B/B/S (AIDAN BAKER (CA) + ERIK SKODVIN (NO) + ANDREA BELFI (IT)) at West Germany, March 1st 2014
There’s something darker happening in the artistic scene of Berlin….. three of the most important figures in experimental scenes are brought together. With Erik Skodvin manning the guitar, Andrea Belfi on percussion and Aidan Baker on bass and guitar, the result is one of a kind.
Their brand new second album is out now on Miasmah and will be presented on this tour / concert.
[#] Wed 16 Jan @ Intersoup bar, Schliemannstr. 31 Pberg
Jacob Faurholt (DK) and Man meets bear (CA)
Man meets Bear has been a lake scientist from Ontario and the name of a totem pole in British Columbia which depicts a man climbing up a tree, facing a bear climbing down the tree. Today she includes a solar engineer and an Experimental Housewife.
Danish songwriter Jacob Faurholt has released four solo albums between 2005 – 2012, the latest Dark Hours, was released in Germany through Raw Onion Records in July. Dark Hours was well received and the English site Drowned In Sound wrote the following: “Jacob Faurholt instantly transports the listener to the sort of gothic Americana hinterland that has been populated by the likes of Will Oldham and Sparklehorse.” Faurholt moved to Berlin in 2010, and has since played more than 50 shows in Germany. He has also played support jobs for Grizzly Bear, The Black Heart Procession, The Handsome Family, and fellow danes Efterklang. Faurholt is also active with his psych pop band Crystal Shipsss.
[#] Thu 17 Jan @ NK, Elsenstr. 52 Berlin Treptow, a concert to be not missed!
BORN OF SIX: AMELIA CUNI / CATHERINE CHRISTER HENNIX / WERNER DURAND / STEFAN TIEDJE
Amelia Cuni – solo voice
Catherine Christer Hennix – drone voice
Werner Durand – invented wind instruments, drones
with Stefan Tiedje – sound
BORN OF SIX comes out of the traditions of Dhrupad, Early Minimalism and Just Intonation.
„A solid foundation is the best basis for the fundamental“
Narada´s Exposition of the seven notes begins as follows: Because sadja (the Tonic) arises from the combination of nose, throat, chest, palate, tongue, and teeth, it is known as „six-born“.
Catherine Christer Hennix, born 1948 in Stockholm, is an artist, poet, composer, and philosopher with a strong interest in logic, the foundations of mathematics, and formal music theory. Hennix began her musical studies in the 1960s, paying particular attention to the music of Iannis Xenakis and Karlheinz Stockhausen. She pursued studies with Hindustani raga master Pandit Pran Nath in the 1970 and has been a key protagonist in the Manhattan Downtown School along with La Monte Young and Henry Flynt, with whom she shared a number of collaborations that led both to coin the term HESE (“Hallucinogenic Ecstatic Sound Environment”) to aptly describe their scientifically systematic quest for ecstatic states of consciousness.
Amelia Cuni is a singer, composer and performer. She has trained her voice and musical skills in India, according to the tradition of DHRUPAD singing and KATHAK dance. Her present work includes contemporary music and multimedia collaborations with several artists of international repute. She is engaged in the transmission of the knowledge she has acquired from her gurus and teaches Indian singing at the Vicenza Conservatory in Italy. She is based in Berlin.
Werner Durand performs his own music for saxophones, iranian ney, and self-made wind instruments since the late seventies. He studied with Ariel Kalma in Paris, Indian classical music in India and Berlin (with Kamalesh Maitra) and Iranian ney with Ali Reza Asgharia. He started to build wind instruments out of plexi-glass and PVC in the early 80s, which led to the foundation of THE THIRTEENTH TRIBE in 1990.
[#] Fri 18 Jan @ O Tannenbaum Sonnenallee 27 NK
DEREK HOLZER (US) + BARETH/STADLER (DE)+ NICHOLAS HUMBERT (DE)
Derek Holzer (1972) is an American sound artist based in Berlin, whose current interests include DIY analog electronics, sound art, field recording and the meeting points of electroacoustic, noise, improv and extreme music. He has played live experimental sound, as well as taught workshops in noise art technology, across Europe, North America, Brazil and New Zealand.
http://macumbista.net bareth/stadler
is a cooperation of florinn bareth (e-violin) and max stadler (electronics).
Eye jazz: Visual Exhibit by HLG, live music by Aidan Baker
“Jazz is based on freedom; you start with one line and keep inventing as you go along…” E.D
HLG specializes in meditative free-form ornaMENTAL drawings, but he also dabbles in screen printing, painting and tattooing. The bending of the Self that comes from collaborations with other like-minded artists is something he thrives on. He doesn‘t live in Sweden anymore.
Aidan Baker is a Canadian musician & writer alternately based in Toronto & Berlin. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist, his primary instrument is the electric guitar with which he creates music ranging from experimental/drone to ambient post-rock to contemporary classical. In addition to his solo work, he performs with the groups Nadja, Whisper Room, and B/B/S/. Baker has released numerous albums on such labels as Alien8 Recordings, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Important Records, and Drone Records. http://aidanbaker.org/
Bee And Flower (Cheap Satanism Records, Neurot Recordings) was founded in 2000 in New York City by singer/songwriter/bassist Dana Schechter. The band will be touring their new album “Suspension” recorded alternately in Berlin and New York City. More tour dates here: http://beeandflower.com/tour
Nadja (Broken Spine Productions, Alien8 Recordings) is a duo alternately based in Berlin and Toronto. This will be the release party for their forthcoming album “Dagdrøm”; for this show, they will be joined by special guest David Dunnett on drums. More tour dates here: http://brokenspineprods.wordpress.com/performances/
Mon 15 Oct in Loophole (Boddinstrasse 60 NK) at 21
Novelleris the solo project of Brooklyn-based guitarist and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate. Handling the electric guitar as her muse, Lipstate summons a sonic palette so rich as to challenge the listener to conceive of how it’s housed in a single instrument manipulated by a solitary performer. Lipstate has collaborated with several renowned musicians, including live improvised duo performances with Carla Bozulich (Evangelista, The Geraldine Fibbers), David Wm. Sims (the Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid), and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth).
Aidan Bakeris a Canadian musician & writer alternately based in Toronto & Berlin. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist, his primary instrument is the electric guitar with which he creates music ranging from experimental/drone to ambient post-rock to contemporary classical. In addition to his solo work, he performs with the groups Nadja, Whisper Room, and B/B/S/. Baker has released numerous albums on such labels as Alien8 Recordings, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Important Records, and Drone Records.
Sferics is Felix-Florian Tödtloff (of Petethepiratesquid, Sun Worship, etc.) on solo electric guitar. Eccentric shredding to a stereo delay, Kraut-influenced improvisation, if you know what you’re doing it’s not experimental!
‘You Are Here Festival’ (aka The Maze!), is a festival started in New York and now moved to Berlin’s WestGermany venue in September 15-29 of 2012. The ‘You Are Here Festival’, will feature a life size sculptural maze which will occupy the entire venue. Performers, of which there will be three to five per night, will have to negotiate the confines of the maze in order to execute their performance. The ingenuity, flexibility, and at times, frustration involved with doing this is a central ingredient of the ‘You Are Here’ experience. ‘You Are Here’ also emphasizes the art and music of local scenes and communities. Each events is curated by a different artist/curator/creature based in Berlin
All events will be in West Germany, Kottbusser Tor, and if you had been to Occultofest 2012 you know how to find it ! For timing, check this page
16.09 HERMETISTASIS: curated by Jimmy Trash & Professor Mugglestone
Hermetistasis is a dramatic, instantaneous, violent and physical performance piece representing the Seven Alchemic Principles as explained by Hermes Trismegistus and the Emerald Tablet. One person at a time will be admitted to follow the transformative path of self realisation and our oneness with God, Nature and The Universe, by way of seven unusual encounters with strangers and self throughout the maze. The goal of the strange and brutal performance, coinciding with the 7 Alchemic Principles, is to push the limits of everyday consciousness and existence, and give keys to the hidden sublimations of everyday life. Due to the unrestrained handling of entrants, all must sign a waiver of duty of care, and tickets will be extremely limited. Entrants are advised to come on time and register their place in the piece. West Germany 7 till 10pm.
18.09 NIGHT OF THE MESHUGGAS FOR IMPROVISED MUSIC: curated by Oli Steidle w/Joke Lanz, Olaf Rupp, Jan Roder, Axel Dörner, Carlos Giuffone, Die Dicken Finger
21.09 THE EXTENDED AMORPHOUS DRONE FOR MULTIPLE HEADS:curated by Aidan Baker
This is the Berlin benefit concert evening, helping assist musician Tom Carter (Charalambides and many others..) through his recovery from severe pneumonia incurred while on tour in 2012. Doors open 21h – Begin 22h. All proceeds from entrance + merch/prints etc., will be donated to ‘The Robert Thomas Carter Irrevocable Trust’.
Upcoming this week…with the bigger problem of Berlin, lack of ubiquity. Too many nice things, so make your choice…
[#]Mo Sept 10
Iku Sakan/Supermelle(JP/DK) and Tasos Stamou (GR/UK) at Experimontag (Madame Claude)
IKU SAKAN & SUPERMELLE (Sun Horogram Music/JP,DK)
Iku Sakan is a experimental sound performer, improvisor and DJ from Osaka, Japan currently based in Berlin, Germany. Since 2009, he has been performed all over the world including important festivals in Europe as a member of several bands, such as ATP in the UK (with Maher Shalal Hash Baz) and Avantgard Festival in Germany. His music is a sort of weaving exercise, looking to find “soulful moments from soulless materials.” Iku explores music as ‘Myth-Science’ by combining computer processing, prepared recordings with a range of sounding objects (such as mini-massager, measure & oscillator).
Anders Lauge Meldgaard is the real name of the man behind Supermelle aka Frisk Frugt. He is coming out of the experimental music collective yoyooyoy based in Berlin and Copenhagen. Frisk Frugt (eng. Fresh Fruit) operates in his own quirky musical universe, where the genre of traditional Danish folk song writing and poetry in an unpretentious way are spiced up with elements from experimental rock, improvisation, drone, noise, electronica, lo-fi, free jazz and African high-life guitar. Here, the music arises at the intersection between the programmed and the hand played, and between the naive and the complex – where the sonorous clouds of tones from home-built instruments, brutal guitarriffs, synthdreams and saxophone improvisations are mixed together. http://www.yoyooyoy.dk/friskfrugt.htm
TASOS STAMOU (Electronics & Visual/GR,UK)
Tasos Stamou is a currently UK based performer of free improvised music and an electroacoustic composer. He has been collaborating with various experimental musicians and collectives (the London Improvisers Orchestra, Adam Bohman, Adachi Tomomi, Nikos Veliotis etc). His audiovisual project “Videodrones” consists of a handmade live electronics modular system which incorporates circuit bent musical toys and self-modified video mixers. http://www.tasosstamou.com/
Will Guthrie, Rashad Becker and Luciano Maggiore at West Germany (Xberg)
Australian drummer/percussionist Will Guthrie uses amplified found and junk, microphones, electronics, drums and cymbals. He works in many different settings of music: live performance, improvisation and studio composition. He studied jazz and improvised music(s) at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia and alongside Ren Walters he started the weekly concert series ‘Improvised Tuesdays’, now known as the Make It Up Club and is Australia’s longest running performance space dedicated to
experimental and improvised musics. In Nantes, France he is part of the collective CABLE# which also organises regular concerts and an annual festival. He also runs the experimental improvised CD label and mailorder service; ANTBOY MUSIC. He plays solo using different combinations of drums, percussion, amplification and electronics, in minimalist/maximalist free jazz trio THE AMES ROOM, in appalachian mutant folk duo ELWOOD & GUTHRIE, as well as the electro/acoustic improvised/composed ensemble
Luciano Maggiore (Palermo 1980) is an electroacoustic musician living and working in Bologna. In recent years he has developed a strong interest in the mechanisms of sound diffusion, utilizing speakers and various analog and digital media (walkmans, CD players, tape recorders) as his primary source. Maggiore’s interests runs between architectural values and directional, dynamic and psychoacoustic sound, placing a strong emphasis towards fixed sound. He works regularly as a duo with Enrico Malatesta and Francesco Brasini. He has collaborated with Angstarbeiter, Auriga, Mario De Vega, John Duncan, Andrew L. Hooker, Seiji Morimoto, Seijiro Murayama, Valdoca Theatre, Zapruder Filmmakergroup, Zimmerfrei. His work is published by Senufo Editions and Boring Machines.
[#] berlin, baleine, balloon WSTNB – zabo chabiland & kevin morrison
opening tuesday, 11 September 2012 (7 pm)
closing saturday, 6 October 2012 (7-10 pm)
performance project with happenings, live music, video projections, pierogies, leather. and other surprises…
participation of the public is welcomeopen every day
free entrance
[#] 12 Sept, tragic undecision…
a) CARLA BOZULICH’S EVANGELISTA (Live) | B/B/S/ (Live)
Kantine am Berghain | 12.09.2012 | at 21, ticket around 14 eu..
Carla Bozulich´s Evangelista is known as one of the most vivd figures of the international avant-garde and NoWave scene whose musical incarnations are almost endless. She has worked with Mike Watt, Lydia Lunch, Bulbul, Willie Nelson or Sonic Youth, and has, since August 2009, when she, together with Marianne Faithfull and Marc Ribot in an concert for the opening of the Ruhr Triennale. With “In Animal Tongue”, a new album that lives mainly on the interplay of depression, melancholia and breaking through to anger. Carla Bozulich bathes once more formally in authenticity and emotion. Thematically, the album deals with her departure from Los Angeles and their nomadic existence in recent years. On the album there are many guests, with which it has taken the road truly fantastic collaborations. The core of her band currently consists of Sam Mickens (The Dead Science), Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Secret Chiefs, Sam Amidon) and John Eichenseer (jhno).
Open the evening B/B/S/. Founded in 2012 in Berlin and consisting of guitarist Aidan Baker (Nadja, Whisper Room, ARC), the Italian drummer Andrea Belfi (David Grubbs, Hobocombo, Il Sogno del Marinaio) and Norwegian guitar player Erik Skodvin (Svarte Greiner, Deaf Center) B/B/S/ mostly present improvised music: psychedelic sounds meet here on reduced fragments of melody and experimental drone textures.
b) CELESTIAL HIGHWAY new series of concerts created by Nicholas Hum and Robin Oo, Mariannenplatz 2b, South Wing of Bethanien
c) And yes, same nights, also Reigning Sound at Roadrunner Paradise in Berlin. Since the Occultofestgirls used to be a big fan of Oblivians (although we liked more “Bad girl” by Detroit Cobras than “Bad Man”)…is tough.
Two gigs next week for Candians dronesters Nadja! Nadja is a duo of Aidan Baker & Leah Buckareff alternately based in Berlin, Germany and Toronto, Canada. Together, they create music that has been variously described as drone metal, ambient doom, and shoegazer, combining the atmospheric and textural elements of electronic and experimental music with metal and post-rock structures. They have toured extensively around the world and has released numerous albums with such labels as Alien8 Recordings, Important Records, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Conspiracy Records, Hydrahead Records, and Crucial Blast. They have also collaborated with a number of artists, including Black Boned Angel, Fear Falls Burning, OvO, and Pyramids.
Sat June 11th Nadja live w/Thisquitearmy (CA) @ Bei Roy Ziegrastr.11
Mon June 13th Aidan Baker solo live w/Thisquitearmy (CA) @ Bis Auf’s Messer Marchlewski Strasse 107
Tue June 27th Aidan Baker solo live @ Kiss Kiss Ballroom Wolliner Str.18-19