Now that I finally have a moment to breathe, I can post a treat for you. Last Friday I saw Flying Lotus and Dr Strangeloop — an experimental hip hop artist and visual artist (and sometimes musician), respectively — perform a “live musical score to Harry Smith’s 1962 animated avant-garde classic Heaven & Earth Magic” (as the press release put it). The show, which took place at the Michigan Theater, was arranged as part of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Sadly I didn’t arrive until 7:15, so I not only missed the beginning of the main feature, but also Dr. Strangeloop’s opening performance of “2010: (or) How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Technological Singularity.” I hadn’t heard much about “the Singularity” before the show. But actually, just that afternoon Kaliptus had been talking to me about author Terence McKenna, who it seems was the first to elaborate on the concept. Dr. Strangeloop explains it in the third video below, so I’ll leave it to him.

The first two clips are from the live score performance. It was a pretty wild ride. I’m glad that I was there. As I explain in the YouTube info box, the videos are a bit wobbly and/or crooked because I was covering the viewing screen on my camera. I didn’t want to disturb anyone’s viewing experience. At least you can get a basic idea of what went down. The audience did ask the duo if they intended to release an official version of this performance. It sounds like they’re interested but not sure, although they would consider repeating the live score in the future. For more info on the program, you can view this press release or this tickets page.

I also attended and took videos at the “after party show” at the Blind Pig. But Flying Lotus, or someone purporting to be him, contacted me on YouTube and asked me to take those ones down. He didn’t explain why, and while at first I thought it would be because his new album Cosmogramma doesn’t come out until May 4, later on I realized he’s probably planning on selling a DVD of live performances. Dr. Strangeloop — who is part of Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label — provided live visuals with a midi board and laptop.

Anyway, enjoy the videos below. Just use the left and right arrows to navigate between the three.

Thanks to the wonderful serendipity offered on a regular basis by the Internet, I recently found an amazing Vimeo channel called Tryptophanatic Netvision. Or I should say, the channel found me. Kaliptus, the channel’s creator, added two of my creations to the list of mind-bending videos. So you can get an idea of what it’s all about, here’s the channel description:

Welcome to Tryptophanatic Netvision, where the screenings you are about to witness may reveal some of the deepest secrets of the universe! If you are ready for consciousness expansion, use this channel as a tool. The contents herein vary in style, quality, and nature… ranging from psychotropic animations to mystical videos, tripadelic motion graphics, mind warping experiments, occult surrealism and lots more. This Netvision is geared to alter your very being to a higher level of super hue-man exaltation & inspiration. “Caterpillars” beware!!!
This is “Butterfly” territory.

After reading that I was practically drooling with excitement. I swear I had just been pondering that same metaphor about the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. I’ve no doubt left hints on this blog about my own efforts to transcend the bizarre situation I find myself in, one that is in no way conducive to the type of creative activity I desperately crave. Somehow I feel oppressed, yet I can’t identify any oppressor. Maybe it’s just a state of claustrophobia brought on by the tight confines of a coccoon, as my organic plasma cooks into something that can lift me off this unsatisfactory plane of existence…

But I’m wandering. I highly recommend that you check out the Vimeo channel. Get comfortable, turn the lights down, and (if at all possible) watch on a large screen with a good sound system.

If you’re not familiar with Vimeo, it’s an alternative to YouTube that is quickly rising in popularity. It’s more stylish and more conducive to social networking. Furthermore, the people on there tend to be more dedicated to creativity — not just posting their home movies or pretending to be TV news anchors. Vimeo is a well sculpted garden, while YouTube is a stinky bog.

The main reason for this post is that Kaliptus is organizing an event in NYC on February 13, 2010, called Tryptophantasia. They’ll be screening experimental animation from the Vimeo channel, so if you’re in the area, please consider checking it out. It’ll probably be un-fricking-believable.

To download the event flier, right click HERE and choose “save link as.”

Also, I have some good news! Kaliptus has agreed to sign on as a new blogger at Supraterranean. Look for updates in the next week or so. It’ll tentatively be called “Tales from Tryptophantasia,” and will focus on many of the same topics as his Vimeo channel. Now please check out the promo video for the Tryptophantasia event below!