Improv in the house of Geiko

Geiko performance in Kyoto reimagined by Cities and Memory. 

The sound of the Geiko singing is very beautiful, but also quite atonal to my untrained western ears, and certainly very unusual - a quality I wanted to bring out in the reimagined sound. I entered the Geikos' singing into an audio-to-MIDI converter, using the MIDI data from their voices to control various instruments. In this way, I created my own experimental improvisational group, who I imagined our Geiko audience had come to see. There's a drummer, two synth players, a violinist and a pianist - and it's this latter player, world-famous, whom everyone has come to see. Every time his hands descend onto the piano keyboard to chop out some improvised chords as the drummer fits in around him, the crowd applauds to show their appreciation. The group builds to a climax, eventually all playing at once to bring the piece to a close amid rapturous applause.