Arcane Candy

To Rococo Rot at Kim’s Underground in New York, New York in 1998. Photo ©1998 by Pat D. Photo enlarges.

Kim’s Underground
New York, New York
1998

“To Rococo Rot were a Berlin-based trio who combined electronic and analog elements to create instrumental post-rock and electronic music. Pitchfork described the band’s sound as “unmistakably digital, yet 100% human.” The group was composed of bassist Stefan Schneider and brothers Robert Lippok (electronics, guitar) and Ronald Lippok (drums, effects). The band’s name is a palindrome, as it can be spelled the same both forward and backward. To Rococo Rot formed in 1995 and were active until 2014, releasing eight major albums and numerous collaborations, remixes, singles and EPs. They were known for their minimalist, musically engaging live show, and gave their final performance on December 17, 2014 via a live-streamed ‘In Stereo’ session in the Boiler Room.”–Wikipedia

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Charles Gayle Trio at Olé Madrid in San Diego, California on Tuesday, February 27, 1996. Photo ©1996 by Rich Jacobs. Photo enlarges.

Olé Madrid
San Diego, California
Tuesday, February 27, 1996.

“Charles Gayle is a free jazz spaceship engine that has been igniting New York launching pads like the Knitting Factory for the last decade or two. This evening involved two long sets of ’60s-inspired free clamor divided by a half-hour break. The stand up bassist and drummer each soloed up their fair share of intense improv freedom as Gayle offered up anti-abortion / pro love / pro-Jesus sentiments punctuated by scratching sawmill violin; crude, ominous Casio keyboard chords; and cascading waterfalls that shoot up into the Sun via some really intense sax note / sheet wailing. It was a spontaneous sound aquarium that simultaneously stapled me to my chair and hurled me through distant expanses of beautiful uncertainty. It’s safe to say this performance was pure lift-off that took me a little bit further than out on a limb.”–GSD, Lou’s and the Abstract Truth (Lou’s Records newsletter), February 1996

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The cover of Iannis Xenakis’ Le Diatope program, circa late 1970s.

Here we have a few visual treats from a program published on the occasion of avant-garde Greek composer Iannis Xenakis’ Le Diatope, a spectacle of architecture, light and sound to celebrate the opening of The Pompou Center in Paris in 1978. “Made of red vinyl stretched over a metal frame, the Diatope’s curvilinear form recalls the famous Philips Pavilion designed by Xenakis and Le Corbusier for the Brussels World Fair in 1958, which housed the Poème Electronique of Edgard Varèse. Indeed, the immersive multimedia plan of the Philips Pavilion was the model for a number of later works Xenakis called Polytopes. He created four of these prior to the Diatope: the Polytope de Montreal in 1967, an open-air spectacle in Persepolis in 1971, and two Polytopes in the Parisian Abby of Cluny in 1972 and 1973. Inside the Diatope, Xenakis arranged a light show involving 1600 flashbulbs and four lasers guided by four hundred adjustable mirrors. Both abstract and representational figures were meticulously choreographed and traced by light. Xenakis’ sketches for the light show mention shapes such as lotuses, galaxies and wheels.”–Socks Studio

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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

The Tlatelolco archaeological excavation site on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in in Mexico City, Mexico.

Sunday, October 22 was my last day in Mexico, as well as the final day of the Is This the Isthmus? Tour, so I had to make it count. At 8:30 am, I boarded a shuttle van with several other tourists from Europe, New Zealand and Peru, bound for the ancient city of Teotihuacán, about an hour north of Mexico City. On the way there, we briefly stopped at a couple of different places. The first was Tlatelolco, “an archaeological excavation site in Mexico City, Mexico where remains of the pre-Columbian city-state of the same name have been found. It is centered on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas.

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Saturday, October 21, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

An Aztec dancer poses with a fan at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Mexico.

I heard there was supposed to be some kind of event and / or parade at the Zócalo today, so I walked down there and looked around for a while, but never did see anything. Instead, I shot photos of the Aztec dancers at the Zocalo, which I had been meaning to do for the past few days anyway. Since it was Saturday, more people than usual showed up to watch the various groups of dancers who were plying their trade around the plaza.

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Friday, October 20, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

A couple of Ciclotaxis at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Thursday, October 19, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

Looking toward the Torre Latinoamericana skyscraper in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

The Grand Courtyard of the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, Mexico.

Today, I walked a few blocks over to the Palacio Nacional, where a guide out front told me that because the building contains the offices of the president and government of Mexico, I had to hand over my passport to get in. I only had a copy of it on me, so I had to schlep all the way to the Casa San Ildefonso to get it and return, once again down the sidewalks of Calle del Correo Mayor, which are utterly packed with pedestrians squeezing by dozens of vendors who shout out the names of their wares at the top of their lungs. It really is quite a chaotic scene.

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Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico

A large Aztec sculpture on the ground floor of the Museo Templo Mayor in Mexico City, Mexico.

Today, I visited the Museo Templo Mayor, which was built on top of an ancient city-state called Tenochtitlan. Easily one of the most glossy and glamorous museums I’ve ever laid eyes on or stepped foot inside, the collection within is spread out over three huge floors. Boasting a wealth of carvings, jewelry, paintings, pottery, statues, chunks from temples, etc. it’s all presented within a totally modern and attractive interior.

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