Interview with Steve Buchanan

 

Born in Philadelphia, United States. Based in Geneva, Switzerland. Early studies: Pat Martino, Marshall Allen, Elliott Levin, Bobby Zankel, Milford Graves, Denise Bey, Ife Tayo Das Sol. Intensive movement studies : Ballet, Cunningham, Graham, Limon,  Haitian, Afro-Cuban, Guinean, Nigerian, Congolese, Senegalese.

 Steve Buchanan has the rare distinction of having made a name for himself professionally in two fields, music and dance respectively.  He has been what is presently called a transdisciplinary or multi disciplinary artist since the 1970’s. He presented his first multi-disciplinary work on a grant from Ile-Ife muesam in Philadelphia in 1977 “Cybernetic Primal Therapy” (6 musicians, 8 drummers, 6 dancers, 23 radios, 2 play back loops). He has also been a player of what is in current venacular called ‘NOISE MUSIC’  since the 1970″s. As well as playing alto sax and guitar He is also the inventor of the 2nd Line Tranz Danz Floor. A digital interface instrument on which he creates music by dancing. With this instrument he has performed worldwide fascinating audiences young and old alike on every continent.

stage and/or studio with :   (short list)

Tatsuya Yoshida,Butch Morris,Ron Anderson,Fred Frith,Heike Fiedler, Sun Ra, Robert Musso, Mark Dresser, Hans Koch, Martin Schutz, David Moss, Jon Rose, Antoine Chessex, Mark Sanders, Joszef Trefeli, Nicole Johanntgen, Coco Zhao, Paed Conca, Simon Berz, Guy Bettini, Louis Schild, Gilles Aubry, Ania Losinger, Mike Cooper, Frank Crijns, Stephen Haynes, Ray Anderson, Ellen Chrystie, William Parker, Tom Bruno, Min Tanaka, Derek Bailey, Nicholas Field, ZU, Elliott Levin, 1024 Architecture, Patricia Parker, Paul Garrin, Bit-Tuner, Ti Qao Li, Deng Boyu…

1. In many ways the initial impulse to start artistic creation is often the most important one. How it all started in your case?

I suppose it was mostly always present in my case albeit unformed and undefinable.

The defining moment for me was around 14 when playing the guitar I felt a much

deeper presence, a timelessness, a continuity. With dancing it was the same, at one

moment I knew «now you are a dancer « like a kind of voice or tone. Each incident

provoked an intense clarity which was mysterious and unknown to myself

at the time.

2. You are multi-faceted individual but blending it nicely together. How dance and music in your own version of it fit together?

I think in retrospect this occured early to me in Philadelhia,which has something like

mardi gras in New Orleans. My grandparents beloged to one of the marching

bands,whichalways had dancing along with the music. As well my father loved what

was called mambo at the time( late 1950's) and in fact any music with drums and

percussion.So music and dance always seemed to me an inseperable pair each

illustrating and reflecting the other. Becauseof this I sought always to combine

the two, which led directly to designing my danz floor 2nd Line.

3. It’s somewhat confusing to find your own feet in the technological aspect of making music? What was your own way towards it and how open are you to re-defining yourself by using different technologies and techniques?

I think this inclination started with being around my grandfather. He had one of

the earliest Ampeg amplifiers which he used on upright bass,and he was always

putting strange pick-ups on acoustic instruments etc. Then later I had several

friends who played sax with loads of electronics. In the late 1970's I was part

of a trio based in the New School of NYC, in this trio we used reel-to-reel tape

delays (1/2 inch tape, 2 machines stretched over 3 chairs to give 90 min loop!)

so I was always predisposed towards this direction. And I always am open for new

technologies but with the idea that one must somehow push the tech over its limits

thereby arriving at new solutions or rather new proposals.

4. How the new situation with Covid-19 affected you?

The present situation has of course affected me greatly! Like everyone else

gig cancellations, dead night life, A well moving career (finally!!) slowed to

imperceptable movement. A bit unsettling and discouraging frankly!! But

I try to keep perspective and not complain because after all I am living fairly

well and a whole lot of folks on this planet are seriously up against a wall

due to this situation. So lets hope for the best!

5. What was your most memorable experience when it comes to playing live? I have always felt that the dynamics of your act is about live interaction.

This is really quite difficult to state! I would say that the 3 live sets I did in

Serenditpity Festival ( Panjim,Goa) in Dec 2019 are for me at this date the

most memorable. This because it was here that all of my ideas of combining

music and dance finally coalesced into a true form, and yes as you say my work

has always been about live interaction and there in Goa before very large audiences

each night it all came perfectly together.

6. How do you feel as an artist who lived through almost 4 decades of everchanging artistic and geopolitical landscape? The distribution of music has changed, the places you lived have changed. All those and more

In actuality at this point in my life I feel more at home and confident in both

what I do and what my place in all this is both historically and

contemporaneously. I also am grateful to have seen and played and walked the

streets of places in the world which have since transformed drastically!! But

yes getting back to your question, the changes in music distribution have been

enormous and as well the aspect of touring which has been increasingly

difficult and presently looks almost impossible! But then who needs to tour

when you can be a worldwide tik-tok megastar without even leaving your home!

Or an anime manga instagram queen, with 50.000 plus followers! It's a world I

would have never imagined 30 years ago, but sure glad I'm here and in it. It's so so, very interesting in spite of everything. And then again I was never one

to be sentimental about the 'old days' and sure nuff not interested in being a

muesam exhibit ha-ha !!

7. What drives you in terms of your future plans?

To 'SWING ' and swing hard, to paraphase the great Milford Graves

«Swing man, I mean swing man means gettin from one day to the next»

and I add: with a smile on my face!

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