Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Boyce
Hi Alan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Wow! Where to being? I think my musical journey started when I was very young – probably 2 or 3 years. I remember listening to the music of my parents in our house, car, everywhere. My mom being from Mexico was playing Latin artists like Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel but she also really liked songstresses like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. My dad’s taste in music was a bit more eclectic. He loved the Beach Boys and Genesis but also in his vinyl collection, he had Gregorian chanting, outer space soundscapes and classical music. All this music from my parents opened my world to the magic of music.
I also started taking music lessons at a young age, around 10 years old. It first started with learning the fundamentals of piano and then I joined concert band in elementary and middle school where I played the baritone horn. These early years were very formative because it was during this time I developed my musical ear, learned music theory, timing, song structure and dynamics as well as how to play by myself and cohesively with a group.
It wasn’t until late middle school/early high school where I really started to fall in love with music. It was around this time where I started to discover my own music taste. Video games like Guitar Hero showed me rock and metal bands that moved me like no other music had done before. Through this, I would use p2p music sharing sites to download music from these artists and similar artists and watch live performances of YouTube.
In high school, I met the people who are still some of my closest friends today. These are the friends I would go to shows with, form bands and play gigs, exchange new music and also go to jam parties where I learned the art of improvisation through playing with countless other musicians. All of these experiences have molded me into the musician I am today and gave me the confidence and knowledge to be able to do what I do now: improvised live-looping electronic dance music performances.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like any creative journey, there are always ups and downs. Back in 2019, I fell out of love with creating music. It was during this time and some years before that I played in bands and I was somewhat happy making music and playing shows along the east coast of the US but it did not feel creatively fulfilling in my heart. Something was certainly missing. So I spent the next two years stepping away from music creation and performance and started to look more inward. I spent time in meditation and deep thought to really contemplate what brought creative fulfillment. It wasn’t until a techno party in 2021 where I discovered the healing power of dance music and found my way again with music.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The way I approach music is a bit different then the traditional way. Instead of composing music and then performing that composition at a show, I blend the two together. This is through a technique called improvised live-looping which is a method of creating music, in my case electronic dance music, in a live performance setting by layering sounds together and actualizing it all off the top of my head in the present moment.
As I mentioned before, meditation has played a big role in my musical journey and one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to improvisation are Buddhist monks who have a practice where in groups will create complex and intricate sand mandalas over a period of time. After constructing it and briefly appreciating its beauty, they then begin to deconstruct and unravel it until it is just unordered pieces of sand, what it was at the beginning and then start the process again. The point of the practice is to learn and respect the ephemeral nature of all things in the universe.
In my own practice, I use layers of sound frequencies to form an ordered construct that I feel has beauty and moves me and the audience in some way. Once I feel like I have appreciated its form, I let it go completely by deconstructing it and use those remaining sounds to begin forming the next construct with other new sounds frequencies.
While I am doing this I am constantly taking in other sensory information. This could be the crowd at the show and how they are dancing or responding to the music, the space I am playing in or even my inner emotions. To be able to fully express myself with this, I have daily spiritual and mindfulness practices. These practices include breathwork, meditation, yoga and others, which allow me to enter a Flow state during the live performances so creating the music in real time is simple and effortless.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One surprising thing about me is that I’ve been vegan for almost a year and before I was vegetarian for about 5 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/timeritual
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timeritual/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@timeritual
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@timeritual
