HOLOGRAPHIC MUSIC VIDEO PROJECT NEEDS
FUNDING
In a futuristic dystopian city, an oppressive regime known as The
Order has maintained control over the citizens of Sanctum by
making them fearful of the outside world. Now the status quo is
threatened by a group of radicals lead by the mysterious figure
known as "Alpine". As Alpine plays one last show to rally his
supporters, the rebels take a final stand against the Order and
the Uprising begins.
The journey to make a video for Uprising began several years
ago. ALPINE UNIVERSE wanted to make a video that created a
complex, futuristic setting for his music. The concept is to play his
song on a holographic DJ rig in front of an ecstatic crowd while
it's intercut with awesome Matrix-style action scenes. At the time
it was an ambitious, expensive, and ridiculous idea. But now
Alpine Universe is on the brink of making it happen together with
his co-conspirators.
Check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/
projects/1735319009/step-into-the-alpine-universe
SHORT Q&A
Tell us more about your latest release.
"Awakening" poses as the sequel to my first EP "Gaïa",
introducing the character of Alpine and representing his birth and
early childhood. In a world where the dangerous and powerful
elements of nature are clashing with our modern civilizations,
Alpine will learn to tame these energies and use them for a
greater good.
The song "I Am Alpine" features the voice of a 9 year-old opera
singer named Nathalie Shtangrud; it then builds up and
transitions into the fast and high-energy song "Awakening"
showcasing a touch of tribal-electro. "Harvest the Fire" reveals
even more about the kid, the challenges he has to face to contain
and use the energy he has received as a gift. We can also hear
Alpine's own vocals. Finally "Serak" refers to a ridge of ice on the
surface of a glacier, about to drop, standing as the perfect title to
close the EP with a bang, it leaves us hanging and wanting more.
Serak is available as a free download on my Soundcloud
(www.soundcloud.com/alpineuniverse ) go get it!
Could you describe the lay-out of your live set-up?
Absolutely! Let's get geeky!
As you may know, I am not a DJ in the traditional sense of the
term since I play instruments during my live set and most of my
playlist consists of original tracks. The heart of my performance
lies in a custom set-up that I built over the years.
The centerpiece is a macbook pro running Ableton Live controlled
by an APC 40. I am using a custom script that allows me to have
CDJ-style controls and visual feedback directly on the APC. I don't
want to ever have to look at my computer during a concert: I feel
like it puts a distance, literally a screen, between the audience
and me and kills the energy.
I use a Saffire Pro 24 sound interface to manage my inputs and
outputs. On my left side are the melodic instruments: A Roland
SH1 synthesizer with an infrared D-Beam providing control on
effects and wobbles with the motion of my hands. Very cool
during a show!
Then I have my Roland electronic accordion: that one is the true
attention grabber. It outputs both midi and audio. The midi
signals drive synths in Ableton and the pressure I put on the
bellow gives me expressive controls.
You can see a pressure sensitive pedal at my feet. I use it to loop
instruments, trigger clips in ableton and add effects to my
accordion like an electric guitar pedal.
On my right side is the drum section: here again, everything is
electronic. I trigger VSTs and real drum samples inside Albeton.
Some drums are pitched (like a xylophone) while others are
purely percussive.
If you could go back 25 years in music history, or forward 50
years in music future, which one would you pick and why?
Without hesitation, I chose the future. Throughout history,
technology a