Modified dog

A performance / installation aiming at taking a journey to the end of the day, a journey from light to darkness, from the visible to the invisible and a transition from reality to the dreamlike, has been prepared by the 'Modified dog' musical ensemble. The composition consists of original music and simultaneous lighting / 3D mapping, aspiring to offer an integrated audiovisual experience.

Consistent in their philosophy on music and their musical experimentation, 'Modified dog' are an audiovisual group/collective which transforms, its members change and it differentiates itself musically, depending on the needs of each project it presents. The challenge and charm in their sound comes from the combination of elements that are different to each other. They use digital/electronic instruments (laptops, synthesizers, pedal effects), regular instruments (trumpets, percussion, vocals, guitars, saxophones, drums) and sampling from various sources (spoken word, city sounds, sounds from nature).

The basic axis of this complicated project is the different understanding that we acquire as night-time approaches and the light changes. The performance begins with intense light and no sound, and it is completed in absolute darkness in a full audio/musical landscape.

This is where Kerouac meets Burroughs and Embirikos.
“Praised be man, he is existing in milk
and living in lilies -
And his violin music takes place in milk
and creamy emptiness”
Jack Kerouac's 'Praised be man' is heard and followed by an excerpt from  'The Western Lands' by William S. Burroughs:
“Total Death. Soul Death. It's what the Egyptians called the Second and Final Death”.

An important part of the narration consists of poetry excerpts and texts by the two writers, which are heard from recordings of their own voices. Furthermore, the poem 'strofes strofalon' (Turbine Turns) by Andreas Embirikos is heard in the final part of the performance, pressing for the journey into an endless dream, which becomes the driving force pushing onwards to the next day.

Regarding the installation of the project, 'Modified dog' explain that, “it is based on building three dimensional masses (cardboard boxes) that compose the environment of the performance. On those masses, and through the use of 3D video mapping, the video visualises the musical-audio compositions, functioning as another instrument, placing the performers/musicians inside the frame of a continuous film. With the simultaneous use of lighting and 3d mapping projections, we want to achieve a 'cinematic' feel in each performance”.

Performance contributors
Music composition – Idea – sound design: Chrysanthos Christodoulou
Lighting – 3d video mapping – installation: Stathis Mitsios
Orchestration – Performance: Modified Dog
Modified Dog: Chrysanthos Christodoulou (electronics, keyboard, guitar, vocals), Dimitris Dalezis (guitar, electric bass, vocals, effects), Dimitris Pantelias (soprano, tenor, barytone saxophone), Dimitris Tasoudis (drums, percussion), Stathis Mitsios (3D video mapping, lighting, set design), Christos Megas (Sound engineer).