In past projects working with social planners and youth, I have been repeatedly asked about group collaborations and contemporary music-making. They want to explore social values through sound making, but the idea of a convening live band, School of Rock-style, doesn’t always appeal, because kids don’t always want to learn ACDC covers and play drum-kit as much. But much of the music they do want to develop — hip hop, beats, dub techno — gets made via computer systems that hardly promote group activity. Here’s an idea I am dying to try with some people: a bunch of Korg Volca Drums, a mixer, and a speaker plus wires (You could use other drum machines too). The system could support much of the contemporary stuff, while experimentally promoting multiple inputs and skill levels (inc. room for microphone and guitars in the mix too) and a more collaborative ethos.
SONIC GEOGRAPHIES 