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 .”
Speaking to a Lifestyle Guru (Video)
If making something of yourself is as simple as having the gumption to do something bigger than you could have ever imagined, then dear god, we better keep our plans rolling. We have been living by this “motto” (highlight word, gumption) for almost 9 years now as we live on a sailboat, work as musicians, and raise two girls (one left the nest for Maine Maritime Academy) on the sea. Currently, we are on land, tucked in the Hudson Valley with long time friends as we gear up to give our boat the necessary love she needs for our next offshore passage back to the Caribbean (back to gumption).
Just a couple of weeks ago, we received an invitation to join cultural critic, wellness guru and Internet personality, Marguerite V Imbert for a Q & A on her Instagram Live. Who can say no to being interviewed by the next “Terry Gross?” No us certainly. If we can share our story to stir someone else’s “gumption pot”, you know we are certainly going to do it.
Marguerite’s live shows are now becoming a community where you can find your new favorite graphic designer, your new favorite soap, to tapping into new music from unsigned artists. She highlights leaders and infuencers in her favorite industries, such as wellness, food, spirituality, beauty, and literature, and they all share a common feature of being “world disruptors.”
In the interview, we discuss everything from what gadgets we store in our galley, sailing over the Bermuda Triangle, and what it means to be sailing musicians who perform by sail to pay the (albeit, small) bills.
So we hope to inspire you all along the way, as we venture into many unknowns. We invite you to watch our Q & A with Marguerite V Imbert here:
Bless.