Thinking Spaces 2023–24: Colin Harrington

This Thinking Spaces session, “Improvisation in Sequencer-based Electronic Dance Music” with guest Colin Harrington, took place February 8, 2024.

More About this Talk:

The culture and technology of Electronic Music has seen tremendous developments over the last decade. Thanks to the increased availability, affordability and accessibility of equipment, the artform’s popularity has exploded worldwide. One booming area is that of “Sequencer-based Improvisation”, which entails the synchronizing of one or more instruments together via a “Master Clock”, then using sequencers, sound design, audio mixers, and effects, to spontaneously compose fluid and spontaneous music in real-time.

Although many different styles of music can be explored within this medium, it is most popularly expressed within the stylistic framework and motivations inherent in Electronic Dance Music, a genre with a rich cultural and technological history, as well as a unique reciprocal relationship with the audience.

We will discuss a brief history of the technology and the cultural history of electronic dance music, and how specific pieces of equipment changed the genre. As well as how all these factors spawned a unique type of improvisation, and why it differs from other improvisational artforms. 

The presentation will be followed by an open studio session, workshopping a wide selection of synchronized electronic instruments.

More About the Speaker:

Colin Harrington is a Guelph based multimedia artist, A/V technician, and multidisciplinary musician. He performs in a “live hardware” electronic project called MOONBEAN, who has toured Canada and Europe playing semi-improvised dance music. He also produces and directs music videos, and works for IICSI as a technician in their ImprovLab at University of Guelph.