Zoë Keating, the quantum cellist
The excellent Radiolab podcast recently featured Zoë Keating, a classiclly-trained cellist who now makes absolutely entrancing loop music in real time using digital samplers. Radio Lab host Jad Abumrad referred to Keating as the "quantum cellist" and her rich, layered, and haunting music has been described as "the perfect music for apocalyptic landscapes." From Radiolab:
Zoe Keating is the cellist from our live show, War of the Worlds. She used to play with the band Rasputina and now solos and records music for films, such as horror flick, “The Devil’s Chair” (coming out September 30th) and a PBS documentary on Lincoln’s assassination. Her music process reminded us a bit of ours (looping and layering sound) so she and Jad sat down together in San Francisco to talk shop and listen to some unreleased stuff off her new album (as of yet untitled). In this podcast, you’ll hear Jad and Zoe discuss the physics (if not metaphysics) of looping sound and how to use a 17th century instrument to make avant-garde electronic music.Quantum Cello (Radiolab, thanks Jennifer Lum), Zoë Keating (artist page)
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I saw her open for The Legendary Pink Dots a couple of years ago, and I will confirm that she's pretty great - and I like her solo music way more than I ever liked Rasputina (which I never really could get into even in my gothiest period in the mid/late 90's).
Radiolab is always amazing and Zoë Keating is super talented. I downloaded some of her music from iTunes and I've been delighted.
Sounds like she'd be a great collab with BT (Brian Transeau), who previously worked with another novel cellist, Caroline Lavelle.
My wife Emily and I took a road trip a few summers back to the Midwest, and we decided to stop in Lawrence, KS to try to see the Imogen Heap show that we knew was happening that night. We got there ridiculously early, but the show had been sold out for weeks. There wasn't a chance that we were gonna get tickets.
We were moaping around town, and kept passing this woman with the most beautiful red dreadlocks in the entire world. We had seen her close to the concert venue, and sort of figured that she was on tour with Imogen. To make a long story short, we eventually ended up having a conversation with her, and learned quite quickly that her name was Zoë and that she was opening for Imogen. When she heard that we were from Pittsburgh, PA, and had effectively driven two days to get to the show, she put us on the guest list.
It was awesome.
Needless to say, Emily and I are now extreme fans of what Zoë does. She's wonderful, and if you ever have the opportunity to see her live, you should definitely do so.
On a semi related note, British singer-songwriter John Matthias (who played violin & viola on Radiohead's "The Bends" - coincidentally an album featuring the cellist Caroline Lavelle mentioned by Torley above) has a Phd in Physics, with a dissertation entitled "Quantum Evaporation from Superfluid Helium." He's been working recently on a fascinating project called The Fragmented Orchestra that involves "musical structure modelled on the firing of the human brain's neurons". According to a recent Wired article he also "created an AI called the neurogranular sampler". Quantum music appears to be the future!!
David,
Thanks, it's really about time you featured Zoë ... she's one of the most talented musicians around ... she's been doing a series of concerts at the San Francisco airport, too ... you can find a couple of videos on YouTube of her most recent performances there.
The "rich layering" is a result of her using a looping technique in live performance ...
I liked Zoë's music a lot, but had never seen her in concert. I found myself at a Raputina concert, and thought "now, if I only get a chance to see Zoë live, then my rock-cello dreams will be fulfilled". Then, Melora introduced her 2nd chair -- and it was Zoë!! Most expensive concert I've ever been to because a week later I finally decided to buy that electric cello I'd been eyeing. Still need to learn how to play it...
Great podcast, talented musician making great music.
But for the record, she's certainly not unique in this technique or even necessarily pioneering. Skerrik (of the Seattle band Sadhappy, Critters Buggin', etc.) could often be seen in the mid-90's at New City Late Night Club (a monthly variety show presented in two acts). With the same kind of equipment, and a saxaphone, he would tear up the house with his amazing performances.
Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be much online about Skerrik or the Late Night Club (I haven't been in over a decade, but maybe it's still around/back).
Not that this diminishes Keating's accomplishments at all; I just think it's better viewed in context. :)
She did the bumper music for "Stranger Things", the sci fi video podcast (now being made into a television program). It sounds amazing.
#8 ... uhm, that doesn't really provide the deep context of looping and its musical usage. You need to go further back than that: at least as far back as Robert Fripp and his tape delay loops called Frippertronics, if not further.
That was in 1979 and he's still "tearing up the house" to use your words, even as of last year when he came through New England.
Zoë is certainly pioneering the use of the cello as a looped instrument, but no one has said that she is unique in using looping. She happens to be a part of an online community of several hundred loopers and they include saxophonists, flautists, keyboard players, singers, violinists, a kalimba player, and even the ubiquitous guitarists.
Lovely. Reminiscent of both Final Fantasy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Pallett) and Jami Sieber (http://www.jamisieber.com/).
W00T! Go Zoe! I attended Sarah Lawrence College with her (she dated the guy in the room across the hall from me), and even back then she was an amazing and fearless musician. Good to see she's getting the recognition she deserves.
@ AlfonsoElSabio:
Saying that "Zoë is certainly pioneering the use of the cello as a looped instrument" doesn't really provide the deep context of the use of cello in looped music, either.
Kaffe Matthews' A Custom Skylark predates this release by a decade, and lots has happened since then. Greg Haines' Slumber Tides, ColoringBook (a wink to my former bandmate), and looped cello quintet El Cervel, to name but a few who have used the technique. Plus, a handful of uses on mainstream releases and soundtracks, and so there really is nothing new under the sun.
I'm still gonna buy and enjoy this record.
w00t! Supporting Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls at Melkweg in Amsterdam 26th October! Tickets bought.
I read boingboing everyday, mainly because it distributes information that makes life more interesting (funny, sad, inspiring, or complex). And then every now and then they post something which exposes me to something wonderful, which I never knew about before. This is one of those times. Thanks boingboing.
There are few times when I find an artist discussed on a popular website whose music I actually like. This is one of those rather rare cases. The looping of the cello seems to allow for a level of depth in solo playing that might far surpass that of a cello by itself
However, I'm rather confused as to the "quantum" description, which seems to be an unfortunate use of the term to describe anything modern and different. While it might be possible to make music that would warrant being described as quantum, it would be very hard to write, and probably impossible for humans to play. And though I have a few ideas as to how it might be managed, I expect it would sound hideous.
This is somewhat reminiscent of Ed Alleyne-Johnson, who busks in various British towns (and toured with New Model Army back in the day). Ed carved his own (5-string) violin, added some pickups and a stack of digital effects pedals; I first saw him in Liverpool in '92 and his first CD, Purple Electric Violin Concerto, is one of my favourite bits of music.
He's been YouTubed, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUO6kYLb6As
Quantum? She sits in a box with a subatomic particle? Or, it's not really music she's playing, it's actually music/not-music? She has a third state?
Is quantum the new cyber? I guess five years ago she would have played the iCello.
#13
Takeshi ...you actually support my point ... :-) ... the concepts behind the techniques she uses have been around for a long time (actually, the concept of ostinato and round have been in use for centuries; we're just seeing the "electric" version of it).
Knowing this should in no way diminish enjoying her lovely music.
(And yeah, I'm still wondering about that whole "quantum" thing myself ... think I'll ask Zoë what she thinks about that ... )
Thank you BoingBoing! Is it considered bad form to comment on comments on a comment about yourself? I'm a regular reader, so its hard to ignore!
I wanted to mention that, although I haven't listened to the artists mentioned above, I never make any claim of being the "first" at anything. I am well aware of the infinite parade of history preceeding me, and "firstness" is nearly always an illusion or a clever marketing ploy. Things evolve from other things. But also I think this definition of "first" (i.e. someone did it before) is irrelevant to the appreciation and creation of art and I'm not sure why people care about it. Music for me is the experience of something...right here, right now, in this moment...that will never occur again. Awareness of what came before can inform and enrich the appreciation of that moment, but doesn't negate it (this is all assuming an artist is "authentic" and not parroting someone else - yes, that is another story). For example, I love having the wind knocked out of me by a new piece of music (lately...Icarus by Mason Bates) but another great pleasure is listening to, or playing, a well known piece of music like one of the Bach cello suites. If I'm playing it honestly and without artifice, each performance of Bach should be a "first" every time (my definition of "first" = how-I-am-feeling-and-interpreting-and-experiencing-this-music-in-this-particular moment).
Call me weird...or...quantum?
re: "Quantum". That is a new one! It was "Avant" for a while. I don't put much stock in labels but it would be cool to have an accurate one...if only because the people who care about firsts often care about labels. I know every musician thinks they are unique, but I honestly don't know what to tell people. So if you can think of one, I'd love to hear it! Just please don't let it be new age....although I certainly sound it with the above 'just-experience-the-moment-dude' spiel!!!
Anyway, it is surreal, and lovely, to be commented on. Thank you.