BEW + Friends - Somewhere There - Toronto April 2011
I'll be playing two shows of improvised music at Somewhere There, Toronto.
Sunday 24: Jim Sexton (bass), Emilio Guim (guitar), Ken Aldcroft (guitar), Kate Pittman (drums), Michelangelo Iaffaldano (homemade instruments) Barry Cullen (amplified objects),
Monday 25: Dan Gaucher (drums and percussion), Tania Gill (piano), Tilman Lewis (cello), Jeremy Strachan (saxophones), Barry Cullen (amplified objects)
ČANKIŠOU (prounounced like chunky-show) are the type of band that would usually scar me off giving them a proper chance. I heard about them from several work colleagues who were enthusiastic to go to their album launvh party in Brno, and I took their enthusiasm as a positive for the band. I'm glad I didn't bother looking at their myspace nor read their English presskit as I probably would have been scared off by the inclusion of terms like 'world music'.
So I went to the show delightfully ignorant about the band. I heard an array of instruments, and saw a large band of people who could play their instruments really well. There was a number of video cameras feeding into the visuals and dancers and UV lights to highlight the dancers costumes.
Altogether it was quite an impressive show, I was happy I made the effort to go and see them, but I had the feeling that I wouldn't listen to this music at home, th lead vocalist having a tendency to warble in a way that veers close mystical chanting that doesn't do much for me (this says more about my lack of understanding of this particular style of singing and it's history than it does abot his ability to sing in this style).
Lineup 5.4.08 21:00 Vje 22:30 Shroombab + MC Coppa 00:00 Dieselboy 02:00 CLS & Wax + K-Size 03:30 Sayko 05:00 Eddrum Sterling performances all round. MC Coppa and Dieselboy
Last night I went to see Control (2007 Anton Corbijn). A black and white film about Ian Curtis of Joy Division based on the book by his wife Debbie. A touching biopic, created with affection for the subject matter, without over sentimentalising or trivialising the narrative.
This was the first film I made it to in the Brno leg of the international festival of music films called 'Music on Film - Film on Music'. unfortunately due to my work schedule I will miss many of the screenings, but I intend to go and see Metallica - Some Kind of Monster (a film to be taken seriously in the words of radiohead's Colin Greenwood)on Friday. Good times. In other news I'll be vjing for Dieselboy at Fleda this weekend. Another Break 4 Beats party; so you can expect a long night full of high-tempo beats and large helpings of bass to bounce to.
The evening started at 7 pm, so unfortunately i missed the first part, which featured Slovak noise duo POO. A pity as I've wanted to see them since Sophie bought me one of their CD's for my birthday.
I arrived as the ticket seller was packing up their laptop/till. I was told that I couldn't buy a ticket and my heart sank as I'd raced up to the venue as fast as I could. A large man told me I could go in for free. He seemed to be very happy to see me smile when he said this. I went into the main room; bunged.
As before the stage was absent. The performance was a floor show. Three chairs, three performers. Four stage lights at floor level; two blue, two red.
At the far left and far right were two guitar players. In the centre a saxophone player. The group is Text of Light. Named after a film made by Stan Brakhage. The film was played above the performers.
Although I was working to 8.30, I managed to get down to Fleda to see another performance from the EXPOZICE NOVÉ HUDBY. The group doesn't play songs, they improvise and make noise. It isn't related to jamming in a way that might bring to mind blues and rock wig-outs. Instead they listen to one another, listen carefully to every noise they make and how it fits with what the others make. The end result is a series of waves of sound that you can't really sing along with. Quiet, loud, mutate, repeat.
The group has a pool of musicians, like a collective. They ar flexible in that different members will perform at different times and places. The performance I saw featured Lee Ronaldo (guitar, radio oscillator), Ulrich Kreiger (Saxophone, electronics), Alan Licht (guitars/devices).
I arrived a little late and missed the very begining of the performance. What I did see an hear was a range of tones that moved from sparse drones to harsh explosions to delicate humming with dots of sound back into shards of fuzz with squeeling harmonics.
The trio looked quite relaxed throughout, and they looked quite pleased when they finished. The audience gave them a warm round of applause. I walked home feeling glad I had experienced such wild sounds.
I know the videos are dark. I know it's almost impossible to enjoy them as visual documents of a live musical performance, however, I feel the sound works as a sketch of what you might find if you want to go buy one of their records.
I recieved an e-mail from Ales telling me about a festival of new music. I lost the message, but remembered to google for more info which led me to the site. I decided to go and listen for myself. I met Ales and Lucie when I got there.
The main room of Fleda was prepared like a bizarre cinema or lecture hall. The seating was tiered with a mix of flip-down seats and sofas. Very inviting and comfortable. There was no stage, the performance area being the floor with a large white projection surface as a back drop.
The first to take to the stage were Mateřídouška. A strange duo. A man in a mask sat at a table with laptop and some other hardware that included some wood and metal percussion akin to a finger piano (Kenyan Kalimba). A woman in an asian styled dress joined him. She was singing and occassionally played what I think was a shamisen.
(The video is very dark: but at least you can hear things.)
The music was a mix of field recordings treated with DSP and etehereal tones which occassionally resembled more conventional synths. Crackles, bleeps, tweets and sighs, were the backdrop to a wide range of vocalisations.
Also sharing the stage was a large wheel, on the side of which was painted a kind of mini-mural. It was balancing on an axle around which it turned very slowly. A video camera was aimed at it and a portion of the picture was projected over the performers.
Near the end of the performance the music shifted into a kind of contemporary pop music with run of the mill riffs and a kind of trip-hop beat. This was actually something that didn't help the performance feel like a consistant whole, as it felt like a detour from the surreal opera vibe it had originally set up. Still an enchanting and different type of music to that I've experienced in my time in Brno.
They performed a very short encore, around two and a half minutes or quasi-pop. There was then a short break before the next performance.
The next performance was by Operabil Memotopia. The performance area was more stark than before. A small desk with a seat, laptop, and MIDI controller on one side and two seats and two lecturns on the other side.
A man sat at the table. Two women sat at the lecturns. The lights went down and a slide show began.
One of the two women was using her voice to make notes, long and short, often repeating the same sound.
The man would say a sentence or two in English after which the other woman (not singing) would say the same in Czech. I am not sure exactly what the story was about, but it semed to be about a charachter called 'Mousey'. And it suggested that we are all conected to a hook in the centre of the planet.
Strange and otherworldly stuff. (The video is very dark: but at least you can hear things.)
I managed to get into the incredibly packed Fleda last night to see Fanfare Ciocărlia . I was a bit late - the show started at 8 and I didn't get out of work until 8.30. I was happy to join in the squeeze as people without tickets were being turned away at the doors.
The big room in the venue was jammed. The air; hot and full of dancing arms and wicked music. At first I could barely see a thing unless I was pogoing or standing on tiptoes. The music was so good that I didn't think of this as a problem.
Then the band stopped playing and walked off stage for a break. I managed to get a lot closer to the stage and waited. When they came back on the room went wild; screams, whistles, waving etc. They blasted out their string-free melodies one after another in a military fashion; bang, bang, bang. A barage of balkan brass.
When they finished their second set and encores the crowd started to flood the small bar. I was there trying to cool down after the dance-a-thon when a door opened beside me and the band stroll past, procession style, parping and honking.
I went to Fleda for a dose of electronic media on Saturday night. Good times were had with good sounds and great company.
First I heard the strange, dense and head-spinning tones of Slovak duo JAMKA. I had a chance to chat with them and my old friend from Machine Funck (Stop Look Listen, Prague) too.
I also enjoyed the soft and dreamy tones of Tujiko Noriko, who put me into a blissful swaying state. Indeed; music to drift away to.
I also managed to meet her, and unfortunately couldn't help myself from asking for a fanboy photo. She was a very friendly woman and obliged.
Other fine electronic music makers doing the rounds that night included MURCOF and CLICK JOE. Murcof is well known for his mixing of minimal orchestral elements with electronic sounds. Click Joe uses a simliar approach, but doesn't seem to get the critics raving despite using a similarly sparse palette.
An old song from the bew vaults (originally released on the first Curfew compilation CD) http://download.yousendit.com/38CAB6137C0F0880
The track was pieced together from various low-rez clips of instruments used by microtonal minstrels the Gongs. More intriguing instruments for imps can be found here.
The final touches are being added to the soundtrack for the film made with Prof. Edwardo Alvorado. This is set to be premiered at the Visonic festival in Belfast.
I'll be doing some visuals at Fleda again. This time for the Break 4 Beats team. More info on their parties here.
Work is underway on a set of bass heavy tunes (hopefully for release on acroplane) there are three different takes on one track, which features some samples of Prince Jammy. Working title 'Gwan Versions'. Just invited trombone player Mark Knight to add a little something to one of the dubs - can't wait to hear the results.
Spring is in the air and all feels well. Plants are popping up in the parks and birdsong is blending with the sound of children playing. I may sounds like a hippy - but it all seems rather beautiful.
What goes well with spring? spring cleaning of course. Soph uncovered a short, silent video of me playing at Les Echafoudages festival in Paris 2005 in Les Voutes. Having no 'live' sound I added the 'Darsh - On Est La (bew remix)' as it features a Parisian MC and so kinda links. I did play a version at that show.
I went to a rather excellent show in Fleda on Friday night. 'Bass Infection'. A good mix of music in two rooms.
In the small bar there was a lot of traditional reggae, skanking-a-plenty. In the large hall there was a range of hard dub and drum & bass. Heavy. Sophie sustained minor injury by moving close to the stage - some dancers were giving it stacks, and give her a slap with their elbow. Ouch. Nothing a good lie-in won't sort out though, thankfully.
BEW still working on an embarasingly over-due remix of Feline Dream's 'LULL' and a host of others...it's slow, but they're all taking shape. Really.
Back to Fleda for another show, this time as a VJ. I have to confirm if my equipment will work with theirs (should be no problem - but always best to test first!?!). All the same, I'm on their site as part of the party. It's going to be a late one.
Skyline. Keeping it clean, yesterday...
Stage times. 21:00 Yak 22:30 Skyline 23:30 cca Koogi + MC Vaant 01:30 X.Morph + MC Vaant 03:30 Mystique
