Dirty Electronics Performance

One lady of the group started this performance on her own with one instrument and then there was this huge stampede of noise making geeks who rushed to 'attack' her and the instrument for one very short and err sweet show.






I was involved in this 'attack.' We all had to touch the buttons.










I went back to the ICA with Callum (housemate - http://callumabbott.tumblr.com/) on Sunday for the Dirty Electronics performance. The photos and film above, kindly taken and filmed by Kristine and Rosie, show this. Callum and I had a good practice before hand seeing what sounds our instruments could make, I managed to get some sort of warped Dubstep-like drone sound that wouldn't pipe down! Rad.

One of the performances involved everybody getting up at different times to switch their instrument on and making it produce some hench noise. The instruments where left to it, all being fanatically noisey together. I reckon my li'l baby made the best sounds

Here it is...

Wolf People

This is my favourite song of the album "Steeple" which I'm yet to buy!!


My drunken photography...


Vocalist and Guitarist (state the obvious Harriet!)


Drummer (Kings of Leon drummer look-a-like?)



Last night, after Dirty Electronics, I headed over to the Cargo in Shoreditch to see Wolf People, my new favourite band! I literally discovered this band just over a week ago in an old issue of Lo Down. They are a 4-piece psychedelic folk rock band with Sabbath/Jethro Tull hints... reet up my street! A friggin' awesome gig: enchanting vocals and heavy, droney guitars. Bliss.





http://wolfpeople.wordpress.com/

http://wolfpeople.co.uk/

John Richards and Dirty Electronics

Yep, a Merzbow/Dirty Electronics collaboration!!


An example of one of John Richards workshop/perfomances

http://www.dirtyelectronics.org/

John Richards is the guy behind Dirty Electronics. Workshops and performances are set up by him and a host of other 'guest' artists, such as Merzbow and Nicholas Bullen of Naplam Death and Scorn. They key ideas behind Richards' practice opposes the mass produced digital culture and looks more into the DIY (or DIT...Do-It-Together) way of producing sound.


An example of one of Richards' instruments

Dirty Electronics

Yesterday, my housemate and myself I Dirty Electronics, a workshop at the ICA run by John Richards, who makes his own electronic instruments. As I have an interest in noise music and sound-making, this opportunity to actually make something from scratch, to at least replicate sounds made by other artists, of who's work I enjoy listening to was a very exciting prospect. granted, we had a specially made circuit board made for us and diagrams of all the parts and how to put it together, but for a complete novice like me, it was the perfect introduction to electronic instrument building. It was an all day event and the idea was to put all of our instruments together at the end and have a good play around. Unfortunately, I didn't get time to do this as I had to rush of to a gig (more on this in another post) however, i plan to come back to the ICA on Sunday, where there will be a big group performance involving all the instruments made and people who made them.

http://www.ica.org.uk/27692/Music/Dirty-Electronics-Solder-and-Score.html



My 'instrument' near the beginning of the workshop


Working hard


The other side of my instrument.

(I forgot to take a photo of it when it was finished, but as I'm going back on Sunday, I will do it then and you can see the result. Hopefully, I'll record a sample of me playing it.)

A good friend of mine and fellow illustrator, Natalie Kay-Thatcher has done the artwork involved with Dirty Electronics, which is currently on display at the ICA alongside the workshop programme.


Check her blog, so sick!

http://nataliekaythatcher.blogspot.com/

Nicholas Bullen at Supersonic 2010

I've only just found out about this guy (I feel so ashamed did not know earlier) but he was at Supersonic doing this!! (above). Just about to go to "Dirty Electronics" to do some crazy electronicy sound art shit, should be rad! Nic Bullen is they guy who wrote the musical score for it and he is a founder member of Napalm Death...get on that shit grrl!

Merzbow

Merzbow and Keiji Haino (Kikuri) at Supersonic 2 years ago. I attended this.

When I think of Noise music, I think of Merzbow (real name Masami Akita). He is at the forefront of the genre pioneering and pushing the limitations constantly ever since he started recording in 1980. A full discography of his work simply does not exist because of the extensive amount of recordings he has made.

His music is generally, particularly in recent times, is extremely harsh which goes back to his inspirations from death metal and grindcore bands of the late 80's/early 90's, as well as psychedelic music he listened to in his youth. Merzbow's distict style includes distortion, feedback, noise from various synthesizers and noise machines. Of late, he has become interested in animal rights creating music using samples from different animals. Some recording examples of these are Merzbird and Merzbear.


Yellow Hyper Balls from "Pulse Demon"

Melt Banana

Another Japanese Noise Punk band I saw at Supersonic. Here is a video of their 8 short songs:



I remember the first time I heard Melt Banana, it was on a mix cd that my then boyfriend made me when I was 16, before I knew any better about music. I remember thinking this is the craziest thing I've ever heard! Even now, I still think their music is pretty crazy and as rad as they are, I still can't listen to them that often. I guess this is because, most times when I listen to music, I am drawing or working of some sort and I need a level of concentration that Melt Banana can't offer me. Saying that, I am listening to them whilst typing this!They have this pure noisey energy that shouts, HEY! We're in the room performing, LISTEN TO US!!" and you just can't ignore it. This is why they are so good live, even if you don't listen to them usually, because you just have to focus on them and be entranced by their madness.