There’s a whole new experience for a producer used with the studio solitude to take his routine outside the 4 walls and put it in front of a crowd waiting to be entertained. This might be an artist dream come true, as he can test his tracks on a live audience, changing bits and pieces in real time, adapting the sounds to the crowds’ unique vibe.
The above scenario applies perfectly with ALSI. The Romanian electronic duo, consisting of the solo projects Limpid and Einzig has formed in their highschool years, yet its sound came to maturity only a couple of years ago. Releases at Colourful, Brahe, Presence or Minmmal Movement have confirmed this reference point in their career, opening the paths to a new way of artistical expression: the liveset. With a setup closely related to their studio setup, ALSI have put their usual studio jam session in front of an audience, receiving only positive reviews.
Ahead of their live performance, scheduled to open The Secret Garden Party, Palatul Bragadiru, 25th of October, Alex & Silviu were kind enough to tell us a few insights about their liveset, as an appetizer to what’s about to happen soon. Their liveset will fill the terrace from 20:00, as the music will start playing inside the palace around 22:00.
When was the first time you performed live in front of a crowd and what / who inspired you to play a liveset?
AlSi: We performed our first live performance at Waha Festival in 2018, the inspiration being our own workflow in making music. We often find ourselves jamming on variations of the same song for hours, so we realised that we actually were performing live.
What does your live setup gear include and what is each of you in charge with during the liveset?
AlSi: There are 4 drum machines, one synth, one modular group, and a few virtual synths.
Silviu is taking care of the synths, modular and one drum machine and Alex has 3 drum machines on his hands.
Plans for upgrading your liveset gear?
AlSi: Always, wishes extend as deep as a rabbit hole goes. In reality we have a lot to squeeze out of the mixture between our current gear components. As for plans, we will bring another synthesizer and slowly digest its capabilities.
What’s the most challenging part in doing a liveset?
AlSi: Memorising all sequences, which we actually skip sometimes.
Do you leave room also for improvisations during your livesets?
AlSi: We never have two live performances that have more than 30-40% in common. The rest is improvisation.
Is a live performance different than an ordinary jam session in the studio?
AlSi: Except for the the fact that we have an audience and we are standing? Not really.
Speaking of which, did you record parts of your livesets that would eventually turn into full tracks, ready to be released?
AlSi: Yes we did, sometimes tracks as a part of live performances release more energy and passion than individual recorded tracks.
How much does the crowd mood influence your livesets?
AlSi: Our live sets are built so we influence the crowd mood. But nevertheless we prepare elements to adapt to certain moods and venues, so we can be more energetic if the venue/crowd is prepared for that, or more laidback groovy if needed.
You open the Secret Garden Equilibrium party on the 25th of October. Will the ALSI groove adapt to the open air location?
It will be a deep and fine crafted journey. We are experimenting more on melodic grounds and “in your face” bass lines.
