Tuesday 4 September 2018

Aphex Tot Revelation (eighth letter to Lowri)


Three days ago I had no idea I’d be sitting in a church with a colourful psychedelic stained glass window of Jesus standing on a rainbow over a yellow brick road whilst a four year old boy played his techno track. “This is my song. It’s called Ready Penny,” said the happy child with big yellow ear protectors. I thought he’d said the song was called Bawdy Pepé but I’d have been surprised if that was what he actually said! From where I was sat I could only see his head over the table on which his laptop perched. I think he might have had a little help from his dad who was sat nearby. I’d never been to St John’s Church on Ayres Road in Trafford before, and the reason I’d walked there was to hear Noise Orchestra, the duo of David Birchall and Vicky Clarke who play self-built light activated synthesisers and samplers. When they played techno boy stole the show by running up the aisle with a phone to take a couple of pictures. I should have asked him to send me a copy as some say a picture is worth a thousand words. I suppose that depends on which picture and which thousand words. Vicky waved a torch over a light senser to make rhythmic noise. Maybe it was a magic torch as I zoned out for a while and started hallucinating that I was on a train and could hear a conductor talking. I’d had my eyes closed for a while so afterwards had to ask Alexa Kruger and Kelly Jayne Jones if there had been some vocal samples. Indeed there was and afterwards Dave showed Kev Craig and I the wooden boxes with basic samplers and varispeed loopers that they’d used. I’d actually used one of these at Seed Studios which is nearby in Trafford Wellbeing Centre and had organised this church gig. Dave and Vicky had held a workshop there, showing people how to make a small light activated synthesiser. From now on I would like to call people who play techno on a laptop techtoppers. The last techtopper played from the pulpit which reminded me when Kev sang for Last Harbour from the pulpit of Sacred Trinity Chapel in Salford. I wonder what St John would have made of all this. Maybe it would have given him another Revelation?

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