Ambient Showcase

Didn't really go for the music or the visuals during the first set. The "optical artist" chose to use a pixelated candle flame going in and out of focus for the entire time, which seemed to me way too bright and static. With a screen that large, the visuals really impose themselves on the space, and I felt like the candle was just burning into my retinas.

The second set featured a much better use of black and mesmerizing patterns. The third set was all done by The Dead Texan, sound and vision, and really came together nicely. Especially toward the end of that set I felt like I was in the middle of an intensely pleasant dream with the rest of the audience, much more so than I ever have watching a movie.

I was confused by Murcof's set. The visuals were banal and I didn't find a lot of surround-sound exploration interesting at all. Five minutes of thickly layered, overwhelming drone at the middle were a shock and a delight but otherwise I really wasn't that much into it. The sounds were too small, sparing, and unappealing, I think.