Two artists responsible for shaping the culture of electronic music premiere new works on a shared bill for the first time in Australia.
If you are a music creator, you’ve heard of the music software Ableton Live, and if you are a music lover, you’ve certainly heard tunes created with it. Robert Henke (aka Monolake) is a co-author of the widely used software and a legend in the electronic music scene. His audiovisual installations and laser performances redefined the performance practice of electronic music in Berlin shortly after the fall of the Wall.
This scene legend is visiting Melbourne for one night only to perform new works, bringing another influential Berlin electronic music icon along for the ride. Susanne Kirchmayr (aka Electric Indigo) has been a club and festival feature worldwide for more than 30 years. Also known for conceptual sound installations and live compositions, Kirchmayr has led the feminist movement in dance music and is the founder of female:pressure, a transnational network created to provide support for female, non-binary and transgender artists in the electronic music scene.
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After a chat with both Henke and Kirchmayr, it quickly became clear that this performance, which will take place at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall as part of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Season One: Horizon program, will be something truly special. “We are looking at the overall experience of the night, and the idea is to bring a vision of music to Australia that resonates with both of us,” explains Henke. “I am a huge fan of Susanne’s music, she does things I would never do the same way, and that is inspiring. We often talk about the process, the tools, and the ideas behind things.” Kirchmayr adds ”Our works complement each other well. We both love to create exceptional, immersive listening experiences, and apart from that, we love to travel together.”
Fans of these artists can expect something entirely new with the upcoming visit. For Henke, his tried and proven creative process will be in full effect; “I collect ideas on all scales, from individual sounds to larger structures, and then I try to organise the findings in a way that makes sense for a one-hour performance. Then I define how to perform, what are the things I want to be able to improvise with? How much is pre-defined? How can I interact with the material in a way that I can manage on stage, and that gives me enough freedom to engage in a dialogue with the situation and the audience.”
For Kirchmayr, things will be a little different as she experiments with new, more analogue tools, “After many years of creating music on computers only, I recently started to explore modular synthesisers and am back to twisting hardware knobs. For the new A/V live show that I’ll premiere in Australia, I’ll combine a small modular rack with my laptop. This will make the piece a bit more open and less pre-defined than other live shows I did in the past.”
The state of electronic music has changed over the years, as the genre intertwines itself with mainstream genres and artists, a far cry from the underground Berlin scene that formed these two artists. When discussing the current state of play Kirchmayr claims that electronic dance music has become a ubiquitous phenomenon, “I see it as a sort of universal folk music. There are standards that can make it a bit boring and predictable, but there are also so many possibilities to redefine and deviate from these standards. This is what I expect from interesting, contemporary electronic music.”
Henke, who has helped create a wave of bedroom producers with his work on Ableton adds, “Everything is made with computers. It has never been easier to create and distribute computer-generated art. This allows for a more diverse group of people to be included, but it also requires new strategies for filtering, curating and evaluating the results. It can be quite overwhelming, and navigating through the vast amount of new music and digital art can be a challenge. But in that huge ocean of derivative output, there is an equally huge amount of fantastic new work. And as usual, that often happens on the fringes and off the main roads of club culture or established music outlets.”
Coming back to the upcoming performance, Henke acknowledges that his creative tastes aren’t for everyone, “What I personally find important when creating does not necessarily resonate the same way with the audience.” He continues to mention how his understanding of the places the work is presented helps him to prepare things that could work in the given context. “Not everything that resonates in a concert hall also rocks in a club, and vice versa. I just try to provide a nice sonic journey that is worth listening to. The interpretation or emotional reactions I leave to the audience.” Kirchmayr hopes that people experience something unique and special, ”For my own music, I can say that I don’t necessarily want to please listening habits but want to touch the audience. Ideally, I will explore my sonic landscapes together with them.”
It is rare to find musical pioneers with such longevity these days, both Henke and Kirchmayr have evolved through a scene that has experienced significant shifts, yet they have still managed to remain relevant, and even at the forefront of sound and experimentation. Kirchmayer comments that for her, creativity is a constant exchange and development of ideas rather than the originating of something from scratch. “We all build on achievements made by others in the past; we get inspired by fellow contemporary artists and hope to inspire them as well in return.
Henke adds that music is not a race nor is it his goal to push boundaries. “I just do what I feel comfortable with and what interests me. If this is revolutionary or outdated is not my concern, and the beauty of art lies in its complete impossibility of absolute evaluation. What one person might perceive as new might be seen as reactionary by the other.”
Looking forward, fans can expect to hear new music from both artists in the form of a new album and film score from Kirchmayer, and some ongoing work for Ableton from Henke. “(I have) preparations for a bigger Monolake audiovisual show that might happen in 2024. There is no lack of ideas; finding time is the challenge.”
This one-off dual line-up of Monolake and Electric Indigo takes place on Thursday March 23rd, 7.30pm at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall as part of the MCR series Season One: Horizon, and tickets are still available here.
