It’s been a busy week for KIOKU. We performed at the Rubin Museum of Art during their World Music Series. Their concert hall was beautiful, with hardwood floors and panels, built-in videocameras and mics, and a great stage. This was by far our most formal presentation and we played a bit conservatively despite ourselves. But the audience was appreciative and the music curator seemed pleased with everything.
After that, Ali and I drove to Baltimore with all our equipment in order to record. Chris showed us his brand-new studio (at Towson University) and we set up with Chris in the main booth, Ali in an isolated room, and myself in the large recording space. The first day of recording was pretty rough, but the second and third days went fairly smoothly. Chris managed to get a great sound from all the drums and we’re all excited to hear the initial mixes. On Saturday, we went to the Red Room, a performance space within a books and records store (Normals). This venue is known for its experimental and improv-based aesthetic, so we eliminated all the “tonal” stuff and prioritized the “other” stuff: Miyake, Binalig, Protophonics, Yatai Bayashi, and Pinari. The audience was very attentive and didn’t clap until the penultimate tune. The silence was really cool, but a bit surprising at first. It created an atmosphere that was almost as austere as the Rubin.
