shalashaska
Squire
Croeso! Shalashaska dw i a dw i'n mwynhau dungeon synth.
Posts: 79
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Post by shalashaska on Sept 25, 2020 15:02:18 GMT -5
About a year ago, I got to enjoy an all too short performance by Westward Journey, who opened a show headed by mostly black metal acts. While I don't know if I'd call Westward Journey's music "dungeon synth", it certainly did make me reconsider how exactly dungeon synth works in a live setting. The performance seemed to fill the room and everyone gathered around to quietly experience the music. It felt a little awkward but I thought that was mostly because this was clearly something none of us had experienced before and being a crowd of metal heads, we were used to shouting, headbanging and generally staying active while a band played. Not only is that part of the culture, it's kind of how we show approval of the band's music - so how exactly do you show appreciation or enjoyment for this when the way you've learned to show it would totally ruining the atmosphere?
Since then, I've become familiar with a couple acts (mostly Old Tower) who play live semi-frequently and who've even toured locally but I haven't actually attended a show. So my question is, what's a dungeon synth show like? How do different artist preform? What are the crowds like? How do you see dungeon synth's live music scene differing from those of other genres?
Please share any stories/thoughts you have! Corona may have cancelled all the concerts but that doesn't mean we can't make plans for later!
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Post by arillius on Sept 25, 2020 15:21:03 GMT -5
I will try to make this quick as I'm still stuck at work and need to do a few more things...
But as both a performer and attendee at the two NEDS festivals, I can say that they are a tremendous experience and the aesthetic and sounds vary so much between each artist. The shows and fests I've seen and been a part of have been great. I've even been the only DS act in a metal show and got good response. I was quite nervous playing it as I don't think many people there were familiar with DS or my project, even. But I think when it comes to live DS, aesthetic and visual goes a long way. Obviously, like you said, it's not like seeing a metal band. But that doesn't mean there's zero energy. It's just manifested in different ways. The really good acts have always had a little bit of showmanship with their music too. Rituals, swords, etc.
The one thing I will say that because DS is mostly instrumental and also contains some drawn out atmospheres, people tend to talk during sets. While this is not a huge surprise, there were times when it did seem somewhat disrespectful. But at the same time, people had been drinking for hours on end, hah.
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shalashaska
Squire
Croeso! Shalashaska dw i a dw i'n mwynhau dungeon synth.
Posts: 79
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Post by shalashaska on Sept 25, 2020 18:27:12 GMT -5
I will try to make this quick as I'm still stuck at work and need to do a few more things... But as both a performer and attendee at the two NEDS festivals, I can say that they are a tremendous experience and the aesthetic and sounds vary so much between each artist. The shows and fests I've seen and been a part of have been great. I've even been the only DS act in a metal show and got good response. I was quite nervous playing it as I don't think many people there were familiar with DS or my project, even. But I think when it comes to live DS, aesthetic and visual goes a long way. Obviously, like you said, it's not like seeing a metal band. But that doesn't mean there's zero energy. It's just manifested in different ways. The really good acts have always had a little bit of showmanship with their music too. Rituals, swords, etc. The one thing I will say that because DS is mostly instrumental and also contains some drawn out atmospheres, people tend to talk during sets. While this is not a huge surprise, there were times when it did seem somewhat disrespectful. But at the same time, people had been drinking for hours on end, hah. Interesting! I'm happy to hear the live scene is alive and well. I was aware DS was being played live but I didn't realise there was a festival like NEDS around. That's actually rather comforting. Reading what you've said actually really makes me wish there were more shows happening around me because it sounds like they're really good fun Feel free to drop some more of your experiences after work, man. I'd be really interested in hearing about some more of the specifics.
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olofdigre
Knight
digre.bandcamp.com
Posts: 376
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Post by olofdigre on Sept 28, 2020 2:35:06 GMT -5
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Post by Digol on Sept 28, 2020 8:17:20 GMT -5
Great video, looks like a fun gig.
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olofdigre
Knight
digre.bandcamp.com
Posts: 376
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Post by olofdigre on Sept 28, 2020 8:32:55 GMT -5
Great video, looks like a fun gig. It sure was. Few visitors and most was only interested in noisemusic and punk. but the bookers wanted me to play and it worked just fine. maybe 5 or 6 visitors came for DS. all and all it was around 30 visitors.
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Post by arillius on Sept 28, 2020 21:01:46 GMT -5
Dungeon Synth live is something to behold. Quite simply, you don't know what you're going to get. There is something mysterious about it, in a sense. The NEDS Fest in 2019 opened my eyes up to the vast amounts of sounds and styles one can incorporate in what they conceive as falling under the dungeon synth umbrella. By that, I mean, there's no real live act I've seen that is similar to the other. While we all know that black metal is the true foundation of this genre as far as aesthetics and tradition goes, there is that kind of stuff and then the stuff that is more modern in both how it is portrayed live and how the aesthetics and visualizations go. It varies so much between each artist to the point where it's extremely interesting to see how people pull this stuff off live.
I think the festival was a good snapshot of how DS artists pull it off: some of them go straight old-school blackmetal-solitude style where it's just them and a keyboard. All played live with zero backing tracks. It's just them and their instrument. Then you have others who have a laptop and midi-controller who play a track layer behind other backing tracks in their DAW. Myself, well, as you may know by now, I use a lot of tracked music in my stuff but I also have a fair amount of hardware. So I try to do a hybrid of sorts, where I play a layer over my tracked backing track, but in between songs I improv a lot of stuff with my hard synths. I have zero MIDI-tracks in my setup, so it's fun and challenging to try to come up with ideas. Naturally, I wish I could flat-out play everything but I've just got way too much going on in my recordings where I don't know how to pull it off live without using some tracks in the back. Suffice it to say, I think the beauty with live DS is how each artist is unique at their approach in how they pull it off live.
One thing worth mentioning is that having a good schtick as far as imagery and visual art goes is key. It's one thing to sit there and watch a metal band play. But with DS, you're typically looking at one person for half an hour. So whatever can be added to make it more interesting is a huge plus. I like to see a little energy as well; would rather see someone into the music they're playing rather than sitting still like a statue. But that's just my opinion. It's not easy doing solo music live when all eyes are you.
All in all, part of the beauty of live DS is that no two live acts are the same. It is an intimate genre in a sense, and you get to feel that as you watch it live.
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Post by demesne on Sept 29, 2020 1:28:18 GMT -5
Some good discussion here. I'm not sure if I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing any acts live, but it is something that would be very cool. The theatrics added to the performance are definitely a big thing and help make the artist stand out. I do think a live gig would be more closely related to noise or drone than anything else, as it seems was mentioned. It is more about creating a soundscape to get lost in than a visual act like metal.
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Post by element0s on Sept 29, 2020 15:39:23 GMT -5
I wasn't able to see any live DS gigs pre-Covid, but I took part in one of the online Dungeon Siege gigs and I've tuned in for most of the monthly gigs they've been putting on and it's a lot of fun. For most styles of music, being stuck with virtual live-streamed performances would be a limitation but in a way I think that Dungeon Synth performances lend themselves to the format very well. We got to see some really unique, creative and downright brilliant performances. Dronn, Guild of Lore and Alder Deep all stick out in my mind.
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shalashaska
Squire
Croeso! Shalashaska dw i a dw i'n mwynhau dungeon synth.
Posts: 79
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Post by shalashaska on Oct 9, 2020 17:22:30 GMT -5
The sound quality there is amazing. Looks like a really fun gig, I'd absolutely have gone if I could. 30 people for an underground gig is pretty decent, I've seen fewer people in the side tents at huge festivals. Sorry for the late reply! I've been wanting to comment here again for a while but I was trying to find the time to listen to your live gig specifically. Totally worth the wait, dude.
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olofdigre
Knight
digre.bandcamp.com
Posts: 376
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Post by olofdigre on Oct 14, 2020 6:33:25 GMT -5
The sound quality there is amazing. Looks like a really fun gig, I'd absolutely have gone if I could. 30 people for an underground gig is pretty decent, I've seen fewer people in the side tents at huge festivals. Sorry for the late reply! I've been wanting to comment here again for a while but I was trying to find the time to listen to your live gig specifically. Totally worth the wait, dude. YEs. And of these 30 maybe 10 where into DS. Yes it was a fun gig. Boney M - Ma Baker from 13:37
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