Artist description Livesexact strives to return the energy, power & spectacle of live performance to the realm of electronic music, and to reformulate the band's relationship with its audience, so that, ultimately, everyone gets to GET DOWN!

Music Style Electropunk

Musical Influences Nine Inch Nails, Parliament Funkadelic, Basement Jaxx

Similar Artists Devo, B-52's, Talking Heads

Artist History Alex Westner, Freedom Baird & Stefan Agamanolis first met in 1996 as grad students at MIT's Media Lab. Freedom liked Stefan's poise. Stefan liked Alex's signal processing know-how. Alex liked Freedom's ass, and visa versa. Livesexact took shape in '97 when the trio was awarded a $6000 grant from the MIT Council for the Arts to develop a set of unconventional MIDI instruments — including stuffed animal drums, body triggers, and astro-turf looping targets — that allow them to play music and video simultaneously. Through continued gigging, Livesexact's distinct brand of electro-punk dance-pop began to emerge. Later in '98, along with several other New England bands, Livesexact opened for EBN at the Salisbury Beach Multimedia Festival. Fun times at Salisbury led Livesexact to co-organize their own digital festival, dubbed Cubestock, at MIT's Media Lab, where they played to a packed house of technophilic freaks and geeks. In '99 Livesexact headlined at the Boston Cyber-Arts festival at The Middle East, shortly after which two of the band members got married in the woods. Livesexact spent a year in 00' and 01' in and out of studios in Vienna, Austria and Cambridge, MA, developing it's much anticipated debut CD Upsetting Remedy released in August, '01. Freedom and Alex then bid a fond & squeezy farewell to Stefan, as he commenced his mad scientist adventure in Dublin, Ireland. Shortly thereafter, Scott Schmitt and Amy Dattilo appeared out of a blue sparkly vortex called The Appliance of Science, and slid seamlessly into the gap left by Stefan's departure. Hallelujah — it's a gender-balanced band! During this time, Livesexact made kissy-kissy with Martin Atkins (Pigface, Ministry, PiL, etc.), who in '01 remixed Livesexact's "You Must Get Down." Their burgeoning relationship led to Livesexact's participation in Invisible Records' (now Underground, Inc.) first Notes from Thee Real Underground compilation, and an opening slot at the Roxy for the Boston date of the "Preaching to the Perverted" tour with Pigface, Gravity Kills & gODHEAD. Livesexact is now steadily gigging around New England, eliciting jaw-dropped wow's, grins & mailing-list sign-ups at each stop. In '01-'02 the band invited 12 whip-smart artists from across the USA & Vienna to remix tracks from their debut CD, Upsetting Remedy. Segmented Purity, is the response, a driving, breaking, drole, funhouse ride through an IDM, drum-n-bass, pop collage playland. The remix CD dropped 9-24-02, and has been charting on college radio across the land. Eye peeled & ear cocked for Livesexact gigging in the East, Winter '02-'03.

Group Members Alex Westner, Freedom Baird, Amy Dattilo

Instruments Electronic stuffed animal drumkits, keytars, assorted triggers

Albums Segmented Purity : The Remixes, Upsetting Remedy

Press Reviews Starvox - Live Review (1/03) "This band was more than fun, this band... was certifiable" - Basim PopMatters - CD Review (1/03) "...walking the line between the electro revival's distinct indie-isms and the fact that dance music should be, y'know, fun." - Jason Damas Amplifier Magazine CD Review (1-2/03) "If you're in a mechanical-minded mood, it can be quite invigorating." - Eliot Wilder The Noise - Live Review (11/02) "Livesexact delivers a groove to which no one is immune. They command us to 'get down,' and we do." - Laura Slapikoff The Noise - CD Review (11/02) "Gorgeously produced and atmospheric, ... elegantly introduces the sublime to the funky, and sends them off to the dance floor together." - Laura Slapikoff Northeast Performer - CD Review (11/02) "Buy the ticket, take the trip.." - C.D. DiGuardia AmbiEntrance - CD Review (11/02) "... a self-standing collection of schizophrenic variety. ...eclectic listeners will find something to love" - David Opdyke Technopunkmusic.com - CD Review (11/02) (***1/2) "In its finer moments, the nu-electro shines as do the remixes that dabble in the laid-back art of drum'n'bass." - Bill Whiting-Mahoney INsite Magazine - CD Review (10/02) "At once innovative and compelling, the album hypnotizes you with throbbing beats while the vocals leave you deliciously uneasy." - Alana Sacks Aiding & Abetting - CD Review (10/02) "...these recastings are very nice. ...I'm glad this came my way." - Jon Worley Boston Globe - Article (3/02) "Livesexact was the hypercharged hit of the night" - Katie Johnston Auf Abwegen - Interview (12/01) "...we have two different divisions of songs - we have body songs and mind songs..." - Scott Schmitt Boston Society of Mechanics - Interview (4/01) "It's that let's-make-shit-happen kinda attitude" - Alex Westner Improper Bostonian - Article (8/98) "These artists live and perform with an honesty that has no bounds; they make their own rules; they create their own niches" - Scott Kathan MIT Tech - Article (5/98) "Using synthesizers, an electronic wind instrument and homemade drum kits made with stuffed animals... - Lynn Heinemann

Location Cambridge, MA - USA

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