Creative Capital

You find yourself in a part of town you rarely wander through in search of an event unlike anything you’ve ever attended. You pay your admission, and a thumping groove sends its greeting as you enter the cavernous venue. The lighting is low and dramatic. Abstract sculptures are suspended from the rafters, and lasers and other flickers of color reinforce the beat of the music. There’s a crowd flocking by the bar, buzzing conversations permeate the club, the DJ kicks the music up a notch, and then the energy inside the room slowly begins to change. Welcome to nightlife without those pesky velvet ropes. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifts. As the lighting morphs, conversations dissipate, and seamlessly, the electronica music segues into a live string quartet performance. Now you know you’re in the right place.

The DJ behind the turntables and glowing laptop screen is composer Mason Bates, who has established parallel careers in the seemingly disparate worlds of classical music and electronica. To help merge the two genres into a cohesive event, he’s collaborating with set and costume designer Anne Patterson to create the Creative Capital-funded project, Mercury Soul. Think of it as a classical music concert nestled inside a party that invites you to relax, make yourself at home, have a drink, and hang out as long as you like. The evening-length happening incorporates a lounge-like environment conducive to casual interaction—like hanging out in a nightclub—which includes an itinerary of intimate chamber music performances, all composed by Bates.

To accommodate both attuned listening and omnivorous absorption, the artists plan to use subtle changes in lighting and sound to redirect attention during the five 15-minute performances that will occur over the course of the evening. As the classical musicians begin performing on a raised platform in one quadrant of the space, the lighting will become brighter and less active, creating a focused setting suitable for attentive listening. Here, Patterson’s experience with creating what she calls orchestral installations—sculptural environments aimed at enhancing live musical experiences—comes in handy. Different sections of the space will feature her installations, providing an evocative backdrop for the musicians.

Bates is no stranger to creating giant arcs of music, whether in the DJ booth or the concert hall, and Mercury Soul is the perfect vehicle for yet another magnum opus—one that explores what he sees as the common elements between classical music and electronica, such as intricate textures, rhythms, and harmonies. Electronica sets, lasting roughly 20 minutes apiece, will seamlessly blend into the intense acoustic compositions, which will be amplified throughout the venue. To help ensure smooth transitions, double bassist David Arend will enhance the trip-hop-infused interludes with live performances—an idea hatched by Bates during a contemporary classical music concert with tediously long set changes between performances.

Both Bates and Patterson have worked with major orchestras around the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. They feel that the fan bases of certain electronica sub-genres—such as IDM (intelligent dance music) and the circuit-bending scene—are open to contemporary classical music when they have an opportunity to hear it without the pomp-and-circumstance trappings of the concert hall. By the same token, not all classical music lovers wear bow ties and believe that listening to anything else is simply beneath them. Mercury Soul seeks to unite diverse music lovers under one roof, dispelling the stereotypes used to divvy everyone up socially based solely on musical tastes. With the entire evening already mapped out and the musical compositions nearly completed, Mercury Soul will be ready to premiere this year. After the final chamber performance of the evening, who knows? Mercury Soul could spontaneously veer into an all night dance party.