Since the beginning of this year (2022) I’ve been experimenting with durational performances, in the spirit of the NYC minimalists and performance artists of the 70’s. The concerts have been called 8 Hours or 8 Minutes, a sort of joke referring to the perception of time, but a critique of the standard 8-hour workday/40 hour work week. 

The pieces in this playlist were recorded live during a concert I gave on November 27th, 2022 from 15:00 - 23:00. They are a collection of 3 original compositions and 2 by other composers (Ann Southam and Hugh Shrapnel) whose pieces I do my own take on. The tracks are time stamped in the spirit of LaMonte Young. The visuals during the performance were created by Annika Kappner. 

To perform for such a long stretch of time on a single instrument (a Prophet 12 and Strymon Volante) is both physically and mentally demanding. It requires a shift in perspective and to get there I followed the advice of a good friend: To approach playing not as a mountain climb, but as a love affair. Leaping off the cliff from this foundational understanding, the performances are not tests of endurance, but deep inner journeys, explorations of love and awareness witnessed in a public setting. I liken it to riding a wave: a swelling of emotion which is palpable in the room, building gradually over the eight hours I perform.

Glass Houses 1 - Ann Southam - 22 V4 17:45:04 Berlin

Eric Maltz