Pandemic Dance Music
First off, I just want to say that this particular IGTV Music Series, “Stranded in Paradise” on Stell & Snuggs Instagram has been getting attention as of late and what else can I write about today other than this burning sensation to interview the man himself, “Snuggs” of Charlatan & Charades. But it is important to talk about how we arrived to where we are now given the state of things during a pandemic. Let’s just say it has been nonetheless most interesting for those who make their living as touring musicians. And in our case, as “sailing musicians.”
In early July, we raised sails and navigated 1400 miles north from Saint Croix USVI to the northeastern USA with two children and feline, then dusted off the Ole’ 1986 vintage Winnebago, where we moved our worldly possessions and musical instruments off S/V (sailing vessel) Catherine and into the RV.
We all piled comfortably (meow) onto “Whispering Wheat” and headed for Castine, Maine where we accomplished our most important task of the year 2020: to drop our child to a Maritime Academy. A risky decision during a pandemic, I know. It was a necessary errand to beeline through Covid Country and frankly, from sailing offshore in “mostly” smooth seas to this pothole laden, anxiety-driven, front yard political craziness hasn’t made it feel any smarter. But that’s a story for another post, folks. My point being: time is of the essence, right?
Back to the music. So what exactly is Charlatans & Charades? We took last night over some strong coffee to dig in. “The process is fairly complicated,” he told me. “What we do at Charlatans & Charades is commune with the equipment to the point that there is such a free-flowing creative energy between the equipment and us that we become one. The creative process is so flawless that there is no such thing as a “poor idea.” There is no such thing as a “mistake.” Computers, although they work fast, they’re incapable of the computation of the human brain but only with the assistance of properly designed electronic equipment can the human brain reach its full potential in the creative realm.”
So essentially, Snuggs’ creates this process, although it is not his own. It is a particular synthesizer produced by Yamaha labs that allows him to become one with his instrument. And there lives the essential free flow of creative information that resides between him, nature, and machine.
The first thing Snuggs adds to a Charlatans & Charades composition is the melody. The song we will refer to specifically is Club Beats in Fargo, from the “Stranded in Paradise” Series YouTube Channel. The melody is the starting thread. After that, he creates the chordal structure which he further adds more depth to the track, laying a “watery texture” over it and some bass on the left hand. From there, he feels it out and uses his taste to rein in the whole creative process. The natural world is the heavy inspiration. You can feel the energy of the ocean and the Earth’s rotation.
He adds, ”As far as the arrangement of the piece, it is the acceleration of both human mind and machine mind working in tandem together that allows such a complex piece to be created so quickly and so naturally. One day, maybe sometime shortly soon, other human beings on the planet might experience this oneness with a machine, but to date, very few people are willing to accept such a presence within their own mind.”
Wow, just wow. This is getting heavy, but before I left the interview, I wanted to ask him this: Is there a hidden meaning behind these compositions? He wouldn’t say there were any hidden meanings. He said, “the purpose is to unify humanity with the universe and ambient technology.”
As he traverses through land and sea with this keyboard, he doesn’t see the “Stranded in Paradise” as a team. He sees it more as himself and all of the energy of the people who work in the synthesis development lab at Yamaha. Through the equipment that they developing, they all become Charlatans & Charades.
Where do the fans come in then? As this project is extremely portable and self-sufficient, we welcome anyone to suggest where the next Charlatans & Charades should be performed at next. Whether at sea, by a waterfall, next to a river, on a Astor Estate, Snuggs is ready to compose and perform on the spot.
“You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was .”