I didn't see a thread for suggesting content for E-M 2007 so I thought I'd start one. Please post-up your ideas and suggestions.

Personally I'd like to see several workshops on composition. I'd particularly like to see one on composing space music but I'll attend any composition workshop.

A workshop on alternative or microtonal tunings would also be welcome.

It might also be cool to do a nightly (or lunchtime) improv workshop. By this I mean where the audience provides a short motif and several of our more accomplished members build a little song around it. I've seen that work in incredibly well in the comedy world. I wonder it it would translate well to E-M?

I once had the pleasure of seeing Robin Williams and a bunch of the regulars at the Comedy Store put together skits based on answers to a couple of seemingly random questions put to the audience. He asked two questions. One of them was to name something you'd find around the house. The suggested answer was "an urn with the ashes of a beloved pet." Somehow he made a hilarious skit which actually included that urn.

I have a suggestion. Anytime an act centers on laptop music--either solo or in a small group--I'd like to see what's happening on the screen of the laptop. We could take a video feed directly from the laptop to a projector, and up on a screen.

Laptop music, no matter how exciting the music itself, is inherently boring to watch being performed. A guy (or gal) moving a mouse around. Besides, I know just enough about Ableton to be really curious to see how it's done by a master.

Anybody else agree? It sure would be easy to do. We already have the projectors and screens set up.

Here's something else I'd like to see. A laptop battle. Maybe a first round could be held in the jam room upstairs, and three finalists battle it out during a slot in one of the main rooms. I've never been to a laptop battle, and I don't play that kind of music myself, but I've always been intrigued by the fact that it's possible and I'm looking for an opportunity to see one.

They're easy to stage--each contestant just plugs in. The turns can be short--ten minutes or so, as I understand it. And the limiting parameters that make it focused and interesting are inherent--laptops (and maybe a controller) only.

Reminds me of what the jazz cats used to call a cutting contest. Friendly competition in the arts has led to some of the greatest innovations, and I think that could be happening right now in the laptop music culture--an important subculture of all electro-music. I think it's totally appropriate to include in the E-M program. I do not, by the way, think that competition is appropriate for any other form of E-M. The parameters are not consistent, and each group has different artistic goals. But since battles are an integral part of the laptop music culture, it makes sense to represent that side of the culture.

And of course, consistent with my prior post, the screen shots should be projected in real time.

I too would be interested in seeing this or competing. We'll have the 2006 National Champ on hand (VYTEAR), so i see it only fitting that we see what we can do to make this happen._________________"Oh, it's yours? Then go ahead and kick the shit out of it..." as said to Michael Victor by Howard Moscovitz 06/05/05

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