A Vast Improvement
On The Traditional
One Man Band
You can’t say “one man band” without invoking the very image of ridiculousness, so let’s avoid the phrase when describing Nemoy, a multi-instrumentalist whom Ableton Live was absolutely made for.
Nemoy works off of sequenced and sampled beats, adding the melodics layers using keys, bass, vibes, and whatever else is hiding beneath his immense desk setup. From where we’re sitting, looks like he’s rocking an APC40, two eight by eight Novation Launchpads, an 88 key MIDI controller, a Fender jazz bass, a vibraphone, and there’s a Hammond organ and a couple of conga drums lurking in the background at his studio. His command of this spaceship-caliber array of buttons and lights allows Nemoy to build songs live from scratch, pleasing to hear and fun as hell to watch. See his performance at Dampfzentralu at the end of last year.
Have a look at Nemoy in the studio, where light and a steady shot reveal a bit more of what he’s up to. This is his rendition of Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay” with a slight variation on the bass line that A Tribe Called Quest cut for “Sucka Nigga” from the same song. In the end there, you hear a little sample from Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” brought into the mix.
Nemoy will have an album out later this year, and he’s currently working on a visualization that responds to his actions on his live setup. All this movement is a refreshing change from the guy-with-laptop format that still prevails in this genre. If only they all knew how to play the vibraphone.