I’m pleased to announce the 4th event of my extended residency at Hundred Years Gallery – Mercury Over Maps
The evening will feature three performances: a trio between Lucia H Chung (live electronics), Ian Stonehouse (modular synth) and myself (Moog guitar and objects); a solo by Richard Sanderson (amplified melodeon), and the duet Bubo Bubo (Xenia Pestova & Ed Bennett – Indian harmonium, desk bells, music boxes and live electronics).
More information about their work below.
Mercury Over Maps #4
BUBO BUBO (Xenia Pestova & Ed Bennett) – Indian harmonium, desk bells, music boxes and live electronics
Video: BUBO BUBO
Bubo Bubo (Ed Bennett and Xenia Pestova) layer acoustic and electronic sounds to create quirky and intricate sonic journeys.
Xenia Pestova’s performances and recordings have earned her a reputation as a leading interpreter of uncompromising repertoire of her generation. Pestova’s commitment and dedication to promoting music by living composers led her to commission dozens of new works and collaborate with major innovators in contemporary music. Her solo debut of premiere recordings for the Innova label titled “Shadow Piano” was described as a “terrific album of dark, probing music” by the Chicago Reader.
Ed Bennett has been described in the press as ‘anarchic’ (Irish Times), ‘manic’ (Classical Music) and ‘thrilling’ (Gramophone) is often characterized by its strong rhythmic energy, extreme contrasts and the combination of acoustic, electronic and multimedia elements; it was recently described in The Guardian as ‘unclassifiable, raw-nerve music of huge energy and imagination’ and by Sinfini Music as ‘one of the most scintillating voices to emerge of late from the British Isles.’ His body of work includes large-scale orchestral works, ensemble pieces, solo works, electronic music, opera, installations and works for dance and film. He is artistic director of the ensemble Decibel and was recently awarded the Leverhulme Prize for Performing Arts.
http://edbennett.squarespace.com/
RICHARD SANDERSON – Amplified melodeon
Video: Richard Sanderson Solo
Richard Sanderson is an experimental and improvising musician based in London, originally from Middlesbrough in he North East of England. His instrument of choice is the melodeon (diatonic button accordion) although he also plays electronics, guitar and organ. He has recorded with the bands Lost Robots, Minnow, Browne/Thompson/Sanderson, The Horse Trio and Ticklish and in duos with Steve Beresford and Mark Spybey. His solo album “Improvisations for Melodeon” was released in 2011, followed by “Precision” in 2012. “Air Buttons” in 2014 and “A Thousand Concreted Perils” in 2016. He has lately been experimenting with simple foot-pedals and feedback to expand the sound of the melodeon. He runs the experimental label “Linear Obsessional Recordings”, very occasionally reactivates his 70s post-punk band Drop, and continues to dance with Blackheath Morris Men.
LUCIA H CHUNG – Live electronics
Lucia H Chung is a Taiwanese electronic sound artist based in London. She performs and releases music under the alias ‘en creux’ whose sound creation springs from her view on the medium of sound as preposition. Sound as preposition, expresses a relation between two elements. Without preposition, a clause will not form and a relation will not take place. Yet, at the same time, the role of preposition is also affected and determined by the two elements that it connects.
‘…similar to Ryoji Ikeda’s formidable, stone-wall electronics: ruthlessly precise and undeniably physical. Cleansing blasts of sub and clipping static are oddly calming despite their force.’ – Stray Landings
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/lucia-h-chung/inner-geography-excerpt
IAN STONEHOUSE – Modular synth
Ian Stonehouse is Head of the Electronic Music Studios at Goldsmiths, University of London, and lectures in sonic art practice. He originally trained as a fine artist at Wolverhampton College of Art with experimental filmmaker Guy Sherwin. Ian is a member of the noise-improv-playback group Rutger Hauser and their splinter faction Rutger Hauser Digest (with Lisa Busby). Rutger Hauser’s eponymous debut album was released on the ADAADAT label in 2016. Ian’s album ‘Voyage en Kaléidoscope’ (secretly made in 1995) finally escaped to the surface in 2016 thanks to the folks at the Lumen Lake. He was part of the ensemble who performed Bill Thompson’s ‘Gates 2017’ at Goldsmiths and contributed tape loops to saxophonist Colin Webster’s recent release ‘vs. Tape Loops’ on the Fractal Meat label. Rutger Hauser are reportedly off on a mini-tour of the Faroe Islands in January 2018.
BILL THOMPSON – Moog guitar + electronics
Touch Radio: “Live at the Brunswick Club, Bristol, June 19th 2017”
Bill Thompson is a sound artist and composer. He performs as a soloist and with a number of groups including M/H/T with Jan Hendrickse and Tom Mudd, Airfield with choreographer Ian Spink, and in the past with Keith Rowe, Faust, EXAUDI and others.
Although originally trained as a guitarist, Thompson has worked with live electronics for the better part of 15 years. Since 2016/17, however, he has returned to guitar using one built by Moog combining built in electronics with miscellaneous table top devices, found objects, flashing lights, and the occasional vibrator.
He has earned numerous awards and commissions including the PRS for New Music ATOM award, the GAVAA visual arts award, a PRS for New Music Three Festival commission, the 2010 Aberdeen Visual Arts Award, and was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Award in 2012.
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Mercury Over Maps is an extended residency by Bill Thompson at Hundred Years Gallery featuring performances, installations and talks with various collaborators and guest artists.