough to fill a concert hall with a space music show, but maybe if you help a local business sell a few more books, bring in a few more customers, or create a unique atmosphere, it might be easier to get some gigs. I'm also looking other possibilities. Why not perform in a venue in the morning, when people are starting their day? Or very late night, when people want to wind down after the dance DJ completes his set? And then let the more raucus musicians take the usual evening gigs. You might even be able to carve-out your own niche and not have to compete with other musicians at all!

Bookstores is one that I didn't think about at the time... do they still even have those these days?

Border's used to have lots of music performances in their cafe, but I don't recall ever having seen live music at say Barnes and Noble.

If you still have any New Age or Healing type bookstores in your area they might be a perfect venue for a nice intimate performance.

That's the spirit!

As far as preparation... it sounds like you're on the right track afaik. Personally, I think it's good to have things open so that you can make adjustments if necessary depending on the audience, etc.

Thank you very much!!!

Great idea, Sequent! I've been trying to work up a variety of genres to fit different audiences.

I know Robert Rich is preparing for his tour, check on his web site.
http://robertrich.com/

Is cosmonauttransfer still around?

He certainly played 'space' music live (he posted some YT vids)