Live PA

Live PA (meaning Live Public Address, or Live Personal Appearance) is the act of performing live electronic music in settings typically associated with DJing, such as nightclubs, raves, and more recently dance music festivals.

In a performative context, the term was originally used to refer to live appearances, initially at rave events in the late 1980s, of studio based producers of electronic dance music who released music using fixed media formats such as 12-inch single, CD, or music download The concept of the Live PA helped provide a public face for a scene that was criticized as faceless by the mainstream music press. The trend was quickly exploited by a music industry desperate to market dance music to a popular audience.

Generally Live PA artists use a central sequencer which triggers and controls sound generating devices like synthesizers, drum machines, samplers. The resulting audio outputs of these devices are then mixed and modified with effects using a mixing console. Interconnected drum machines and synthesizers allow the electronic Live PA artist to effectively orchestrate a single-person concert. Hand-played keyboards, hand-triggered audio samples, live vocals, and other live instruments can augment the performance as well. Some artists like Brian Transeau and Jamie Lidell utilize hardware and software tools custom-designed for live expression and improvisation.

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