Last Jam
2002, single-track audio CD, in collaboration with Laura Payeur
Listen on SoundCloud.
Last Jam is the third and final album of electronic music by Laura Payeur + Monica Panzarino. From 2001 to 2002, Payeur and Panzarino were upperclasswomen at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. The pair collaborated on countless hours of improvised electronic music, all recorded live, with no post-production mixing, editing, or effects. Payeur and Panzarino utilized a unique combination of sonic elements and real-time processing methods in their work, including but not limited to: toy instruments, an analog synthesizer, a vintage organ, Alesis MidiVerb Effects Processors, Reaktor software, and Harmonizer software for a Commodore Amiga 1000. They released three albums: Sounds of Laura Payeur + Monica Panzarino, demo liberation n*stuff, and Last Jam. Last Jam, and their sophomore album, demo liberation n*stuff, were inspired by a concept the pair called “demo liberation.” Demo liberation (also known as the “Demo Liberation Front”) “liberated” pre-programmed demo sounds or songs found in toy instruments, computer software, and other sources. Last Jam consists of a single, 30-minute audio track that was Payeur’s and Panzarino’s final “jam” session. Tragically, their collaboration was cut short, as Payeur was killed in a car accident in Thorndike, Maine in March 2003. She was 24 years old.