Since July, we’ve seen lots of innovative performances from musicians using the Leap Motion Controller. This weekend, Uriel Yehezkel followed up from his last performance created with GecoMIDI and Leap Motion to drop the bass on some dubstep. Check it out in the video below:
A producer and DJ from Jerusalem, Yehezkel favors slick, cinematic mixes that can make your hair stand on end. Like many musicians who have worked with the Leap Motion Controller, Yehezkel says that 3D interaction adds a whole new element to his rig. When you combine traditional tools with the expressive capacities of the Leap Motion Controller, “you won’t leave your studio for a week.”
"You can really feel the parameters you’re changing with your hands. You can flow with the music and express it with your body. Controlling more than 10 parameters simultaneously with both hands provides you with full control over the construction of the song, the emotion, and the energy.”
GecoMIDI has quickly become a popular choice among digital musicians for its power and versatility. Designed for live performance and quick configuration during rehearsal, it provides a bridge between the Leap Motion Controller and music setups.
What do you think about the possibilities for Leap Motion and live music control? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page or let us know on Twitter.
Tokyo-based industrial artist Aliceffekt’s album Telekinetic went live this week, and it’s already getting international coverage for how it was made – it’s the first known album release created with the Leap Motion Controller. By translating hand movements and gestures into retro-futuristic sounds, Aliceffekt created the full 20-minute ambient album using the Leap Motion Controller as his main instrument. He recently used the Leap Motion Controller in a live performance at Tokyo Indie Dance Party, which you can see here:
Besides performing as DJ Aliceffekt in Tokyo clubs, Devine Lu Linvega is a digital artist who wears many hats – building apps, designing games, and even inventing a synthetic AI language. Throughout his entire body of work, he keeps one foot in the future and always wants to evolve. During his DJ shows, he found himself getting bored and frustrated.
“I’ve always liked the idea of conducting music, weaving the music in midair,” he says. “This was impossible with the previous tools I had tried. I never really understood the appeal of twisting knobs of laptop shows. I have been scratching my head for a while, trying to get out of this boring image of the modern day music programmer.”
Using the Leap Motion Controller and Ableton Live, Lu Linvega created his own program that would allow him to control the range of a variety of sounds – triggering clips by counting the number of fingers being held out. By moving in three dimensions and controlling tones and clips with simple movements and gestures, he created Telekinetic. Check out this brief clip of his experimental app in action:
However, Lu Linvega says Telekinetic is only a small experiment; it’s a prelude to something much bigger – a whole new way for him to perform and create.
“I want to try something more ambitious for my next shows – involving visuals. I want to have this draw pictures in midair, as well as music. May it be Kinect or Leap Motion or something else, this way of performing – with motion control – is now the only way I shall conduct Aliceffekt shows in the future.”
Telekinetic is available for free download on Lu Linvega’s website, and he also shared his Leap Motion project files for other developers on GitHub. What do you think of Telekinetic – and where will Leap Motion music go next?
Musicians around the world are experimenting with new ways to perform their songs using Leap Motion. The Geco MIDI app has been particularly popular in Airspace, and we’ve seen lots of amazing videos showing how musicians are using Leap Motion in their work.
Here are 6 songs from artists based in Israel, the United Kingdom, Iowa, Australia, and Berlin. They’re using the Leap Motion Controller to open a new dimension of responsiveness and flow. If you’re exploring Leap Motion with your music too, we would love to hear from you.
Autumn by Yehezkel Raz and Danski
What happens when you combine Leap Motion technology with a classical piano? Magic.
Yehezkel Raz is a classically trained Israeli musician with a passion for electronic music. Over the last 10 years, he’s been experimenting with new ways to integrate the piano with live electronic instruments and computers. Recently, he began collaborating with electronic musician Danski.
“We are both very passionate in finding new expressive instruments,” says Raz. “It was only a few weeks ago when I saw a video of the Leap Motion Controller on YouTube and I was inspired to try it myself.” Using Geco MIDI and Ableton Live, Raz tweaks and distorts the notes from the piano, creating a fusion of classic and electronic sounds.
“For me, playing a classical instrument with a gadget like the Leap Motion Controller is very natural… and so cool! People in the show just loved it – it seemed like magic to them. In the future, we have big plans for integrating Leap Motion with more instruments, visuals, and effects.”
Drumactica 2 0 by Enrico Bertelli
Enrico Bertelli believes that imaginary instruments can push the boundaries of live performance. In Drumactica 2 0, the UK-based musician uses the Leap Motion Controller to create invisible elements that allow the audience to interpret for themselves what’s happening onstage.
The Leap Motion Controller created “an array of invisible controllers in front of me,” says Bertelli. “I really enjoy a sound that evolves, and I could transform the act of control into a performative act itself. Dominating the air above the acoustic instrument and shaping its timbre by moving my hand was really enticing.
“After a few hours of practice, testing and tweaking, I could swear I felt the beams in my hand, changing as I was changing. The sensation is incredible and brings the electroacoustic performance to a whole new level. ”
By taking away the instruments and emphasizing gestures, Bertelli wants to break down the boundaries between his movements and the music. “I hope people will practice with it, stepping away from the screen and taking the connection between sound design and choreography to the next level. Children will definitely love to interact with it, and it definitely gets your body moving!”
Driven By Motion by David Voy
Iowa-based musician David Voy uses the Leap Motion Controller with Geco MIDI to interact with ambient instrumentals.
Sqeepo
Music with the Leap Motion Controller comes naturally to dubstep UK-based producer Sqeepo. He has wanted to play electronic instruments without touching them since he was a kid.
Beat Boxing by Humanelectro
Berlin beatboxer Ryo Fujimoto uses the Leap Motion Controller to bring together his vocal percussion while controlling a variety of effects and synth sounds with his hands.
Monome Integration by Ermin
Using a specialized music device, Australian producer Ermin fuses electronic music with Balkan gypsy vibes to create a trippy, mysterious sound. By waving his hand over the Leap Motion Controller, he can distort the music with easy, fluid motions.
At Leap Motion, we’ve been amazed by how many people from around the world have been inspired by the possibilities of our technology. They want to free themselves, and the rest of us, from the current limitations of computing interfaces. Last week, we joined many of these visionaries at the annual SF MusicTech Summit, which brings together some of the biggest names in the music, business, and tech scene together under one roof.
