Music
Predicting the unpredictable - Circle of Live play Red Bull Music Festival
Working out what to expect from Sebastian Mullaert’s improvisational Circle of Live show is a tough task - Niall O’Shaughnessy does his best to follow the clues.
A 2014 study from the Harvard Business School found that restaurants with an open kitchen delivered the best dining experience. The lines of communication that open up when the customer and the kitchen can observe one another creates an atmosphere of community and reciprocity. When Sebastian Mullaert brings his Circle of Live project to the stage, the musicians present look like chefs working their stations. Each one is immersed in their task, head bowed in concentration, maintaining their grasp on the direction of the music. The equipment in front of them is a chaotic mix of hardware, wiring and MIDI instruments and - much like the chef - Mullaert and his cohort provide the audience with something they could never get at home.
Circle Of Live - Nitsa, Barcelona
© Circle of live
Circle of Live is a departure from the typical means of experiencing electronic music. Rather than trusting a DJ to gauge the room and react appropriately, Mullaert invites other adventurous musicians to play live as a collective, with no prepared direction. The result is a live show that’s a one-off experience for both the audience and the musicians; no two Circle of Live shows will sound alike and no two shows will feature identical artists. Attendees are given the opportunity to witness the processes and experimentation of the most productive studio-session imaginable.
Circle of Live regulars like Johanna Knutsson and Dorisburg will play alongside Mullaert for Red Bull Music Festival Stockholm, with the addition of Detroit legend Amp Fiddler and Studio Barnhus’ Matt Karmil. Late last year, Mullaert released a live recording of Circle of Live from the Freerotation festival in Wales. The 5-track 12” exhibits a fascinating narrative; the opening song credits 5 musicians who, rather than all clammer to dominate the sound, deftly enter the progression and produce 11 minutes of spacious, considered techno. This sense of patient exchange defines the release and provides an idea of what can be expected when Circle of Live comes to Stockholm.
As if the emphasis on improvisation doesn’t make the evening unexpected enough, the addition of Amp Fiddler opens up exhilarating possibilities. Pinpointing Amp Fiddler’s production is tricky; as the person responsible for showing J Dilla how to sample, his releases are heavily connected to hip-hop and jazz. At the same time, he’s as much a fixture of Detroit house and funk as Moodymann and the two share a mischievous side to their work. Amp Fiddler has often discussed his affinity to the style and attitude found in 70’s blaxploitation films like ‘Super Fly’- a sharp contrast to the minimal sound and feel of the electro typically associated with Circle of Live. Witnessing how these two mindsets will interact adds yet another intriguing sub-plot to the Circle of Live story.
Not only is Circle of Live an outlier in electronic music as a conceptual event, this particular Circle of Live is an outlier due to the diversity of the ensemble and the possibilities that an 8 hour show presents. Be sure to get to Färgfabriken on Saturday the 6th of June, check out the event here and get your tickets here.
