Headless Horseman - Tech Talk

[Amøbe]

Just came across this tech talk with Headless Horseman (who I've discovered not that long ago, but really enjoy). It's more about how he needs his creative situation to be, than deeper tech talk, but I found some of it quite interesting

youtu.be/GrkMDeJNZsM

[Lost to the Void]

Why the persistence with the stupid costume and the voice alteration. Everyone knows who headless horseman is, it`s pure theatrical gimmicky bullshit.

You can`t do the anon thing then agree to a fucking production interview. Either do the anon thing or don`t.

But we need to generate content as artists now right?

Fuck all of this shite.

[Amøbe]

Why the persistence with the stupid costume and the voice alteration. Everyone knows who headless horseman is, it`s pure theatrical gimmicky bullshit.

You can`t do the anon thing then agree to a fucking production interview. Either do the anon thing or don`t.

But we need to generate content as artists now right?

Fuck all of this shite.

Well I didn't know who he is (but then Google knew). I get what you're saying about it being gimmicky - I like his music, though, so that helps me ignore that part.

It's funny - I once saw Peder Mannerfeldt perform using almost the same headpiece... But that was for theatrical purposes, not to obtain anonymity

[Lost to the Void]

Why the persistence with the stupid costume and the voice alteration. Everyone knows who headless horseman is, it`s pure theatrical gimmicky bullshit.

You can`t do the anon thing then agree to a fucking production interview. Either do the anon thing or don`t.

But we need to generate content as artists now right?

Fuck all of this shite.

Well I didn't know who he is (but then Google knew). I get what you're saying about it being gimmicky - I like his music, though, so that helps me ignore that part.

It's funny - I once saw Peder Mannerfeldt perform using almost the same headpiece... But that was for theatrical purposes, not to obtain anonymity

I mean, Bill's music is great.
But think about the reality of that interview.
In real life, in actual real life he sat with an interviewer and wore that silly costume whilst talking about production, and then asked for his voice to be altered.

People take the piss out of Kanye for that whole wearing a sock over his head shit. This is the same, it's farcical. It has nothing to do with anonymity.
It's about a brand.

[Amøbe]

In real life, in actual real life he sat with an interviewer and wore that silly costume whilst talking about production, and then asked for his voice to be altered.

This is quite hilarious to think about

It has nothing to do with anonymity.
It's about a brand.

I think you are onto something here - I'm all for doing some theatrical stuff and concepts, but I find it hard to think that his need for anonymity (I'll just take his words for that was an actual need, when he started the project) is still the reasoning behind it. And the whole 'I want to focus on the music instead of the person' thing has also backfired a bit, since people are always talking about that veil, when his music is brought up.

I just saw that sch-impossible-to-write-out-the-rest have stopped with the anonymous stuff - I also love their stuff, by the way

[Lost to the Void]

In real life, in actual real life he sat with an interviewer and wore that silly costume whilst talking about production, and then asked for his voice to be altered.

This is quite hilarious to think about

It has nothing to do with anonymity.
It's about a brand.

I think you are onto something here - I'm all for doing some theatrical stuff and concepts, but I find it hard to think that his need for anonymity (I'll just take his words for that was an actual need, when he started the project) is still the reasoning behind it. And the whole 'I want to focus on the music instead of the person' thing has also backfired a bit, since people are always talking about that veil, when his music is brought up.

I just saw that sch-impossible-to-write-out-the-rest have stopped with the anonymous stuff - I also love their stuff, by the way

It is literally a brand. A schtick to get people interested in the mystery. if it were about anonymity you wouldn`t be letting the media in to your studio to talk about how you make music. People identify headless horsebag with the image.
Pure branding.

This is where techno is now. Costumes and bullshit.

[loug]

This is where techno is now. Costumes and bullshit.

I think this is where most things are, not only techno

[Lost to the Void]

I'm seriously considering putting on a new event in a warehouse.
Just a big stack, smoke, terrastrobes, and the DJ area hidden behind Camo netting, so no one can see the booth.

Ivd call it Face The Speakers.

[Ben Kohonays]

I'm seriously considering putting on a new event in a warehouse.
Just a big stack, smoke, terrastrobes, and the DJ area hidden behind Camo netting, so no one can see the booth.

Ivd call it Face The Speakers.

That would really confuse them, they wouldn't know where to point their phones.

[mindstuff]

Why the persistence with the stupid costume and the voice alteration. Everyone knows who headless horseman is, it`s pure theatrical gimmicky bullshit.

You can`t do the anon thing then agree to a fucking production interview. Either do the anon thing or don`t.

But we need to generate content as artists now right?

Fuck all of this shite.

Haha...I agree. Sure its about the music but its an interview with the musician...take that fuckin thing off!

[buffered]

I don't listen to this person and also think it is a bit lame but you are getting anonymity and image confused.
This is an artist who is trying to put forward an image or character. Much like cookie monster. Everyone knows there is a hand up the puppets ass but the character itself is the cookie monster who loves cookies. Not a person with a puppet on their hand where the puppet likes cookies.
Look at Sunn. Everyone knows who they are so why do they get on stage in these stupid capes? They are trying to create an image around what they are doing.
Anonymity is more like Pom Pom. Putting out records with no sign of the person behind it. Maybe someone here knows who they are?
I don't pay these kind of headless horseman acts that much attention. I like it when the ratio of quality of music:personality is way outbalanced towards the quality of music. The less i can find/see/read about a great artist, the better.

[Lost to the Void]

Like I said, branding

[buffered]

Like I said, branding

that's just the reality of this world. If anyone here has ever written a bio or descriptive text about their art, it is effectively branding. Some people just like to devote more time to the packaging.
The thing that really annoys me is when this sort of thing IS reasoned by the artist as 'i wear the mask/disguise so that people will just focus on the music and not the person.' In reality the mask creates so much distraction that the focus shifts more towards the mask. So that argument to me is really annoying.

[mervv]

The thing that really annoys me is when this sort of thing IS reasoned by the artist as 'i wear the mask/disguise so that people will just focus on the music and not the person.' In reality the mask creates so much distraction that the focus shifts more towards the mask. So that argument to me is really annoying.

I agree that it feels disingenuous. Even acts that managed to go a long time without their true identities being known still gathered attention because of the costume, not in spite of it. It's similarly a bit weird because in other genres, costumes are plainly and openly a part of branding, i.e. Orville Peck (mysterious gay cowboy, who already did this look much better imo) or Deadmau5 (shiny lights!). But since techno is supposed to be dark and serious and underground (as if), it has to become an empty statement about the authenticity of the music itself. I don't care if people wear costumes, I love a bit of theater, but it's the attitude that really irks me.

[mervv]

I'm seriously considering putting on a new event in a warehouse.
Just a big stack, smoke, terrastrobes, and the DJ area hidden behind Camo netting, so no one can see the booth.

Ivd call it Face The Speakers.

I've always loved it when the booth is tucked away in a corner or otherwise hidden. You can see it enough to know that it's there, but it's clearly meant to deflect your attention. Totally changes the atmosphere in a good way.

I remember once going to a party where they had built a DJ cage out of a lot of tree branches, woven together thickly enough that it was a bit hard to see inside. It looked and felt great.

[Lost to the Void]

Like I said, branding

that's just the reality of this world. If anyone here has ever written a bio or descriptive text about their art, it is effectively branding. Some people just like to devote more time to the packaging.
The thing that really annoys me is when this sort of thing IS reasoned by the artist as 'i wear the mask/disguise so that people will just focus on the music and not the person.' In reality the mask creates so much distraction that the focus shifts more towards the mask. So that argument to me is really annoying.

That`s precisely what is happening here.... And once again, is my point.
And part of it is because we are so image led, and a man standing behind a desk pushing buttons is extremely shite visually.
It shouldn`t matter of course, it is supposed to be about the music, it`s not theatrical metal for fucks sake, but clowns feel the need to wear makeup and costumes etc, which to me makes it even more absurd.
If you are jumping around wearing a stupid costume squirting fake blood everywhere out of a guitar shaped like a chainsaw and it`s all a part of theatrics of performance, fair enough.
But a studio nerd standing behind a desk pushing buttons whilst wearing a half assed "spooky" costume?

Fuck all of this shit.
I`ve got one foot out the door from this scene already, there really isn`t much left keeping the other foot here.

[Lost to the Void]

I'm seriously considering putting on a new event in a warehouse.
Just a big stack, smoke, terrastrobes, and the DJ area hidden behind Camo netting, so no one can see the booth.

Ivd call it Face The Speakers.

I've always loved it when the booth is tucked away in a corner or otherwise hidden. You can see it enough to know that it's there, but it's clearly meant to deflect your attention. Totally changes the atmosphere in a good way.

I remember once going to a party where they had built a DJ cage out of a lot of tree branches, woven together thickly enough that it was a bit hard to see inside. It looked and felt great.

We always had the booth to the side of the rig and strung camo from the rig, right in front of the DJ`s, so you could barely see them.

I did a wicked gig run by an anarchist punk collective in a historical squat venue turned community hub, in Oberhausen a few years back. There was a stack on each corner of the dancefloor, the lighting trussing all centred the lighting to the floor and the room centre, and the DJ`s were set way back in darkness. It was awesome, totally shifted the vibe on the floor. People were dancing together more, facing each other more, vibing more, I could have played that PA completely nude and no one would have known.

[mindstuff]

Like I said, branding

that's just the reality of this world. If anyone here has ever written a bio or descriptive text about their art, it is effectively branding. Some people just like to devote more time to the packaging.
The thing that really annoys me is when this sort of thing IS reasoned by the artist as 'i wear the mask/disguise so that people will just focus on the music and not the person.' In reality the mask creates so much distraction that the focus shifts more towards the mask. So that argument to me is really annoying.

That`s precisely what is happening here.... And once again, is my point.
And part of it is because we are so image led, and a man standing behind a desk pushing buttons is extremely shite visually.
It shouldn`t matter of course, it is supposed to be about the music, it`s not theatrical metal for fucks sake, but clowns feel the need to wear makeup and costumes etc, which to me makes it even more absurd.
If you are jumping around wearing a stupid costume squirting fake blood everywhere out of a guitar shaped like a chainsaw and it`s all a part of theatrics of performance, fair enough.
But a studio nerd standing behind a desk pushing buttons whilst wearing a half assed "spooky" costume?

Fuck all of this shit.
I`ve got one foot out the door from this scene already, there really isn`t much left keeping the other foot here.

LOL. Made me think of this video which is truer to reality.
youtu.be/jgH3bZRKDZ8

[Lost to the Void]

This is all a bit hard on Bill. His music is fine, it`s just the pointless costume that gets me.
Maybe if the music was more...performatively unique or avante garde or something, a silly costume would make more sense.

[Lost to the Void]

that's just the reality of this world. If anyone here has ever written a bio or descriptive text about their art, it is effectively branding. Some people just like to devote more time to the packaging.
The thing that really annoys me is when this sort of thing IS reasoned by the artist as 'i wear the mask/disguise so that people will just focus on the music and not the person.' In reality the mask creates so much distraction that the focus shifts more towards the mask. So that argument to me is really annoying.

That`s precisely what is happening here.... And once again, is my point.
And part of it is because we are so image led, and a man standing behind a desk pushing buttons is extremely shite visually.
It shouldn`t matter of course, it is supposed to be about the music, it`s not theatrical metal for fucks sake, but clowns feel the need to wear makeup and costumes etc, which to me makes it even more absurd.
If you are jumping around wearing a stupid costume squirting fake blood everywhere out of a guitar shaped like a chainsaw and it`s all a part of theatrics of performance, fair enough.
But a studio nerd standing behind a desk pushing buttons whilst wearing a half assed "spooky" costume?

Fuck all of this shit.
I`ve got one foot out the door from this scene already, there really isn`t much left keeping the other foot here.

LOL. Made me think of this video which is truer to reality.
youtu.be/jgH3bZRKDZ8

Haha, one of the most honest techno live performances there is.
I applaud this completely. It shows techno, as a performance, truly for what it is.
It`s brave to be that honest I think. No poncing about.
It also demonstrates how important lights, projections, visuals etc are. We should not be focusing on the person behind the desk.

I blame Boilerbollocks.