Back on Stage in Bristol
Cyan341 – Live Dub Techno Set at Techre, Zed Alley, Bristol (17th January 2025) [RSART003]
I played a gig in front of people for the first time since Covid. It was down in Bristol, where I’ve had some of my best nights in the past at Glitchnight. Jon (Polestar/OOSR) has started a new night, and he knows his stuff—after all, he was the one who created Glitchnight alongside some great people, including Dave, who I caught up with again this weekend. What’s crazy is that it’s been almost 20 years since those first nights.
So, you’ll have to excuse this little trip down memory lane, but I also hope it’s a slight kick up the arse for the future—the start of a new quality night in Bristol, the birthplace of so much great music in the past, more regular live events, and a fresh wave of energy for me.
One of the reasons for such a long gap in my live performances was my setup. I’d grown tired of twiddling dials and sliders on a controller for my laptop while people joked, Are you just checking your emails? I wasn’t—but I could have been, and they wouldn’t have known. I found it boring, and if I did, why wouldn’t the audience? I got sick of watching other people do the same thing.
Then I saw Xosar play live with two old-school Korg ESX-1 Electribes and other hardware, and I fell in love with the idea: real hardware, no screens. It was so much fun. They’re great machines—but, and this is a big but, they get wrecked easily. Especially when you travel to Malta for a gig expecting sunshine, only to be met with biblical rain that somehow seeps into your gear. Despite replacing valves and endless repair attempts, my Electribe never worked again. I bought a new one, but it never felt quite right.
In addition, converting my tracks into a live set on the Electribe meant the music ended up quite different from my releases. And the gear is heavy. So, I realised that if I wanted to travel light and reduce risk, I needed a cheap, sturdy solution and a simple way to turn any creations into something playable live
.The hard truth is that a MacBook Air and a Korg nanoKontrol might not look exciting, but at least a live show will happen rather than remain a cool-looking mirage. And if people want entertainment, maybe I’ll wear a hat, have a few drinks, or wave my hands around a bit.
This gig also tested that new approach, and it worked. I’m excited about crafting a new live set again: all digital audio, back in Ableton, but with the right balance of simplicity and flexibility.
I supported Vacant Shores, a new band that Jon had put together. They have real potential, and hopefully, they’ll bring a fresh 2025 spin to that classic Bristol sound. This was their first gig with this lineup, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what comes next.
I’m also looking forward to heading to Bristol for the next Techre events and catching future Vacant Shores gigs. In the meantime, check out the video of the live set—now up on the Rednetic YouTube channel and embedded below—which includes some footage from my recent trip to Tromsø.
As a note, despite having footage of me nodding away and twiddling knobs and sliders, it's not that interesting for an hour. So a mix of Bristol & Tromsø footage, blended with clips from previous videos, makes for a far more engaging watch.