We had the pleasure of hosting Don Slepian at Soundtoys HQ for an intimate performance & conversation with the legend himself.
Don Slepian is an American composer, performer, and sound designer known for pioneering electronic and immersive multimedia music, including early work with Bell Labs where he explored interactive technology and digital sound. Blending improvisation, custom-built instruments, and real-time synthesis, he has spent decades pushing the expressive boundaries of live electronic performance.
Armed with a Juno-D keyboard loaded with 32 custom scenes of his own design, Don demonstrated how strikingly powerful simplicity can be:
“The cost is less than a violin bow, or a cello bow, meaning, as these things go, it’s basically an 18 pound piece of plastic. I’m taking it out as a solo concert instrument. I’m asserting that I don’t need a drum beat or a back line or accompaniment.
This keyboard in particular I got two or three weeks ago. It’s nice keyboard, and it’s very inexpensive, but I was seriously considering sending it back. It’s set up for commercial gigging. So I think, what good is this? Then I discovered that I can make my own sounds. So I said, well, I’m just going out with this thing. Let the chips fall where they may.
This is actually the first time I’ve ever played without a computer. Of course, this has several computers inside. I’ve never played it before, much less in concert. These are my own sounds. I come up with things of my imagination. I close my eyes. I spin this knob (points to value knob) here. I have no idea what sounds it’s going to be. “
He expanded on how this philosophy has shaped not just this performance, but his entire musical life:
“I like to do chance music. In other words, use elements of chance to enhance the aim at what you’re going for. The word is ‘stochastic’ – to use randomness to aim towards result. I didn’t know what I was going to play when it came up here. I’m influenced by everybody in the room, by Brendan’s (Saapato) beautiful set. And, of course, I like lights. I can’t help it. (Raises arms towards overhead stage lighting) I LIKE LIGHTS!
I have improvised all the music I’ve played for the past 50 years. It’s not that I don’t read or write music. Outside of jazz, most people are worried about making mistakes. With what I’m doing here, it would be silly to worry about making mistakes. I mean, who knows what I’m going to play or what I’m going to do? You reach a certain point in life where, if there’s egg on your face, you scrape it off and lick it.”
From there, the conversation widened beyond music into art, purpose, and what it means to create in today’s world:
“You know, I keep pinching myself. I’m still alive. It’s improbable. But there’s a reason for it. As artists, we have to stand up. We’re the canaries in the coal mine. We have a responsibility to present our art, stand up, affirm & support each other.
There’s so many arts that we encourage our children, dance, poetry, music, sculpture, writing. We encourage them to be creative, to be free. You can’t be free and imprisoned at the same time. It’s really a choice. The choices we make in living our lives. Our lives are a form of creation. A form of art.
I’m hoping that our own ambulance, our own joy of expressing ourselves, can have an impact forging bonds across the country. It can reach out to people around the world and say, yes, we’re still alive. We’re still breathing. Here we are. Come join us. That’s the sort of thing that has me excited. The possibilities for all of us.”
It was a true privilege to host such a prolific and inspiring artist in our space. You can keep up with Don at his website, bandcamp & Instagram.
Signals focuses on bringing abstract / experimental / electronic / improvisational / technology-focused musicians to Burlington, VT, where this kind of art is not widely represented. The performances are followed by a short discussion and Q&A where the audience has the opportunity to engage with the performer(s).
Photos by Luke Awtry.
