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gramilano · 6 years

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Défilé, photo by Marcello Chiappalone

The Ballet School of La Scala’s Academy have just finished a short run of their “end of year” show. For many, it will be their last appearance as students.

An effective défilé by the school (and La Scala Ballet Company) director Frédéric Olivieri set to the march from Tannhäuser was followed by Roland Petit’s Gymnopédie. The piece is extracted from his 1986 work Ma Pavlova, and Erik Satie’s music does much of the work as with such a winning, seductive, and short score, it would be difficult to go wildly wrong. However here, Petit is at his best and the piece was beautifully performed by Samuele Gamba in the first Gymnopédie, and then the secure, eloquent Daniele Bonelli took over and shared the stage with the elegant and alluring Letizia Masini, a ballerina who was outstanding in Nutcracker last December.

Gymnopédie, Roland Petit, photo by Marcello Chiappalone 1

Gymnopédie, Roland Petit, photo by Marcello Chiappalone 2

Angelin Preljocaj’s La Stravaganza is an odd choice for a group of teenage dancers, but never underestimate the ability of young people to tap into something deeper when challenged to do so, and young dancers are a special category with already a lifetime of discipline to enable them to graduate from an academy such as La Scala’s.

La Stravaganza sees six pairs of dancers divided into two groups. The first are dressed simply in cream-coloured dresses or trousers and dance in Neo-Classical style to Vivaldi. The second group wear Vermeer inspired costumes, masking any classical lines, yet they are accompanied by electronic music, and occasionally they move in silence. While there is no story as such, Preljocaj’s general idea is that of immigration and the contrast of cultures. Preljocaj is the son of immigrants from modern-day Montenegro who settled in France, where he was born. He created the piece was created for New York City Ballet in 1997.

As the contrasting groups come together there is mutual curiosity with an exchange of techniques and musical styles, and the maturity of La Scala’s students as they explore the others, and in doing so, themselves, was commendable. It is the sort of intimate eye contact and touching that would have your average adolescent giggling and blushing.

La Stravaganza, Angelin Preljocaj, photo by Anna La Naia 1

La Stravaganza, Angelin Preljocaj, photo by Anna La Naia 2

La Stravaganza, Angelin Preljocaj, photo by Anna La Naia 3

As an intercultural romance blooms between two of the dancers, the man (Tommaso Calcia) removes his restricting 17th century jacket, enabling him to move as one with the woman (Linda Giubelli). The metaphors are many. It is a duet danced with tenderness — both Calcia and Giubelli are committed interpreters and fine dancers — but as the man returns toward his group a backcloth comes down between him and them (he chooses to not return, or they decide to exclude him?); and as she returns to her group they seem not to allow her back in (or does she choose to remain outside?) The couple have contaminated themselves by their newfound knowledge, or they are now contaminated in the eyes of others?

Maurice Béjart’s Gaîté Parisienne closes the programme. The school last presented the piece in 2013 when a young Angelo Greco played Bim (Béjart himself) with Jacopo Tissi, Martina Arduino and Mattia Semperboni among the cast. Greco is now a Principal Dancer at San Francisco Ballet, Tissi is First Soloist at the Bolshoi, Arduino has just been nominated Principal at La Scala, and Semperboni is currently making waves at La Scala with his star turn as Ali the slave in Le Corsaire.

Alessandro Paoloni as Bim in Gaîté Parisienne suite, Maurice Bejart, photo by Giulia Guccione

There is no shortage of new talent in the current outing however. Alessandro Paoloni played Bim, the central character. It’s a firecracker of a role, requiring the interpreter to be virtuosic and ooze personality, and Paoloni ticked all the right boxes.

Bim, the young Béjart, is surrounded by real situations and people (the Paris Opera, Madame Rousanne, his dancing teacher) as well as influencers and heroes (Offenbach, Ludwig II of Bavaria). It’s quite a hotchpotch, with ballet parodies — a leopard-skin cavalier and a ballerina crowned with a gigantic feather — and ballet references, like Madame Rousanne being Carabosse and Bim’s six friends as the fairies bearing gifts, each with a short variation. In short, there are plenty of characters to satisfy the demands of a ballet school show.

Béjart said that Offenbach “enchanted” his youth. Répétition au violon was one of his first choreographies and used Offenbach’s music. At 22, he danced Massine’s choreography of Gaîté Parisienne in London, and his first experience directing an opera was The Tales of Hoffmann.

Alessandro Cavallo showed off his technical wizardry playing Offenbach which was both impressive and comic. Giacomo Migliavacca stood out as one of Bim’s six friends as he turned and turned… and turned! He should however tone down his grin, which can appear fixed.

Gaîté Parisienne suite, Maurice Bejart, photo by Anna La Naia

Letizia Masini shone in the pas de deux of the two lovers, ably partnered by the broad-shouldered Riccardo Luli.

Camilla Cerulli, an excellent Sugar Plum Fairy last year, was ‘the young girl in white’ and she hopped and skipped her way through the role with gusto and freshness. She is a dancer who is already strikingly assured and excites with her technical ease.

Some will enter La Scala’s corps, many will leave the country to be able to continue dancing, but it remains that Italy has dance in its DNA.

Gaîté Parisienne suite, Maurice Bejart, photo by Anna La Naia

Emerging talent at La Scala excel in Petit, Béjart and Preljocaj The Ballet School of La Scala’s Academy have just finished a short run of their “end of year” show.

#Angelin Preljocaj #Frédéric Olivieri #Jacopo Tissi #Martina Arduino #Mattia Semperboni #Maurice Béjart #New York City Ballet #Roland Petit #San Francisco Ballet

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ccmd-eu · 7 years

Photo

En attendant la 25e édition...

Aujourd'hui 2002, une année spéciale, car centrée sur le stage d'interprétation sur acousmoniun

L'édito de 2002 "Ces concerts illustrent le cours d'interprétation des oeuvres concrètes/acousmatiques organisé par Futura en lieu et place de son festival international créé en 1993. Les moyens nous ont manqué pour poursuivre la mission que nous nous étions fixée : promouvoir, par des manifestations de grande ampleur, le genre acousmatique dans sa totalité, dans la diversité des styles, des écoles et des expérimentations. A la différence de l'ensemble des groupes de musique électroacoustique français, Futura n'est pas un studio de production géré par un collectif de compositeurs et de chercheurs.

Il n'a donc pas d'esthétique de groupe à défendre, ni de créations à programmer systématiquement. Son originalité, par rapport à ces groupes, est de centrer son activité principalement sur la diffusion et l'interprétation du répertoire des musiques concrètes/acousmatiques. La programmation des onze concerts et de la nuit présentée ici est le fruit des propositions des quatre professeurs et des seize stagiaires réunis pour approfondir leur réflexion et leur pratique et par là confirmer la nécessité de cette nouvelle discipline." Denis Dufour __________________

L'EQUIPE

Direction Denis Dufour Gestion, secrétariat Guillemette Dousselin . Denis Dufour

site internet Agnès Poisson Design Graphique Silvère Beltrando Rédaction Thomas Brando . Denis Dufour

Professeurs Annette Vande Gorne Jonathan Prager David Behar Denis Dufour

Régie acousmoniums Daniel Bisbau . Jonathan Prager . Antoine Thonon . Annette Vande Gorne . Hubert de Wouters assistants regie David Frier . Alexandre Rekow

accueil et cuisine Valentin Bontchev . Denis Dufour . Bérangère Maximin

PROJECTION DU SON

acousmoniums Motus . Musiques & Recherches

interprètes David Behar . Jonathan Prager Annette Vande Gorne

et leurs élèves Julien Belon . Franco Degrassi .Emmanuel Deruty . Nicolas Falquet . Jean-Luc Gergonne . Tomonari Higaki, Anne-Claude Iger . Olivier Lamarche . Bruno L'Eplattenier . Pierre-Yves Macé . Maki . Chiharu Mukaiyama . Angelo Petronella . Dominique Sikora . Denis Streibig . Seiko Tsuruta

__________________

Le programme de 2002 concert d'ouverture

Trevor Wishart [1998]

Two Women 14'25

par David Behar

Elisabeth Anderson [2000]

Ether 13'43

par Annette Vande Gorne

Pierre Henry [1973]

Prismes 15'16

par Jonathan Prager

carte blanche a David Behar

Roberto Garcia [1996]

Del verbo 13'33

Hervé Castellani [1992-95]

Deux silences 18'27

Riyoji Ikeda [1968]

Time 17'37

par David Behar

carte blanche a Annette Vande Gorne

Francis Dhomont [1989]

Espace Escape 19'22

Ingrid Drese [2000]

Tout autant 09'36

Robert Normandeau [1987]

Rumeurs - place de Ransbeck 12'16

Sachiyo Takahashi [2001]

Paradice 10'10

.par Annette Vande Gorne

élèves du cycle perfectionnement

Denis Dufour [1998]

Terra Incognita [3e mvt, De Imperio] 07'13

trois interprétations

par Denis Streibig, Maki et Jean-Luc Gergonne

carte blanche a Jonathan Prager

Hideko Kawamoto [2000]

Summer Rain 13'00

Michel Chion [1973]

Requiem 37'15

.par Jonathan Prager

élèves du cycle initiation

Pierre Henry [1968]

Apocalypse de Jean [extrait] 11'26

par Pierre-Yves Macé

Angelo Petronella [2002]

Un percorso possibile 11'21

par Angelo Petronella

François Bayle [1988]

Théâtre d'ombres [extraits] 07'03

par Bruno L'Eplattenier

Pierre-Yves Macé [2002]

Les aventures d'Arthur Gordon

PYM #1 [création] 05'54

par Emmanuel Deruty

Anne-Claude Iger [2002]

Là où était la Lune [3e mvt, Ten Feet] 10'15

par Anne-Claude Iger

élèves du cycle perfectionnement

Michel Chion [1990]

Variations 10'01

par Denis Streibig

Marc Tremblay [1990]

L'argent... toujours l'argent ! 11'18

par Maki

Michel Chion [1975]

On n'arrête pas le regret 12'45

par Jean-Luc Gergonne

élèves du cycle initiation

Emmanuel Deruty [2001]

07-2001 [2e partie, creation] 09'48

par Pierre-Yves Macé

Franco Degrassi [2002]

Zoloft 09'25

.par Franco Degrassi

Tomonari Higaki [2002]

Sou n° 3 [Image n° 3] 06'06

par Tomonari Higaki

Seiko Tsuruta [2002]

Danse de la pluie 06'58

par Seiko Tsuruta

Robert Ashley [1979]

Automatic writing [extrait] 07'07

par Olivier Lamarche

Chiharu Mukaiyama [2002]

Une histoire d'eau 08'10

par Chiharu Mukaiyama

Mario Rodrigue [1993]

Le Voyageur 09'50

par Dominique Sikora

élèves du cycle perfectionnement

Christian Zanési [1983]

Stop ! l'horizon 18'05

par Jean-Luc Gergonne

Ivo Malec [1968]

Luminétudes 12'17

par Maki

Bernard Parmegiani [1967]

Capture éphémère 11'47

par Denis Streibig

élèves du cycle initiation

Beatriz Ferreyra [1998]

Rio de los pajaros 12'07

par Tomonari Higaki

François Bayle [1973]

Vibrations composées [2e série] 11'42

par Anne-Claude Iger et Seiko Tsuruta

Jean-Marc Duchenne [1994]

Feuillets d'album [parties 1 à 4] 07'51

par Nicolas Falquet

Karlheinz Stockhausen [1966]

Telemusik 17'29

par Julien Belon

concert de clôture

David Behar [2002]

Imprimées 10'12

par Jonathan Prager

Jonathan Prager [2001]

Nuage vertical 12'46

par Annette Vande Gorne

Annette Vande Gorne [1998]

Exil, chant II 22'13

par David Behar

nuit acousmatique

Denis Dufour [1998]

Terra Incognita 25'42

par Jonathan Prager

Pete Stollery [1996]

Unset Offset 07'25

par Denis Streibig

Tomonari Higaki [2002]

La Mémoire du corps qui respire 13'45

ou quatre contacts [creation]

par Tomonari Higaki

Stephan Dunkelman [1998]

Metharcana 09'05

par Annette Vande Gorne

Anne-Claude Iger [2002]

Là où était la Lune [1er mouvement] 06'00

par Anne-Claude Iger

Jonty Harrison [1982]

Klang 09'00

par Annette Vande Gorne

Emmanuel Deruty [2002]

Humbert & Roger [création] 15'00

par Emmanuel Deruty

Philippe Mion [1995]

Confidences 15'19

par Annette Vande Gorne

Chiharu Mukaiyama [2002]

La Mer verte, la Forêt bleue [création] 07'10

par Chiharu Mukaiyama

Beatriz Ferreyra [1998]

Rio de los pajaros 12'07

par Olivier Lamarche

Mario Rodrigue [1985]

Fiano Porte 05'22

par Dominique Sikora

Noël Akchoté [2002]

Lennyk.co.uk 16'27

par David Behar

Jacques Lejeune [1984]

L'invitation au départ 40'52

par Jonathan Prager

Pierre Henry [1967]

Messe de Liverpool 47'14

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jgthirlwell · 3 years

Text

2020 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2020

JG Thirlwell

Composer

Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

www.foetus.org

2020 was a troubling and disturbing year. I created a lot of music and experienced a lot of nights waking at 5am in a panic. I deeply missed the sacred experience of being able to see live music. In its absence of that I listened to a lot of music. It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2020, in no particular order.

Le Grand Sbam Furvent (Dur Et Doux) John Elmquist’s HardArt Group I Own an Ion (900 Nurses) Roly Porter Kistvaen (Subtext) Liturgy Origin Of The Alimonies (YLYLCYN) Clark Kiri Variations (Throttle) Dai Kaht Dai Kaht I & II (Soleil Zeuhl) Chromb Le livre des merveilles (Dur Et Doux) Horse Lords The Common Task (Northern Spy) Ecker & Meultzer Carbon (Subtext) Insane Warrior Tendrils (RJ’s Electrical Connections) Jeff Parker Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) Jacob Kirkegaard Opus Mors (Topos) Tristan Perich Drift Multiply (Nonesuch) Bec Plexus Sticklip (New Amsterdam) Vak Budo (Soleil Zeuhl) Merlin Nova BOO! (Bandcamp) The The Muscle OST (Cineola) Zombi 2020 (Relapse) Regis Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss (Downwards) Rival Consoles Articulation (Erased Tapes) Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant (L.A.T.E.) Sufjan Stevens The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty) Idles Ultra Mono (Partisan) Daedelus The Bittereindeers (Brainfeeder) Boris No (Bandcamp) Aksak Maboul Figures / Un peu de l’ame des bandits / Onze Danses Pour Cobattre La Migraine (Crammed) Noveller Arrow (Ba Da Bing) Felicia Atkinson Everything Evaporate (Shelter Press) Ital Tek Dream Boundary (Planet Mu) Author and Punisher Beastland (Relapse) Sparks A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG) Corima Amatarasu (Soleil Zeuhl) Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner) Deerhoof Future Teenage Cave Artists /Silly Symphonies / To Be Surrounded../ Love Lore(Joyful Noise) Sote Moscels (Opal Tapes) Run The Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners) Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast) Master Boot Record Floppy Disk Overdrive (Metal Blade) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International) / Ears (Western Vinyl) Michael Gordon Acquanetta (Cantelope) Neom Arkana Temporis (Soleil Zeuhl) Rian Treanor Ataxia / File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu) Helm Saturnalia (Alter) Ivvvo doG (Halcyon Veil) Robert Normandeau Figures (Empreintes Digitales) Ben Vida Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Shelter Press) Beatrice Dillon Workaround (Pan) Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar (Domino) Sea Oleena Weaving A Basket (Higher Plain Music) Elysian Fields Transience Of Life (Ojet) Rhapsody Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret (Magic Circle) Duma Duma (Nyege Nyege) Ulla Strauss Tumbling Towards a Wall / Seed (Bandcamp)

Honorable mentions Carl Stone Stolen Car (Unseen Worlds) Nazar Guerilla (Hyperdub) Iwo Zaluski with the Children of Park Lane Primary School, Wembley The Remarkable Earth Making Machine (Trunk) Nahash Flowers Of The Revolution (SVBKVLT) Cindy Lee Whats Tonight To Eternity (Bandcamp) Insect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore) 33EMYBW Arthropods (SVBKVLT) Declan McKenna Zeroes (Tomplicated) Layma Azur Zeii (Bandcamp)

FILM TV Succession ZeroZeroZero Escape at Dannemora 1917 Small Axe : Five films by Steve McQueen Pirhanas Monos The Hater Better Call Saul

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Drew Daniel

Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth

an alphabet of 2020 recordings

Arca “KiCk i” BFTT “Intrusive / Obtrusive” clipping. “Visions of Bodies Being Burned” Duma “Duma” Eilbacher, Max “Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly)” Forbidden Colors “La Yeguada” GILA “Energy Demonstration” HiedraH Club de Baile “Bichote-K Bailable Vol. 2” Ian Power “Maintenance Hums” Jeff Carey “Index[off]” Kassel Jaeger “Meith” Laurie Anderson “Songs From the Bardo” Mukqs “Water Levels” Negativland “The World Will Decide” O’Rourke, Jim “Shutting Down Here” Perlesvaus “These Things Below with Those Above” Quicksails “Blue Rise” Rian Treanor “File Under UK Metaplasm” Slikback “///” Terminal Nation “Holocene Extinction” Ulcerate “Stare Into Death and Be Still” Various Artists “HAUS of ALTR” William Tyler “New Vanitas” Xyla “Ways” Y A S H A “Summations” :zoviet-france: “Châsse 2ᵉ”

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Sarah Lipstate (Noveller)

With all live performances canceled, this was truly the year of demo videos and home studio recording for me. These are 10 pieces of gear that came out in 2020 that helped keep me feeling creative and inspired during lockdown. In no particular order:

EHX Oceans 12 Dual Stereo Reverb - The Oceans 12 ticks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great soundscaping reverb. I used the Shimmer and Reverse algorithms in conjunction a lot when I was composing music for a film score.

Chase Bliss Audio Blooper - While I don’t actually own a Blooper, I had the pleasure of borrowing one from Mike of Baranik Guitars after NAMM this year. He made an incredible Blooper-inspired guitar and I was completely charmed by them both. Chase Bliss always delivers pedals that push me creatively and the Blooper truly hits the mark.

Cooper FX Arcades - I love everything Cooper FX has released to-date so the opportunity to access those sounds in one pedal via plug-in cartridges is just awesome.

SolidGoldFX NU-33 - I was asked to do a demo of this pedal for its release and ended up being really charmed by this box’s approach to lo-fi nostalgia. I’ve used it a lot for film scoring and highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Demedash Effects T-120 DLX V2 - I LOVE a good tape echo and the T-120 Deluxe V2 ranks up there with the best I’ve tried. This pedal made its way to me this Christmas and I look forward to making some beautiful sounds with it in the new year.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm - The Microcosm is one of those pedals where you should fully read the manual before diving in but once you put in that initial effort you’ve got a massively powerful tool on your hands. It does glitch like no other. Definitely worth the homework

Azzam Bells MP019 - I discovered this unique instrument through a post on Reverb’s IG page and immediately looked it up and ordered one. These experimental percussion instruments are hand-made in Italy and they’re as beautiful visually as they are sonically. I used it for bowed cymbal and daxophone sounds on a film score and it was absolutely haunting.

Echopark Dual Harmonic Boost 2 - I love the control you have over dialing in the perfect amount of grit with these dual boost circuits. I use it a lot as a textural tool when I’m laying down drones or bringing in big distorted swells. It’s one of the most versatile overdrives in my collection and I love that.

Fender Parallel Universe Series Volume II Maverick Dorado - I was smitten with the Maverick Dorado when I first saw it at NAMM. It has a lot of the specs that I look for in a guitar and the body shape with the Mystic Pine finish just blew me away. I hope that I get to use it live soon.

Polyeffects Beebo - The Beebo is one of those pedals that I genuinely feel is smarter than I am. It’s like an entire computer in one small touchscreen box. I can’t claim to have mastered using it yet but the sounds that I have managed to get out of it so far have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this box in 2021

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HELM 2020 REVIEW

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first, 2020 was undoubtedly an awful year. I'm still not sure how to really respond to seeing a global pandemic bring the capital to its knees and everything I love and hold dear to a grinding halt. Our government fucked it's response, putting profit before people and killing tens of thousands. The Labour Party descended into farce with the newly elected leader Sir Keith revealing himself as a bland centrist with no opposition or ideas. On a personal level it sucked not being able to travel or see my friends in different parts of the world - or even the same country - who I am starting to miss a lot. However, I was fortunate enough to get through the year with my sanity intact. Music, art and culture once again being my main positive. I think I listened to more music than I have in any year ever. I read more books than I have done since I was a teenager probably. I also re-discovered the joys of walking long distances and am extremely thankful for living near a lot of incredible green spaces: Epping Forest, Walthamstow Wetlands, Walthamstow Marshes, Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats...

Music. My favourite albums of the year.

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi Wetware - Flail Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors Necrot - Mortal Rope Sect - The Great Flood Private World - Aleph Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Pyrrhon - Abcess Time CS+Kreme - Snoopy Speaker Music - Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry Drew McDowall - Agalma Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss Nazar - Guerilla Zoviet France - Russian Heterodoxical Songs (and all the ZF reissues!!) Triple Negative - God Bless the Death Drive Permission - Organised People Suffer Actress - Karma & Desire Acolytes - Stress II The Gerogerigegege - >(decrescendo) Chubby & The Gang - Speed Kills Flora Yin-Wong - Holy Palm Eiko Ishibashi - Hyakki Yagyo The The - See Without Being Seen Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower Henning Christiansen - L’essere Umano Errabando La Voce Errabando Subdued - Over The Hills And Far Away Rian Treanor - File Under UK Metaplasm Komare - The Sense Of Hearing Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal Jesu - Terminus Autechre - SIGN Hey Colossus - Dances / Curses Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced Mark Harwood - A Perfect Punctual Paradise Under My Own Name Still House Plants - Fast Edit The Bug & Dis Fig - In Blue Kommand - Terrorscape Haus Arafna - Asche Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum Worm - Gloomlord Kraus - A Golden Brain Faceless Burial - Speciation

A shout-out to Jon Abby's AMPLIFY series on Bandcamp / Facebook, which I contributed a new piece of music to.

A shout out to the labels where most of the music I listened to seemed to come from:

The Trilogy Tapes Iron Bonehead Penultimate Press Dais La Vida Es Un Mus

Gigs. Despite live music being destroyed in 2020 I still saw a few unforgettable performances at the beginning of the year.

Graham Lambkin @ The ICA, London Puce Mary / JFK @ The Glove That Fits, London Demilich @ Finnfest, The Garage, London Container / PC World / National Unrest @ Venue MOT, London S.H.I.T / Asid / Chubby & The Gang @ Static Shock Festival, ExFed, London

Books I enjoyed. Most not published this year, but all read in 2020.

Joe Kennedy - Authentocrats David Balzer - Curationism Tom Mills - BBC: The Myth Of A Public Service Simon Morris - Consumer Guide: Special Edition Luke Turner - Out Of The Woods Various - Bad News For Labour Mike Wendling - Alt-Right Baited Area issues 1 & 2.

Film. Three good films I saw this year which I hadn't before.

Suspiria (Remake) Midsommar Cannibal Holocaust

Podcasts. I listened to a lot of these whilst walking.

We Don't Talk About The Weather Novara Media Tysky Sour & Novara FM Grounded with Louis Theroux System of Systems Red Scare loveline episodes Suite 212 NOISEXTRA Social Discipline CONTAIN

TV.

Didn't watch a huge amount and what I did was mostly trash. For some reason I rewatched both series' of This Life, a British drama from the late 90's about a group of young professionals house sharing and navigating their careers. Very cringey and has aged terribly, but it was perversely fascinating to revisit something from that time in the age of the pandemic. Following on from this I binge watched the entire series of Industry which was entertaining enough. A programme about a bunch of horny bankers with what felt like a confused ideology behind it. It seemed stuck between trying to criticise and glorify the culture around the industry, but also protect the industry itself from outside criticism by portraying anyone who may oppose as an insufferable wanker. Currently halfway through Succession which is OK. The Murdoch documentaries on the BBC were excellent and a rare respite from their descent into client journalism.

Thanks to anyone who listened to my music this year also. Best wishes to you all for 2021.

Luke Younger

http://hhelmm.com | http://alter.bandcamp.com

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Elliott Sharp

composer

1. My Nr. 1 lesson: patience. Whether it's bouncing through 30 seconds of severe turbulence at 39000 feet or slogging through 30 minutes of a interminable piece of concert music, one attribute I've tried to develop is the ability to see past the discrete and awaited ending, the exact framing of the immediate process, but put it into the context of a larger time frame. I've found that this year more than all others has demanded it. Breathing helps...

2. Books: revisiting old favorites from the realm of Thomas Pynchon and Philip K. Dick (both especially relevant), digging into John Lomax's portrait of Jelly Roll Morton, the works of Colson Whitehead, random things off of the shelf…

3. Composing: with touring off the table, I focused on that which needed to be written, some requested and commissioned, some spontaneously springing forth. Composing requires that one open the windows wide to the world, which at this moment brought in grief, terror, uncertainty, anxiety, visions of plague and pestilence and incipient fascism. Okay, now shut the window and get to work! How to process, translate, transform? The work can be a comfortable and obsessive cocoon once one learns to handle the radioactive materials and put them into the creativity reactor.

4. Beans! We have long been a fan in our house of the wide world of legumes but this year brought two stars to the front: the black bean and the red lentil. The black bean commands the lofty peaks but the seemingly infinite variations of dal surround it. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, onions, and olive oil form the basis then imagination builds.

5. Online teaching substituted for my canceled conduction of workshops in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Between the participants and myself, we built a temporary but very congenial space online to share concepts and music. In addition, private lessons brought conversation and music with new friends in Germany, Italy, California, Australia, Illinois, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Spain, Florida, Brazil.

6. What started out as "stress baking" (before I even had heard of the term) soon became a frequent practice that yielded very edible results. The twins preferred the sweeter forays into banana bread and chocolate cake. I tried to find a balance between tried-and-true techniques and experiments in texture and taste with yeasted pumpernickels, multi-grains, and seed breads.

7. While not the same as performing 'live ', online gigs proved that it was possible to generate a surprising amount of adrenaline even without the pheromonal handshaking of a room filled with receptive ears. As a corollary, online recording collaborations with friends worldwide proved to be inspiring and a suitable substrate for sonic experimentation, exploration of new instruments, tunings, effects programming, structures. In these realms, shout-outs to Helene Breschand, Mike Cooper, Henry Kaiser, Tracie Morris, Mikel Banks, Dougie Bowne, Payton McDonald, Billy Martin, Colin Stetson, Jim O'Rourke, Scott Amendola, Roberto Zorzi, Jason Hoopes, Eric Mingus, Melanie Dyer, Dave Hofstra, Don McKenzie, Sergio Sorrentino, Veniero Rizzardi, Taylor Ho Bynum, Scott Fields, Bachir Attar, Karl Bruckmaier, Robbie Lee, Matthew Evan Taylor, Matteo Liberatore, Al Kaatz, David Barratt, Jessica Hallock, Kolin Zeinikov, Robbie Lee, Jeremy Nesse, James Ilgenfritz, Sergio Armaroli, Steve Piccolo, Sandy Ewen, David Weinstein, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine, Werner Puntigam, William Schimmel.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

(Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat.)

Music Richard Youngs - Ein Klein Nein Alabaster DePlume - Instrumentals Hildegard von Bingen - O Nobilissima Viriditas Francisco de Penalosa - Missa Ave Maria Peregrina Carlo Gesualdo - Responsoria 1611 Dirty Projectors - Five EPs Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal Brother Peter Broderick - Blackberry Richard Horowitz - Eros Of Arabia Duncan Trussell Family Hour Cocteau Twins in the bath

Books/comics Alexander Tucker - Entity Reunion II Derek Jarman - Chroma Stephen Harrod Buhner - Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm The Penguin Book Of Irish Poetry - edited by Patrick Crotty The Gospel Of Ramakrishna - translated by Swami Nikhilananda Lucretius - De Rerum Natura Plotinus - Enneads Ram Dass - Grist For The Mill Lisa Brown - Phantom Twin

Other Fasting / meditation / macrodosing Walks in freshly coppiced woodland (for the smell mainly). Plants / Foraging / Growing Traditional ferments Douglas Sirk movies Mandolorian Writing songs on the piano Rediscovery of Kenneth Graham via my kids

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Karl O’Connor (Regis)

01.Wolfgang Press - Unremembered, Remembered 02. Klara Lewis - Ingrid Live at Fylkingen 03. Jesu - Terminus 04. Dave Ball - Leeds Poly Demos 1979 05. Edwin Pouncey - Rated Sav X (the Savage Pencil Skratchbook) 06. The Bug - In Blue 07. New Order - Power,Corruption and Lies ( Writing Sessions ) 08. JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland - Oscillospira 09. FM Einheit and Andreas Ammer - Hammerschlag 10. Thurston Moore - By The Fire 11. Body Stuff - Body Stuff 3 12. Ann M Hogan - Honeysuckle Burials 13. Rob Halford - Confess (Autobiography)

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Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones Records)

Shirley Collins Hearts Ease Dehd Flowers Of Devotion Duma Duma Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens John Jeffery Passage Drew McDowall Agalma Sweeping Promises Hunger For a Way Out Colter Wall Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Woods Strange to Explain

My Favorite 90’s Nostalgia Movie Rewatches

Colors Ghost Dog Menace II Society The Player Rounders Safe Starship Troopers Trees Lounge Vampires Waiting For Guffman

Most Culturally Bankrupt Year : 1997

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Charlie Looker

(composer, Psalm Zero, Extra Life, Seaven Teares)

Ten Things That Didn’t Happen in 2020

1. I didn’t write a ton of new music. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some. I always do. But mostly I focused on my new YouTube channel, essays, and on getting old recordings released. I haven’t even been working a day-job so I thought I was going to write my next Ring Cycle, but I really didn’t find Covid inspiring.

2. Trump wasn’t re-elected. Cool.

3. I didn’t lose anyone to Covid. I am, of course, profoundly grateful for this. But I feel pretty embarrassed remembering group-texting ten friends in March, “We are all going to see a loved one die. Every single one of us. Don’t kid yourselves”. I can get hysterical, and that was somewhat irresponsible of me.

4. No revolution happened. I don’t mean to be smug or cynical, or to belittle anyone’s participation in the protests. But, as far as I can tell, nothing happened in 2020 that promises to reduce police brutality or human suffering of any kind. We’ll see. That burning Minneapolis police station was exciting to watch at the time, if only on an aesthetic level.

5. I have a stack of unread books I bought this year, just staring at me, with nary a crease among them. These include:

Adorno and Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (looks amazing, but I haven’t touched it) Marx, Grundrisse (it’s 1000 pages for fuck’s sake. Amazon also accidentally sent me two copies, and its double presence in the stack is just comical) Reza Negarestani, Intelligence and Spirit (the first 15 pages blew my mind, then my mind blew it off)

6. I didn’t settle into living in LA. I moved here six months before Covid and I was just starting to cultivate some friendships and play shows. This was quashed and I still feel like I still live in New York. I still barely know the layout of the city here.

7. No brand-new buzzy musical artists burst onto the scene, that I can recall. No new hyped micro-genre of the moment. There was just no way for there to be a hot new trend. I’d say that was refreshing, but it wasn’t.

8. Tyson’s return was not awesome. Two minute rounds, ended in a draw. I’ve been getting way into boxing this past year. This fight was a bummer. I’m looking forward to Mayweather vs Logan Paul (LOL) because we know it’s comedy ahead of time.

9. For three weeks in July, I didn’t do a single thing other than watch street fight compilations on YouTube and Worldstar. That’s just grim.

10. There were no school shootings in March. Apparently, this was the first March with no school shootings since 2002. Not a single 7th grader got a hand job in March either. I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a kid now.

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Chuck Bettis

https://chuckbettis.com

Other People's Music released this year:

Coil "Musick to Play in the Dark" (Dais)

Duma "s/t" (Nyege Nyege Tapes) Twig Harper "External Boundless Prison/ in 4 parts EP" (self-release) I.P.Y. (Ikue Mori, Phew, YoshimiO) "I.P.Y." (Tzadik) Kill Alters "A2B2 Live Stream 11/13/2020" (self-release) Krallice "Mass Cathexis" (self-release) Lust$ickPuppy "Cosmic Brownie" (self-release) Doug McKechnie "San Francisco Moog: 1968-72" (VG+ Records) Merlin Nova "Boo!" (self-release) Omrb "Milandthriust, The Graths of Mersh" (self-release) Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda "gi n ga" (self-release) Yoth Iria "Under His Sway" (Repulsive Echo) Wetware "Flail" (Dais)

My own music released this year:

collaborations

Chatter Blip "Microcosmopolitan" (Contour Editions) Matmos "The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form" (Thrill Jockey) Reverse Bullets "Dreampop Dsyphoria" (self-release) Snake Union "live at Roulette" (self-release) Snake Union w/ Hisham Bharoocha, Bonnie Jones, Heejin Jang, Matthew Regula "Three Arrows" (Rat Route) Thomas Dimuzio "Balance" (Gench Music) YoshimiO & Chuck Bettis "Live at the Stone" (Living Myth)

solo Chuck Bettis "Arc of Enlghtenment" (Living Myth) Chuck Bettis "Motion Parallax" (Living Myth)

compilation Various Artist "Polished Turds Vol.1" (Granpa)

Music Books read this year

"Intermediary Spaces" by Eliane Radigue/Julia Eckhardt (Umland) "Ennio Morricone In His Own Words" by Ennio Morricone/Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press) "Free Jazz In Japan: A Personal History" by Soejima Teruto (Public Bath Press) "Rumors of Noizu: Hijokaidan and the Road to 2nd Damascus" by Kato David Hopkins (Public Bath Press)

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Maya Hardinge

(musician / artist)

list of things i liked this year

first ever solo road trip through new mexico and Texas right before lockdown experiencing manhattan with no cars on the road . having a car to escape in to nature. (which i craved so much) walks and bike rides with friends… FRIENDS! The web site ‘workaway’ that helped me feel that there were options for escape. playing games weekly on zoom during lock down teaching yoga weekly on zoom. Witnessing and being part of the BLM protests. witnessing and being part of the demise of T sitting on my couch at 6am drinking a cup of tea, appreciating my apt. making time to meditate. halloween without tourists .

some music I’ve bought and/or enjoyed this year Elvis Perkins-Black Coat Daughter Patricia Kokett -Soi soi Henning Christiansen - OP201 Bryce Hackford- Safe Svitlana Nianio and Oleksander - Snayesh yak? rozkazhy Brannten schnure - Sommer im Pfirsichhain Killing Joke - Nighttime David Shea - Tower of mirrors Shakey - Shakey Woodford halse tapes Coil - Musick to play in the dark

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BJ Nilsen

sound artist / composer

Work 2020

Despite Covid 19 lots of things actually did happen.

In Feburary I visited the only active nuclear plant in The Nederlands as part of my "Expanded Field Recording” project together with SML. In March revisited the Acousmonium at the Elevate Festival in Graz with an additional trip deep inside the Schlossberg recording old mining trains. In March and April I did two daily recording projects “Pending and Auditory Scenes” - both of Amsterdam during lockdown. In May did my first Zoom field recording workshop with the CAMP project. In June & July two research trips in Waldviertel, Austria with Franz Pomassl. In August recorded bells and organs in 10 different churches around Amsterdam for Jacob Lekkerkerker. In September recorded Kali Malone at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. Performed at Heart of Noise Festival in Innsbruck and A4 in Bratislava. Also went ice-skating for first time in 20? Years. In November and December I travelled to Jeju island to record field recordings for a project by Femke Herregraven for the Gwangju Biennale, commissioned for 2021. Did lots of gardening, released two tapes “Call it Philips, Eindoven” and “Zomer 2020” with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. NOW! Looking forward to 2021.

http://bjnilsen.info https://soundcloud.com/bjnilsen/sets/auditory-scenes-amsterdam

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Vicki Bennett

(People Like Us)

Negativland - True False https://negativland.com/products/truefalse-cd (this came out last year but is so THIS year) Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/rough-and-rowdy-ways/ The Soft Pink Truth - We from Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase https://thesoftpinktruth.bandcamp.com/album/shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase Carl Stone - Stolen Car https://unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/stolen-car Porest - Sedimental Gurney https://porest.bandcamp.com/album/sedimental-gurney Matmos - The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form https://matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-consuming-flame-open-exercises-in-group-form Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/atn044-domenique-dumont-miniatures-de-auto-rhythm The The - See Without Being Seen https://www.thethe.com/product/see-without-being-seen-cd/ Ciggy de la Noche - Hold Tight HMRC https://soundcloud.com/ciggydelanoche/hold-tight-hmrc Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams http://www.neilcic.com/mouthdreams/

and my details: http://peoplelikeus.org/ https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/ pic: http://peoplelikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Welcome-Abroad-promo3-2-scaled.jpg

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DJ Food

Music - Type 303 - Sticky Disco / Analogue Acidbath 7" (45 Live) The British Space Group - The Ley of the Land CD (Wyrd Britain) Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello LP / Warp 10 NTS mix (Warp) dgoHn - Undesignated Proximate (Modern Love) LF58 - Alterazione LP (Astral Industries) Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments series (DGM) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (BMG) Simf Onyx - Magenta Skyline / The Unresolved 7" (Delights) Luke Vibert - Modern Rave LP (Hypercolour) JG Thirlwell & Simon Steensland - Oscillospira (Ipecac) Aural Design - Looking & Seeing 7" / DL (Russian Library) Luke Vibert - Rave Hop (Hypercolour) Clipping. with Christopher Fleeger - Double Live (Sub Pop) APAT - Terry Riley's 'In C' performed on Modular Synthesizer (YouTube) Field Lines Cartographer - The Spectral Isle LP (Castles In Space) Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions single (Fire Records) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. LP (Flightless) Humanoid - Hed-Set - forthcoming on (De:tuned)

Film / TV - Inside No.9 (BBC) What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 (Netflix) Tales From The Loop (Amazon) Keith Haring - Street Art Boy (BBC) John Was Trying To Contact Aliens (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) The Mandalorian (Season 2) (Disney+) Long Hot Summers - The Style Council documentary (Sky Arts) Zappa (Alex Winter)

Books / Comics / Magazines Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell (Profile books) The Often Wrong - Farel Dalrymple (Image Comics) Edwin Pouncey - Rated SavX (Strange Attractor Press) Jeffrey Lewis - Fuff (all issues - really late to the party on this one) Rian Hughes - XX - A Novel, Graphic (Picador) Cosey Fanni Tutti - Art, Sex, Music (Faber) Caza - Kris Kool (Passenger Press) Dan Lish - Egostrip Vol.1 Electronic Sound magazine Decorum - Jonathan Hickman & Mike Huddleston (Image) John Higgs - Stranger Than We Can Imagine Simon Halfon - Cover To Cover (Nemperor)

Very few exhibitions or shows this year for obvious reasons

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