Kid606 facial expressions are the best. I pay just to see that!
100%
Then why have a stage?
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The gear is of medium importance. It does matter, but less than the music and the show.
Most important:
- grooves that make people dance, I like to call it ‚fundaments‘, kick/sub combos, a good kick and a bass arpeggiator etc,
- dancing: either you dance to your music or you have some extrovert girls in the first row, perfomers should practice enough to be relaxed,
- a clear connection between what you do and what people hear - with their non-trained ears: some examples: subtle parameter tweaking - maybe good if it increases the tension (e.g. decays), but you won‘t get any credit for the live performance. tr909 finger drumming is fun but wasted time for the audience, except for build-ups. smash some buttons with vocal samples or crash cymbals, people get that. count 3, 2, 1 in the air and bang, there is the bombastic beat and people go crazy. Some big gestures are good, as well as macros where lots of stuff happens.
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yes that’s a problem of performance of electronic musicians. Why have a stage?
You like performances on drummachines and synths, I do as well. I watch it on youtube every day. Cause I’m a gearhead.
For many people drummachines and grooveboxes are as alien as a laptop. They know drums and guitars (but tend to ignore the bass player 
)
I performed with the octatrack, concentrated af in order to make no mistake. Right after my glorious transition, a guy came up to the stage and asked me to play some trap tunes from his favortite artist…
So I often prefer recording youtube videos or play only at parties, where I know people are interested in this field anyway.
Visuals help a lot for electronic performances…
I get it, I’ve been doing live music over 20 yrs. I’ve played drums in punk bands, done illegal raves, shit even ran from the cops with Yamaha RS7000 in my hands. I’ve had people ask me to play their favorite song because they thought I was djing. Some people don’t understand what’s going on.
Look I’m not trying to shit on laptop musician, shit I’m one myself. I’ve been a Ableton live user since 1st gen. I learned how to make electronic music on a pc back when rebirth became available before that I was using Acid loops. The computer is the most powerful device for making music. I totally get it. Thing is, if I’m going to shell out hard earned money to go see a concert I‘ll like to see musicians playing instruments not staring into a laptop. If I just want to hear dope music I can easily stream anytime.
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I’ve heard stories of modular acts with laptops under their desk… 
In a sense, aesthetics always matter. People might see your gear and dismiss it knowing a PC is more flexible. Others will see it and welcome you to their camp.
I say do what you want. What you love and hate will come with time. Stick to your guns and keep productive. 
I think the next evolution/de evolution is kids getting on stage with just a cellphone and being punk AF.
And I don’t want to hear any of you laptop jockeys getting upset. 
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And I get your point.
I prefer watching fiddling with drummachines as well.
I‘m just saying for many people drummachines and synths are not closer to performing than laptops.
They distinguish between bands and DJs.
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There have been a few comments in this vein through-out this thread so in responding to this notion in general I’ve got to say that I don’t really care. It just seems that there are so many permutations to how music can be performed that I’ve given up tyring to classify. I’m at the gig to hear music and see the artists perform. And by perform I mean creating the music.
The SND examples up-thread or Autechre as the other classic example are much more honest and genuine than someone who has a backing tape that they sing over the top. I mean, you could hit a karaoke bar for that experience (and probably have a great time too). Perhaps I’m wide-eyed and naive but where I see the laptop-only appraoch I trust that they’re creating the music.
I guess I just try to take music at face value - am I enjoying what I’m hearing? - and I really don’t get too hung up on performative aspects. Perhaps weirdly, I sometimes go the other way where if an artist or band are wildly performative then I find it a bit dull - like if they’d invested the time spent practicing the performative stuff into working on their music then just think how much better the music would be!!! Great example of this is the virtuosic guitar solo can be cool in the service of the song, but in and of itself it’s no different to watching someone pull off a 14 move hyper-combo in Street Fighter 2 on the Sega Megadrive. Sadly, most guitar solos are the latter…
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There’s nothing wrong on performing with a phone, and some people already do it:
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on point 
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I have a few music making apps as well. Again never questioning the validity of anyone’s music.
Good point with the guitar solos! These climbing-scales-up-and-down-as-fast-as-possible-thingies are so annoying. Too much focus on the performance side. A good solo fits to the vibe, maybe just a few notes, the music is more important than the performance.
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OT:
Personally I don’t find stages necessary,
Neither in rock, pop, etc. nor in electronic music.
I see music, and art in general,
as something horizontal,
with artists and people around them at the same level.
But this is material for another type of discussion,
So I’ll shut myself up 
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Absolutely, some people don’t care or don’t know the difference. That’s part of the wide spectrum of what’s being perceived by the audience. To say it really doesn’t matter is also not fair to people who what to go to a show and see the a musician and have a visceral experience.
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Spoken like a true artist
Actually seeing someone performing on a cellphone is more compelling than seeing someone performing on a laptop.
You’re right, artists have to set up somewhere. I just get bummed out when I go to a party or a club and people just stare at a person using synths or DJ gear.
I almost feel the same about live bands tbh. I also used to drum in punk/hardcore bands and go to a lot of shows, and absolutely - when a band turned the place to rubble and people were hanging from the rafters it was a real spectacle to watch, but 95% of the time it was record nerds with folded arms facing people glumly playing their riffs. To me that’s no more interesting than a laptop.
I think what I’m getting at is I’d rather watch someone butter toast than stare at them playing vinyl records or pressing buttons on an Elektron box / laptop… even hitting a drum kit when there’s no musical energy or atmosphere. Maybe I’ve just become too jaded. 
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Entertainment sure ain’t what it used to be before and later
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