Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The Trophy Wives, a band that plays Eastern-European-inflected rock, have altered the video game ''Mortal Kombat'' so they can play it using their keyboards instead of the standard controls. The result, a thrilling cacophony, serves as a soundtrack while the musician's on-screen avatars kick each other in the head.
Tonic, 107 Norfolk Street, Lower East Side; 8 p.m.; $12.
- The NY Times
Discography
Album "Revenge Fantasies" (2005)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Trophy Wives play loud, instrumental rock with eastern-european influences. Their music simultaneously incorporates genres as divergent as heavy metal, afrobeat, free jazz and late 20th Century experimental music, but has a distinctive and virtuosic style that runs through the entire repertoire.
During live performances, the Trophy Wives perform a video game performance piece that they developed called Mortal Muzak. Based on classic two-person fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Muzak is different in that the characters fighting each other are controlled by midi instruments instead of video game controllers. During live performances, the game is projected behind the band as it accompanies the music produced by the competitors.
Developed by Trophy Wives violinist/electric mandolinist Mathew Kane and reprogrammed by Columbia University robotics professor Andy Miller, the game is a modern take on game theory as originally practiced by composers such as Iannis Xenakis and John Cage. The game also transcends artistic boundaries, simultaneously incorporating music, sport, visual art and performance art.
To see a video of Mortal Muzak being performed at the NYC club Tonic, check out the band's website at www.thetrophywives.com
Links
