Artist profile: Peruggia

A while back we posted a video of some banging AV drumming wickedness, rocking an MPC and a projector. We loved how it shows the use of Resolume as a real visual instrument, which needs practice and time to learn how to play. Also it rocked our socks off.

Intrigued by both the technique and the Botch sample at the end, we asked Gidon Schocken, the man behind Peruggia, to say a few words about himself, his projects and stuff in general.

Q: Say a few words about yourself and your projects.

A: When I was 16 I started up a rock/metal band with a few friends. We did quite well, but had to stop performing when most of us were drafted to the Israeli army. After being discharged I studied in a music academy and worked as a VJ. I was involved in numerous projects varying from performing as a solo folk artist, creating compositions for theater, playing guitar in a noise/rock band and so on. As I was pursuing all these activities I always enjoyed researching and experimenting with the "visual" side of things. For example, in the noise/rock band, I strapped a webcam to my guitar which filmed the audience. The images were augmented using Resolume's audio input, and the output was projected on a large screen behind the band.

At some point I began working solo. A sampler such as the MPC combined with Resolume seemed to be the perfect combination. The project I'm currently working on is called "Peruggia". It is named after Vincenzo Peruggia, the famous art thief who stole the Mona Lisa in 1911. All the samples are played live and feature some of my favorite artists such as Simian Mobile Disco, NIN, Botch, Bach, NosajThing, The Gaslamp Killer, The Prodigy, Helms Alle, Korn, James Blake, Bjork, Trifonic, John Frusciante, Verdi, Deftones, Dice Raw, Sage Francis, Lorn, Service Lab, Yud Kei, Dilinger Escape Plan, Noisia, Akimbo, Broken Note and many more. The project is still evolving and I'm presently working on my first performance.

Q: Why did you choose Resolume for the visuals and MPC2500 for the music?

A: In software and in hardware I try to look not for what yields the best result quality-wise, but rather what gets me faster and easier to the result I'm imagining. I could have used a Maschine and Module8 and probably gotten similar results, but it would have taken me much longer. Resolume's UI has always been clear and straightforward to me; I can imagine what ever I want and get there within just a few steps, and if I don't get there it still comes out pretty cool.

Q: What is your technical setup?

A: The MPC2500 is connected to Resolume via midi through a Motu Ultralite. I also have an LPD8 connected via USB that I use to switch between compositions in Resolume. The MPC has four different pad banks, each holding up to 16 different samples. Each time I move forward a bank I tap the LPD8 to load the next composition. I've encountered several problems during the process. For example, the performance that I've created is structured like a linear sequence of samples that I remember by heart. This forces me to move forward through the MPC banks, and, in parallel, through Resolume's compositions. Now, if I miss a sample in the MPC which is supposed to trigger a mute of a feedback in Resolume, this particular feedback will keep running until the end of the composition. So, practice, practice practice...

Q: What process and creative techniques did you use?

A: I've always been fascinated with feedbacks and the endless possibilities they offer, and in Resolume you can play with feedbacks for days on end. One of the goals that I set for myself in my project was creating all the visuals using Resolume's internal sources only (feedbacks, solids, effects etc. -- I reckoned that if I "borrow" the music from other artists at least I'll create the visuals myself ...). I developed a method that I call the "back in time technique" which I find both useful and simple.

Q: Can you describe this technique?

A: I go through the following routine:

1. Take a feedback source and put it in a layer

2. Take a solid color and put it above the feedback

3. Change the trigger style of the solid to piano

4. Map the solid to a keyboard key or midi controller

5. Change the scale of the feedback to 99%

6. The more you reduce the feedback scale, the faster the solid will go "back in time".

Check out more at https://www.facebook.com/PeruggiaLive

Posted by Joris on Monday August 19, 2013 at 14:40 Tags: AV * behind the scenes

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Artist profile: Peruggia

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