THE > < STORY
> Chapter I <
During 2020’s lockdown in New York city, there was nothing but time for no one knew how long. Like many, I gave in to a home office and studio overhaul. An unfinished TV show pitch entitled “Playback,” based on capturing concept driven live events, drew me in. The hard to ignore Pandemic twin themes of “coming together in a world threatened by disconnect” and protecting the delicate, time sensitive thread between artist, individual and audience; naturally became a revived obsession in the eerie silence of social isolation.
The show’s inspiration first came in 2015, when my long time friend, Chris Bamonte, brought me to meet the famed music producer Ron Saint Germain. A transformative experience began the moment we stepped through the front door. In response to a blinding flash of light, I squinted my eyes, only to realize it was the rays of the setting sun piercing through the picture windows and ricocheting off his wall of gold and platinum records. When my hand met the hands of my welcoming hosts, we were all puzzled by a sense that we had met before; that somehow we already knew one another.
After hours of basking in the warmth of homemade gourmet food and drink, paired with authentically invigorating conversation; we made our way down to “Saint’s Place”. That evening, in Saint’s epic home studio, he sat me in what he called “The Pilot’s Seat.” A plush executive’s chair strategically placed in line with his near perfect ProAc Studio 100 monitors. The exact place behind his NEVE/AMEK 9098i mixing console, where he himself spent an unfathomable amount of hours creating the music we were about to hear.
An array of recordings, the most loved of his prolific career, poured into the room. The stories they awakened in him brought us back to moments few were lucky enough to witness. My every sense was indulged. The music, the sound, the conjured memories, the vibe. The exquisite food and drink in the stunning house nestled in the mountains. Being surrounded by generations of world class equipment in the creative den of the maker himself. Connecting up close with this legend, his beautiful family and his personal favorite playlist.
It all washed over me in a life altering wave. And when the wave broke, it upended a deep eagerness to share every moment of this magic. What if I was able to record all the sensations this unbridled exposure stirred? What would I need to do to make a kind of sensorial printing of it all; so anyone could experience the buzz? Was it possible to distill it all down into a sort of time traveling, sense awakening, music box?
When we stepped outside for a break into the chilled night air beside a wall of firewood under a ceiling of stars, Saint clocked the impact on my state and said something like, it’s cool right? When you’re tracking you don’t get to feel this good, but you sure can when you playback. The minute New York city reopened, I began my experiments on making immortalized sense memories – for playback.
March 17 – July, 2020
OPEN & OUT
Chapter 2
July 18 – September 20, 2020