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What is the name of the two large clear plastic boxes?


Post Posted Sun Nov 15, 2020 9:53 pm
Richard-Eastham


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What is the name of instrument used on stage for the opening part of Ethnicolor? The pair of large clear plastic boxes played like a percussion instrument.
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01.09.93 Manchester / 07.06.97 Manchester / 30.03.08 London / 22.05.09 London / 10.10.10 London / 01.07.11 Monaco / 04.05.16 London / 23.07.16 Macclesfield / 06.10.16 Brighton / 07.10.16 London.
Post Posted Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:01 am
Richard-Eastham


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Does nobody know what these boxes are called? They must have a name!

Can you image the concert planning for Lyon in 1986? JMJ: "Well, we start off with me walking down the steps slowly with the custom painted Yamaha. Meanwhile, Michel Geiss will be playing the plastic boxy things. Then, as we get the the second movement of Ethnicolor, I'll walk over, and take the sticks off Michel, and I'll play the plastic boxy things for a bit, before conducting the orchestra and choir for the final movement. All OK?" :D

Plastic box percussion (EN) = Percussion boîte en plastique (FR)
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01.09.93 Manchester / 07.06.97 Manchester / 30.03.08 London / 22.05.09 London / 10.10.10 London / 01.07.11 Monaco / 04.05.16 London / 23.07.16 Macclesfield / 06.10.16 Brighton / 07.10.16 London.
Post Posted Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:34 am
Dr_Jones


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I was skimming through some old magazines (Clavier magazine from 1990 for example), because I could have sworn the instrument is mentioned there. It wasn't... I think it was made by LAG who made most of his custom instruments around that time.
Post Posted Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:02 pm
Richard-Eastham


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Thanks. I def think they are a LAG creation too. Just wish I knew the name. I recall a short video clip, in his Croissy studio, around the time of Zoolook, when he was demonstrating CMI Fairlight sampling, and these boxes were in his studio. He showed how he could play back a sample thru the boxes. I think they last appeared on stage at Paris La Défense.
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01.09.93 Manchester / 07.06.97 Manchester / 30.03.08 London / 22.05.09 London / 10.10.10 London / 01.07.11 Monaco / 04.05.16 London / 23.07.16 Macclesfield / 06.10.16 Brighton / 07.10.16 London.
Post Posted Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:47 pm
Dr_Jones


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Concert for Tolerance had it too
Post Posted Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:09 pm
Richard-Eastham


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Wow - I'd forgotten about that. Thanks!

CPLT is really quite special. Without the the canvas of buildings, via a mega backdrop of vertical skyscrapers or a horizontal panorama of buildings (e.g. PLD, Houston, Lyon) so much attention was on the stage. It was the last time in my opinion that combination of theatrical puppets, set-piece LAG synths, choir and orchestra all came together to such amazing effect. Chrono Pt 3 was the best. And JMJ's beret was super cool!

Watching this brings back a combination of good and bad memories: I was a student in France in 1995, studying in Grenoble on a three month UK-French exchange. I was there start of June through to end of August. There was the ON/OFF news about Hotel des Invalides as the convert venue. I was getting the postal bulletins from Conductor of the Masses magazine sent to me, and I thought "Wow! I could be in France when there is a JMJ mega concert! If it's on, I must go!" This was all not quite pre-internet and email and I had no mobile phone meaning so much was guess work.

I then I hear the concert is OFF, and 14th July is getting closer and me and the students down in the Alps plan to attend the celebrations in Grenoble instead. So I decide to stay put. Then word reaches me it's ON again, but now at Champs des Mars. Too late to arrange accommodation in Paris. Do I just blow a chunk of my student grant on a return TGV ticket, pull an all-nighter and go to Paris for 24 hrs?

I stay in Grenoble and have a great time in the city. Next day, I go buy the national papers and see the photos and then Gala magazine published colour photos a few days later, and back home, my mum tapes the UK TV broadcast onto a VHS tape for me. It all looks and sounds amazing and I was just a train ride away! I was so annoyed.

Even now, 25 years later, NOT being there, when I was so close, wakes me up at night :(
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01.09.93 Manchester / 07.06.97 Manchester / 30.03.08 London / 22.05.09 London / 10.10.10 London / 01.07.11 Monaco / 04.05.16 London / 23.07.16 Macclesfield / 06.10.16 Brighton / 07.10.16 London.
Post Posted Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:45 pm
Dr_Jones


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Oh, I can imagine!
But it could be worse: a friend of mine (he was in fact the one who introduced me to JMJ's music!) was in Paris in July 1990. But he had to go to the south of France on the 13th, so he could catch a glimpse of the build-up in the La Defense area.
Post Posted Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:51 am
rinogurr


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Richard-Eastham wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:02 pm Thanks. I def think they are a LAG creation too. Just wish I knew the name. I recall a short video clip, in his Croissy studio, around the time of Zoolook, when he was demonstrating CMI Fairlight sampling, and these boxes were in his studio. He showed how he could play back a sample thru the boxes. I think they last appeared on stage at Paris La Défense.
I remember he had the nickname of "The Monster"







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