Tacit Group: An Audio-Visual Performance Group That Is Changing the Face of Live Music Performance

If you ever thought it might be cool to compose music simply by playing a video game or by typing words on your computer, or if you ever wondered if that was even possible, then look no further than Tacit Group.

Formed in 2008, the 6-member South Korean group has been revolutionizing music performance by using computer algorithms and live improvisations to create dazzling visual graphics and mesmerizing electronic music. The group has performed at multiple venues throughout South Korea and has held concerts in France and Denmark. This year Tacit Group completed its first U.S. tour, stopping in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chicago; and finally New York City, where last Thursday at the Lincoln Center the group performed for a large audience as part of the Center’s Target Free Thursdays program.

Tacit Group combines computer graphics with digital music to provide audiences with a rich audio-visual experience

On the eve of the concert, the co-founders and leaders of Tacit Group, Jaeho Chang and Jinwon Lee, held a lecture and workshop at the Korean Cultural Service NY to explain the basic concepts behind their group’s work, which they summarized as “algorithmic audio-visual arts.” As fans of 20th-century minimalist music, Chang and Lee pondered how to make the rather esoteric genre more accessible to a wider audience. They started Tacit Group with the aim of performing cutting-edge digital music for general audiences while maintaining the philosophy of 20th-century minimalist music. During the workshop, Chang and Lee cited the influences of some notable 20th-century composers, including Steve Reich, John Cage, and Terry Riley, all three of whom were pioneers in the exploration of improvisation, uncertainty, and the process of creation in music.

Jaeho Chang (left) and Jinwon Lee gave a lecture on Tacit Group the day before the Lincoln Center concert

Instead of using conventional musical instruments, members of Tacit Group use Apple laptops to type commands or phrases that produce eye-catching visuals accompanied by distinct sounds. The audience simultaneously hears the music and sees the graphics displayed on a large screen. The result is a rich combination of sounds, colors, and words that engages the audience’s full attention. Every piece is performed differently each time because the performances are based heavily on real-time improvisation (within some basic parameters) and live interaction.

Tacit Group kicked off the concert with a piece called “Hun-min-jeong-ak” (the title is a Korean compound word, with hun-min referring to a book used to teach people the Korean language and jeong-ak referring to a type of traditional Korean music). The performers began by typing Korean letters, whose geometric shapes gave a more technological vibe to the piece as the letters pulsed with bass beats and techno sounds. Later in the piece the players switched to English, forming words and phrases that made the audience laugh and occasionally inviting the audience to participate.

Tacit Group thanks the audience during its performance of "Hun-min-jeong-ak"

The second piece, titled “In C” and based on composer Terry Riley’s work, could perhaps be best described as “minimalist electronica.” The piece was long in duration (about 30 minutes), and the music sounded almost ethereal. Each note played was spelled out on the screen (as “Mi, Fa, Sol,” etc.), and as the melody grew more complex, the notes began changing colors and intermingling with one another. As the letters danced on the screen, it was as if they had come alive and were playing the music on their own. This stunning visual aspect gave a very organic and artistic quality to the overall piece.

Tacit Group's rendition of Terry Riley's work "In C"

In “Space,” four of the group’s performers engaged in a quasi-arcade game by producing shapes and sounds that interacted with each other according to real-time commands the players would type on the screen. Viewers were immersed into a strange virtual universe occupied by living shapes and otherworldly sounds.

Players battle with each other in a simulated virtual world in "Space"

In “Puzzle 15,” two players (in this case, group leaders Chang and Lee) competed in a race to finish a puzzle of their own faces. As they moved the tiles around, the players created music that sounded somewhat similar to what one might hear on Jeopardy! From an audience’s perspective, the piece seemed relatively simple yet highly entertaining.

Tacit Group leaders Jaeho Chang and Jinwon Lee compete in a puzzle match in "Puzzle 15"

One of the true highlights of the performance came at the very end, when all six members engaged in a round of the classic video game Tetris for their piece “Game Over.” During the workshop, Chang and Lee had explained that they had input a certain set of rules to determine the sounds that the blocks would make (for example, the height of the block would determine its pitch). Depending on how the performers play, the music could differ drastically—play too well, and the blocks disappear too quickly, causing the music to sound rather monotonous. On the other hand, deliberately stacking each block might make for some interesting music, but the player would die off too quickly. Thus, performing the piece requires a delicate balance between the two extremes, while simultaneously gauging the progress of the other players. The performers made this look very easy, keeping the audience entertained throughout the entire piece.

The group creates music in real time by playing a group round of Tetris

Audience reactions to the concert were pretty positive. John Seroff, who hails from New Jersey, remarked, “It was excellent and fun to watch… I think it’s impressive that it’s being given credence in this fashion, to hold a show like this at Lincoln Center. And their take on 'In C' was most remarkable.” Paola Vieira, another audience member who was visiting from Brazil, also apparently enjoyed the concert. “It was very interesting,” she said. “I liked the technology, the creativity, and the improvisation. I especially liked how they played games and played with words.”

Sofia Ziegler, a native New Yorker who was also in the audience, seemed to agree. “It was really interesting to see the technology, games, and music,” she commented. “I really liked the way that they were able to also integrate audience experience, and how they were interacting with each other…It was really wonderful. And the music doesn’t necessarily sound like technology-based music, but the performance was technology-based, so that was really cool.”

Concert attendees filled the seats inside the David Rubenstein Atrium at the Lincoln Center to watch Tacit Group perform

Fans of minimalist or electronic music, as well as computer nerds and video game aficionados would probably enjoy watching Tacit Group perform in particular. However, even if you don’t fall into one of those categories, a Tacit Group concert will certainly provide a multi-sensory, enriching experience for any adventurous concertgoer. After all, an ensemble that makes music on stage by playing Tetris with one another? Now THAT is sweet.

This article appears in the book Korean Culture Navigation in NY published by the Korean Cultural Center NY.