R&R Electronics
R&R Electronics was a contemporary experimental post-comedy duo that existed between 2006-2010. Composed of two professional composers and performers, Rūta Vitkauskaitė (violin) and Rita Maciliunaitė (mezzo-soprano), the duo was formed after both Rūta and Rita, who were already good friends, decided to collaborate on composing and performing together.
Both multi-talented individuals, as R&R Electronics, they started performing live and “dead” electronics, voice, violin, contemporary classical, pop, punk, neo-folk, rock, electronic, and post-comedy music, as well as managing events and production. They were known for their ability to improvise and have a passion for creating and performing their own pieces, with their characteristic flair for satire and comedy. They used tongue-in-cheek humour and performance to address topics such as the post-Soviet society, gender roles, and what constitutes as a “good” art.
With their electrifying energy and thought-provoking commentary, R&R Electronics created shows which were equally entertaining and enlightening, bringing a fresh perspective on life and art.
R&R Electronics has been pushing the boundaries of conventional art forms and
challenged its listeners’ critical thinking, encouraging them to question societal norms. They believed that every joke carried a part of the truth and that their performances should be full of freedom, satire, latitude, and play. Their pieces were a continuous work of art and improvisation, encompassing contemporary music, handmade instruments, video installations and projections, theatre, dance, and stage design.
R&R Electronics has performed in a number of locations both in Lithuania (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilniaus Veidai Festival, Gaidys Gallery, Music Laboratory Network, The PROCESS, Druskomanija Festival, Operomanija Summer Camp) and internationally (Aldeburgh Festival, Dartington Summer School, UK and Echoraumherbst Festival in Vienna, Austria). In 2010, they were Artists in Residence at DAR (LT) where they created their ‘Sound Oh Stone, Sound’ installation, which marked their last project as R&R Electronics.
R&R Electronics recorded 2 CDs (‘R&R Electronics Songs’ and ‘Give Me Your Heart/Griebk už širdies’), created audio-visual projects ‘Fly Birdie, Fly’, ‘Doublemo’, ‘Mr.Sun’ (also published as DVD), ‘Give Me Your Cash’, and installation ‘Sound, oh stone, sound’.
R&R Electronics Songs CD (2007)
The debut CD of R&R Electronics is a unique and eclectic mix of styles ranging from folk, pop, rock, techno, contemporary classical, and electronic music. This collection of eight tracks, including: ‘Plaukia Sau Laivelis’, ‘Nežinau’, ‘Romai’, ‘Saugusi Šeimos Moteris’, ‘Polimerai’, ‘EY’, ‘Malearoosha2’, and ‘Lėk Gervie’, blends together a variety of techniques to create a truly innovative and exciting sound, within the landscape of experimental music. The songs on this CD were also performed live in various locations throughout Lithuania.
You can listen to the full album here: https://www.draugiem.lv/rrelectronics/biography/
Duration: 60 minutes
Setup: voice and electronics
Performers: 2
Griebk už širdies (''Grab my heart’') (2008)
‘Griebk už širdies’ album was created as a form of catharsis for the artists, through tongue-in-cheek jokes, mocking past lovers and desperate heartbreaks. Through these stories of past loves, the duo has dedicated the album to all those who have broken their hearts in one way or another. The songs on the album feature unaltered improvised vocals accompanied by piano and have never been performed live. Tracks included on the album are ‘Vienastygis’, ‘Čikago’, ‘rrrr-gi’, ‘Senis’, ‘Meilės nėra’, ‘Išpler Džervie’, ‘Aš toks mažas buvau’ and ‘Post Scriptum’.
You can listen to the full album here: https://www.draugiem.lv/rrelectronics/biography/
Duration: 30 minutes
Setup: voice and piano
Performers: 2
Fly birdie, fly (2008)
“Fly birdie, fly away from this triple max double power electronics word, find your better future in the world of B-as and Ch-a, do not hesitate to come back, let us play our music, let us play, let us play, oh, let us play…”
R&R Electronics were specially commissioned by the Aldeburgh Festival to create a unique musical project. Drawing on their extensive research, the duo successfully blended a variety of musical styles to create a captivating hour-long piece. Post-comedy, folk, electro, contemporary and performance instrumentation were all intertwined to create a complex mixture of sounds. Live electronics, mezzo-soprano, violin, percussion and other instruments were all used to create the complex soundscape characteristic to the experimental nature of the young composers.
Duration: 60 minutes
Setup: electro-acoustic, video, voice, violin, performance
Performers: 2
Doublemo (2008)
In this musical extravaganza, R&R electronics prove that they’re not just your average musicians, but true shape-shifters. They’ll have you laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next with their seamless transitions from sentimental women to roughly marketed boobs, and from pheromones to ice-cold ferments.
Brace yourselves for a wild ride through eclectic musical intonations as the duo effortlessly mixes rock, folk, classical, pop, dance, rap, techno, comedy, singing poetry, and post-comedy and jump from one persona to another, taking the audience on a journey through different emotions and styles. And, just when you think they’ve given it their all, they’ll swim out dressed in dive suits and serenade you with their underwater tunes. Happy listening, as you dive into this unforgettable musical experience!
Duration: 35 minutes
Setup: electroacoustic, video, voices, violin, performance
Performers: 2
Mr. Sun (2009)
Mr. Sun is the most substantial audio-visual theatre project by R&R Electronics, presented as a live performance and then rendered into DVD production. The project encourages a critical attitude towards contemporary art and aims to broaden the horizons of music lovers, by being accessible to both a musically sophisticated audience and those with little interest in art.
The project turns stereotypes of contemporary art into anecdotal situation from various art forms including videos, electronic and acoustic music, and even classical and ethnic pieces. During the live performance, the audience is encouraged to participate in the discussion, with their statements later being incorporated into the musical installation.
The project was commissioned as part of ‘Vilnius – Capital of European Culture 2009’, and first performed for the audience of ‘Network of Music Laboratories – THE PROCESS’, at Vilnius Planetarium. It has been re-produced at Arts Printing House (2010) and is currently available as an audio-visual DVD.
Duration: 50 minutes
Setup: electroacoustic, video, voices, violin, guitar, congos, costumes, theatre
Performers: 2
Give Me Your Cash (2010)
‘Give Me Your Cash’ is an audio-visual electroacoustic music project that explores the professional status of street artists, their audience and the career prospects available to them. The project is partially created and filmed in New York, featuring video shots of the White House and a singing Statue of Liberty and random passers-by. The stage act tells the stories of various street artists exclusively in a musical line, which is enhanced by costumes, video projections and performance. The sarcasm-filled narrative presents the struggle of street artists to create art for sale and to please the public, while also examining the broader societal context surrounding street art. The project was performed on at Echoraumherbst Festival, Vienna, Austria, in 2010.
Duration: 30 minutes
Performers: 2
Setup: electroacoustic, video, voices, violin, percussions, theatre costumes
Sound, oh stone, sound (2010)
‘Sound, oh stone, sound’ is a contemplative project that utilizes hanging stones to explore their sonic properties and it represents a departure from the “post-comedy” style of the previous works by R&R Electronics.
During a two-week residency at the Druskininkai DAR, the composers attempted to incorporate local elements, primarily stones, into their performance, but ultimately found their efforts unproductive. Despite the humorous nature of the exploration and improvisation process, Rūta and Rita realised that their collaboration as R&R Electronics had reached its natural conclusion, as they had both moved on to different ventures and environments.
In light of this realisation, Rūta and Rita decided to create something more meaningful and philosophical to mark end of their 4-year collaboration, creating a piece that was reflective of their growth and evolution as artists.
Duration: unlimited
Setup: electronics, hanging stones, audience participation
Performers: none
