premiere:
March 26, 2011
Music With A View
The Flea Theater, New York
additional performances: June 4, 2011
Electronic Music Foundation Presents
Greenwich Music House, New York
June 15, 2011
Sleeping Giant Summer Show
Littlefield, Brooklyn
July 8, 2011
2nd Annual Dither Extravaganza
The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn
notes: R Who We R We is a collaborative composition by Ted Hearne (voice) and Philip White (electronics). In this suite of short pieces, we deconstruct assertions of identity in pop music. We dissect songs by Michael Jackson, Ke$ha, Eminem and others, subjecting them to arbitrary processes applied to both lyrical and sonic elements. Measures are reordered, lyrics are alphabetized, the backup choir is given the solo mic; garbled lyrics become absurd poems couched in profundity, melodies from the processed text become vocal lines, those vocal lines become control voltages in a chaotic electronic feedback system; four-on-the-floor endures, autotune abounds.
listen to a sample track ("brain"):
lyrics: my brain's dead weight
i lay awake
and strap myself in bed
listen to another sample track ("r we who r we"):
lyrics: And hot.
One of us if you're '-er-ous
if danger the hipst-uz we make 'thus
then roll with our hot we 'gin love
-sters fall of and yes enough pants on this town
we runnin' we duz'
we course you don't and no a club
just like sus on got Je- with us
wanna mess 'luz
Got luz - a-luce, my neck-a
Eyes on my ter that glit stock
Eyes the side up the 'pdall -kings rip look
('Ide) -i-fied Sex-i and king sick so
('Ide) - oh-oh let's go we're go tonight
Let's go! ar-ar-ar- ing har
The world just like ar-ard our-our-our-our
Is our in' it we're tear- our-ours ar-ar-ar a-par-
We're sup-you know ar-art
Who we are we 'per-stars -cin'
Like we're dan- are dum-dum-dum
We're dum -dies go our bo- dum-dumb num-num-num
In num for ev- we'll be num-numb young young young ver- young
We're sup - you know - young young
Who we are we 'per starts
J.D. are damn time it's about it up
(ay) Turn sick of being I'm so it up
To live my brain it's makin' ri-ous
So seee- just I'm ri-ous de-li-
You about I'm tellin' 'kin' truth
'Ust talk our clothes, we're sellin' we do
The shit it dowwwwn (rrrs)
Dressin' in carrrs
Sleepin' hard got
On dudes hittin'
Eyes on my ter that glit stock
Eyes the side up the 'pdall -kings rip look
('Ide) -i-fied Sex-i and king sick so
('Ide) - oh-oh let's go we're go tonight
Let's go! ar-ar-ar- ing har
The world just like ar-ard our-our-our-our
Is our in' it we're tear- our-ours ar-ar-ar a-par-
We're sup-you know ar-art
Who we are we 'per-stars -cin'
Like we're dan- are dum-dum-dum
We're dum -dies go our bo- dum-dumb num-num-num
In num for ev- we'll be num-numb young young young ver- young
We're sup - you know - young young
Who we are we 'per starts
J.D. are up up up up it up i-turn it
J.D. are up up up up it up i-turn it
J.D. are up up up up it up i-turn it
J.D. are up up up up it up i-turn it
The world just like ar-ard our-our-our-our
Is our in' it we're tear- our-ours ar-ar-ar a-par-
We're sup-you know ar-art
Who we are we 'per-stars -cin'
Like we're dan- are dum-dum-dum
We're dum -dies go our bo- dum-dumb num-num-num
In num for ev- we'll be num-numb young young young ver- young
We're sup - you know - young young
Who we are we 'per starts
Ow!