Screenness in Experimental Electronica Performances

Sparked by the deeply contested viewpoints regarding performativity in experimental electronica whereby the laptop plays a central role, and coupled with a critical awareness of our practical and meaningful relationships with laptops, this paper looks at how the presence of the laptop screen has an effect on how people experience music in place and vice versa. As such, in thinking holistically and phenomenologically about screens, I propose "screenness" as an expressive and experiential paradigm in analyzing performances of experimental electronica, examining notable live sets by acclaimed experimental electronica artists Tim Hecker and Holly Herndon.