Nettle chafes at traditions
by Wei Huan Chen
Staff Writer
Arts | 3/24/09
Posted online at 11:47 PM EST on 3/23/09
/ Last updated at 1:58 AM EST on 3/23/09
The concert continued with a variety of traditional Arab songs juxtaposed with Rupture's robotic sound effects and Perlin's trippy visuals. In one song, "Baladi Mehboub," Perlin presented a vague black and white picture. The screen consisted of a variety of blots and shapes that formed fleetingly larger pictures before disappearing. Meanwhile, a house/trance style beat merged the acoustic melodies and gave the visuals a subtle context.
In "Dead Western," images of several countries flashed on screen and quickly morphed into other countries. The combination of aural and visual dissonance showed that Nettle not only crossed boundaries of culture and identity but also of sensation. Everything that the audience heard or saw was a single experience.
Another piece with a distinct message was "Mahomi," a '70s Moroccan song sung by Bennaji and Rahal. "The song's message," explains Rupture, "is that although buildings will fall and wealth will fade, the one irreplaceable thing that we must cherish is children."
Nettle played an extra song, "Mama Mia Que Suerte," after the audience's applause signaled to Nettle that they wanted more. Another mix of the natural and unnatural-sounding, the song evoked both tribal and robotic imagery.
After the group left, the audience didn't simply leave the auditorium. Some stayed and discussed what they had experienced. One group argued over what the music represented, if anything. The performance, rather than relaxing listeners, provoked them to speak to the people next to them, trying to figure everything out.
In the end, there is no single definition that can be applied to the music that Nettle plays. As Arnold said at Friday's improvisation workshop, Nettle's goal was to "make something happen." The New York resident explains that improvisation arises not from specific melodies but from ideas. "When I improvise, I like to think, 'OK, it's my turn now, time to cause some trouble.' It could be anything, any goal, like making someone cry by just playing one note for the entire solo." Yet there is a moment, he describes, that the musician transcends objectives. "When the process becomes natural, you base your music more on emotions and shapes and images rather than notes." Arnold demonstrated this at the concert during the song "Tabla," where he screeched wildly with his mic'ed cello, utilizing the distortion to wail his emotions through the amplifiers.
This type of communication of emotions and ideas through music is central to Nettle. The musicians speak with each other in broken Spanish, a second or third language for most members. They usually only speak a few words, indicating which song to play. Yet once the music begins, a newfound synergy arises. Each member of Nettle connects seamlessly with the others through their most fluent common language of musical expression. What audiences saw last Saturday was merely a glimpse of a type of art that simultaneously provoked and connected with the audience.
In "Dead Western," images of several countries flashed on screen and quickly morphed into other countries. The combination of aural and visual dissonance showed that Nettle not only crossed boundaries of culture and identity but also of sensation. Everything that the audience heard or saw was a single experience.
Another piece with a distinct message was "Mahomi," a '70s Moroccan song sung by Bennaji and Rahal. "The song's message," explains Rupture, "is that although buildings will fall and wealth will fade, the one irreplaceable thing that we must cherish is children."
Nettle played an extra song, "Mama Mia Que Suerte," after the audience's applause signaled to Nettle that they wanted more. Another mix of the natural and unnatural-sounding, the song evoked both tribal and robotic imagery.
After the group left, the audience didn't simply leave the auditorium. Some stayed and discussed what they had experienced. One group argued over what the music represented, if anything. The performance, rather than relaxing listeners, provoked them to speak to the people next to them, trying to figure everything out.
In the end, there is no single definition that can be applied to the music that Nettle plays. As Arnold said at Friday's improvisation workshop, Nettle's goal was to "make something happen." The New York resident explains that improvisation arises not from specific melodies but from ideas. "When I improvise, I like to think, 'OK, it's my turn now, time to cause some trouble.' It could be anything, any goal, like making someone cry by just playing one note for the entire solo." Yet there is a moment, he describes, that the musician transcends objectives. "When the process becomes natural, you base your music more on emotions and shapes and images rather than notes." Arnold demonstrated this at the concert during the song "Tabla," where he screeched wildly with his mic'ed cello, utilizing the distortion to wail his emotions through the amplifiers.
This type of communication of emotions and ideas through music is central to Nettle. The musicians speak with each other in broken Spanish, a second or third language for most members. They usually only speak a few words, indicating which song to play. Yet once the music begins, a newfound synergy arises. Each member of Nettle connects seamlessly with the others through their most fluent common language of musical expression. What audiences saw last Saturday was merely a glimpse of a type of art that simultaneously provoked and connected with the audience.
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