For every Taste there is an Ear//// week programme 11 to 14 November

For all of you who have just opened the windows: monday and tuesday shows at staalplaat have gone for ever. New memories can be found on all other week days. Wednesday 11 November we host  BABILON, this is Luke Munn: a Berlin-based, New Zealand cross-discipline artist who plays at unusual places such as abandoned zoo’s, monumental airports, bell towers or at a soon to be closed back space of a record shop. His set on this evening will be with glass pieces, Nintendo DS, cassette, feedback and vocals. You can hear pieces and live performances, and read more on his website: Other companion for the evening will be: PALATIAL, a new duo by Sascha Mandler and Will Gresson that started in late Summer 2009, Palatial focuses on…can images explain sounds?……Then have a closer look at the black and white picture above.

On Thursday I will play myself with Radio On and Daniella Grim, and since it will piss with rain, you won’t come anyway, so I am not going to announce it further. Try Radio around 20.30 maybe we will be on air.

Friday 13th we will eat skulls made from sugar. Sorry, more homework and snacks for you: Mario de Vega is from Mexico City, but lives in Berlin. Have you seen him perform lately? Here is a chance to catch him playing ping pong with Michael Vorfeld. In the Australian corner of the coach we have Germ Studies. And if you like Rubik’s Cube texts, then have some here. Saturday 14th you can come early and shout french obscene words at the opening of a show heralded by Guillaume. From 20.45 you will be asked to keep silent, buy more beer and pay a fee for the artists. If you still don’t speak German you have some days to translate this phrase about Soon Kim & Tetsuya Hori in your own language: Bei der Improvisation wird jeder Musiker vom anderen beeinflusst. Den Musikern ist es freigestellt, in der Improvisation auf den anderen zu achten, bewusst Disharmonie zu erzeugen oder einen Kompromiss aus beidem einzugehen. Das macht zwar jede Aufführung zu einem unkalkulierbaren Risiko, erzeugt aber für Aufführende und Publikum eine hohe musikalische Spannung. Die vorbereitete Sounddatei (etwa das Wasser-Sample) ist die einzige Konstante. Sie kann  nicht reagieren und auf Veränderungen eingehen wie die aufführenden Musiker, ist statisch. Dadurch entsteht noch mal mehr Spannung. I like the delicate balance between formalism and not too straight forward absurdism in this text. Soon Kim plays alt saxophone, Tetsuya Hori plays toy piano, laptop, beer bottle and more. Their conversations are never boring.  On the same evening of the 14th Arnaud Rivière will play a solo set. If you don’t know him yet, then this is another chance to see one of the most inventive, groovy, funny, entertaining, colourfull noise artists of the moment in action. I am glad he will play Staalplaat before I hand in the keys.

All evenings start at 20.45 and will end at 22.00

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

U7 Rathaus Neukölln

9/11 Illusion of Safety …bleep bleep bleep

The request by Daniel Burke to play at Staalplaat, made me visit a few cassette culture related sites. I found this quote which says a lot about the present day situation of one of the most influential genre’s outside music business:‘BILL DIXON: By now it is quite obvious that those of us whose work is not acceptable to the Establishment are not going to be financially acknowledged. As a result, it is very clear that musicians, in order to survive, create this music, and maintain some semblance of sanity, will have to do it themselves in the future.’

This totally correlates to what has gone on in the noise underground here in the U.S. It’s still not possible to make any semblance of a living from our music and I’ve been at this now for nearly 25 years! What has happened in our community, however, is exactly what Bill Dixon speaks of in the above quote: the DIY ethic has maintained the momentum of the movement. The younger generation, those who’ve embraced this peculiar aesthetic, help keep it’s legacy alive by discussing it’s history, writing about it, reissuing crucial albums and providing basements and other acoustic spaces in which to present it in the live format.’ This quote comes from PBK’s blog called The Sound Genetic.

Another veteran of the cassette culture currently attempts to write a history of this movement. Dan Campau portraits some of their key figures in The Living Archive of Underground Music. One of them is Al Margolis. asked for a quote to describe Illusion of safety’s music, he wrote:“rip snorting blast of noise and vision”

Jeff Surak is the director of the Sonic Circuits Festival. This important festival in Washington DCoffers an annual view on the present day situation of the worldwide existing group of ultra marginalized sound and noise makers. His quote to describe Illusion of Safety is more direct:”IOS ROCKS!”

Apparently the Belin Audience knows none to nothing about the cassette culture. Another act that landed on the shores of Neukölln lately was Big City Orchestra. This group formed by dAS had its 30 year anniversary concert in front of 20 people! Is that ignorance or just a rainy day?

Daniel Burke will play a solo set and an improvisational set with two other musicians who probably haven’t even met before.

Daniel Burke (illusion of safety)

solo set: guitar & electronics improvisation

Improvisation trio 1st time meeting of:

Peter Schlewiniski-drum

Ziv Jacob-analog electronics

Daniel Burke-laptop & guitar

9 November start 20.45 ends 22.00

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

U7 Rathaus Neukölln

6. November The Bermuda Triangle Festival of Berlin Improv

Catch them before they disappear for ever… wind is patient, but time isn’t…

staalplaat working space presents
a new episode of
The Bermuda Triangle Festival of Berlin Impro
featuring the trombone player David Dove from Houston who plays for the first time in Germany

6. November, starts 20.30 ends 22.00

David Dove (trombone), Anthea Caddy (cello), Chris Abrahams (analogue synthesizer),Magda Mayas (clavinet), Chris Heenan (clarinet/saxophone), Annette Krebs (guitar, objects, mixing board, tapes

(this edition is curated by Annette Krebs)

Flughafenstrasse 38
U8 Boddinstrasse U7 Rathaus Neukölln

29. Oktober /// Things Feel Right at The End

Two active players in the new generation of Norwegian improvisers, the duo has worked together for a two year period, looking into the posibillities of similar instrumentation. They commenced as a strictly acoustic duo but have gradually incorporated contact mics and simple electronics such as dictaphones and discman into their setup. The music is slow and patient with a strong focus on space and timing, textures and contrasts.

Which means, that contrasts could never be so entertaining and inspiring when the slowly evolving soundscapism of Daniel Meyer Grønvold/Håvard Volden meet up with the powerful.. no, not this cliche, I’d rather choose another one, because Marta Zapp (aka Penelopex) is one of those Italian women with balls, capable of occupying space and time and make you loose all sense of it… with the spellbound entanglements by a woman who can curse and kiss at the same time, porco dio.

 

29. Oktober start 20.45 end 22.00

Daniel Meyer Grønvold/Håvard Volden

Penelopex

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

24, 26 and 27 Oktober, The Bermuda Triangle Festival of Berlin Improv

Come and see them before they disappear for ever.     

Saturday 24. Oktober, Honsinger I with Tristan Honsinger, Olaf Rupp and Antonio Borghini

Monday 26. Oktober, Honsinger II with Tristan Honsinger, Dario Fariello and Oscar Jan Hoogland

Tuesday 27. Oktober, Rhodri Davies+Christopher Williams, Jeremy Drake+Chris Heenan+Annette Krebs

All evenings start 20.45 and end at 22.00

Flughafenstrasse 38 U8 Boddinstrasse

23. Oktober Jeremy Slater //// Kim Laugs

JEREMY D. SLATER – is a sound artist essentially, but also works with video and sound in performance and installation settings. He uses his laptop computer to create a variety of sound, image, and interactive work. His sound work consists of field recordings as a base to create processed drones with tabletop guitar, objects, and ambient noise. Performances include live performed video that is ambient and reactive.
Video work also includes single and multiple channel videos for screening and installations with sound and ephemeral sculpture. Jeremy was one of the 1999 recipients of the Computer Art Fellowship from New York Foundation of the Arts (NYFA) and has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally. Collaborators have included Patrick Todd (Red Chair), Shige Moriya (Cave), Ximena Garnica (LEIMAY), Yuko Kaseki, Minako Seki, Takuya Muramatsu, Yann Keller, Maria Moran, Tamara Yadao, Richard Garet, EA, Marie Evelyn, Gregory Reynolds, Ann Adachi, Ed Bear, Sara Sun, Rhiannon Gibbs, Xavier Becerra, Daniel Carter, Stefano Scippa, Matt Motel, Andrea Williams,
Ned Mooney, NYSAE(New York Society for Acoustic Ecology) and is also a member of ROTC (Rubaiyats of the Cicadas) with Aaron Halley (North Guinea Hills), Red Chair (with Patrick Todd), tu (with Tamara Yadao), and Frogwell (with Richard Kamerman, Bob Lukomski, Robert Hardin, Tamara Yadao). Jeremy has peformed and/or exhibited with Front Room, Diapason, Issue Project Room, The Whitney Biennial (NPR),Bridge Art Fair, Fountain, Hogar Collection, Perpetual Art Machine, The Tank, Collective Unconscious, Chashama, Electronic Church, KuLe, Tonic, The Stone, fotofono, Goodbye Blue Monday, monkey town, opensource, Cave Art Space, Grace Exhibition Space, Plan B, Theater for the New City for The New York Butoh Festival, Clink Street Gallery, and 7hz.0p;/

Kim Laugs will play sounds from the heritage of Adam Leb, the first astronaut who disappeared into space, while still connected to a receiver. Mr. Laugs is a prominent member of the Dutch Audio Award Academy and has received many invitations for scholarships at universities around the world.

FRIDAY 23RD OKTOBER STARTS 20.45 ENDS 22.00

JEREMY SLATER

KIM LAUGS

FLUGHAFENSTRASSE 38 U8 BODDINSTRASSE

21.Oktober – Adam Thomas (Preslav Literary School) + Radio On ft. Daniella Grimm

On the 17th of September the soon ex-blogger, musician & writer Momus came to the green space on the eve that he was to rise from the ashes. His book of jokes is on its way to find a wide acclaim. If his future readings will be realised with a similar backing group is not certain. Those present on the evening of 17th have seen and heard how words got immersed in the surrounding sounds provided by Radio On.

Now everyone with a love for radio, and for listening in complete darkness, can imagine how sounds can help to built an imaginary landscape. It is exactly this background that helps to make characters from a spoken word performance come to life and actually move in a familiar, but also a bestrangening world.

This picture shows Adam Thomas. He arrived to Berlin one year ago. He needed little time to convince the audience of his talents. Every show of his is an invitation to a symphony that holds angelic and melancholic moments. But you can call that music. Music however that comes from a young man with poetic skills, a writer.

Another reason to stay away? Sure! Literature is for a very happy few. Difficult settings made easy attract even less people. No problem. We will push up the cushions, have a wood fire burning: Adam Thomas will read from his novel in progress, Adrian Shephard will detect sounds from outer and inner space, Daniella Grimm will play her violin and it will be good. I am sure it will be good.

21 Oktober start 20.45 ends 22.00

Adam Thomas reads from his novel in progress,

sonic dramaturgy by Radio On ft.Daniella Grimm

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

17.Oktober Wetten dass..? mit CD Kreisverband Friedrichshain with Special Guest Bill Kaulitzer

17 Oktober, start 20.30 ends 22.00

Two sets by CD Kreisverband Friedrichshain in two different formations

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

16. Oktober Stefano Giust Mikaele Pellegrino Tobias Delius

On their way from Wendel Bar to the Sowieso Bar, the three brave men also make a stop at Staalplaat to offer some sounds of their huge catalogue. While in the other bars Stefano Giust will be one of four improvisers improvising, on this evening of the 16th oktober the interested listener can see Stefano perform a solo set. After that, it is back to normal and full blast ahead: yet another trio will shine on the firmament of the Berlin Impro Galaxy.

16 Oktober start 20.45 end 22.00

Stefano Giust

Giust/Pellegrino/Delius

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse

14. Oktober Kotra and Zavoloka

She has been to Portugal to sing in bars and in cinema’s. Just before the great career would end, she lost her voice and found her heart. He has been to the United States to watch over anti smoking laws and inspect safesexmusic. Together they have been found guilty of making sound sound like anything but music. This happened in the city of the last pope, when other popes walked out of the auditorium. They are from Kiev. And if some people out there were doing their job properly, Kotra and Zavoloka would be a little bit more known. Now it is only colleagues who can hear that in these persons we deal with some of the best that Eastern Europe can offer.

14. oktober start 20.45 end 22.00

Kotra

Zavoloka

Flughafenstrasse 38

U8 Boddinstrasse U7 Rathaus Neukölln

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