An evening of sound artists and improvising musicians from NYC and Philadelphia whose work explores the liberatory possibilities of system intelligence, generative musical practices and improvisation.
PROGRAM
PRESETS AND STUDIES
Eric Laska
Presets and Studies comprises recent audio material from low frequency ramp generators and field recordings of HVAC systems. The compositional structure of the work is based on arbitrary spacing. The harmonic structure of the work is determined by the room in which it occurs.
NEW WORK FOR COMPUTER & AMPLIFIED OBJECT
Ian M. Fraser
DUO IMPROVISATION
Michael Foster: saxophones, objects
Ben Bennett: drums, percussion, membranes
“Bennett and Foster began playing with drummer David Grollman, and their crazy improvisations landed somewhere between music and performance art. Their duo project resulted from their strong musical affinity, something that needs to be seen (as well as heard) to be believed, pushing the sonic boundaries of the drums/sax duo over the edge. At times their vocabularies overlap, so one is barely able to distinguish one voice from the other, Foster becoming compellingly percussive on the sax, while Bennett, who also makes his own instruments, blows on what I learned were membranes, like reeds—I recently caught them at drummer Andrew Drury’s salon series Soup and Sound. Their experimentation in sound, both together and separately, causes a dynamic shift and expansion of the sonic palette, plus a tense, vulnerable unpredictability. My bet is on these guys for adding to the healthy, solid future of improvised music.”
ARTIST BIOS
Eric Laska is an artist currently based in Philadelphia. His work has been featured in such venues as Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, New York; SculptureCenter, New York; Machine Project, Los Angeles; Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia; Ausland, Berlin; MACO, Oaxaca; and online at Gauss PDF. He is founding editor of the website Lateral Addition. http://ericlaska.com/, http://lateraladdition.org/
Ian M. Fraser is a New York based computer musician, primarily focused on algorithmic composition, generative structures, and stochastic processes. With Reed Evan Rosenberg, he works with the development of Keroaän, a musical artificial intelligence designed to perform without any human intervention what-so-ever. In live performance, they combine live generative works with real-time visualizations, utilizing high-intensity strobe lights and lasers.
Ben Bennett is an improvising percussionist who plays drums, membranes, and self-made instruments, which are combined with each other in various mutable arrangements, and played by striking, friction, breath, and other techniques. Although his instrument and music could both be described as unorthodox, they retain the essence of the modern drumset, and are a distillation of diverse musical traditions. He has toured North America and Europe, playing with different groups, ad-hoc collaborations, and solo. www.benjaminbennett.net
Michael Foster is a Brooklyn based saxophonist, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist working within the fields of free improvisation, composition (both graphic and notated), Jazz, noise, punk, and industrial music and video. Since moving to New York, Michael has maintained an active gig and touring schedule, playing with Weasel Walter, Steve Swell, Pascal Niggenkemper, Psychic TV, Chris Corsano, Spiritualized, Kid Millions, Nate Wooley, Sean Ali, Han Bennink, Marina Rosenfeld, and many others. Current ensembles include: Foster-Michael Evans-Pascal Niggenkemper Trio, Andrew Barker Trio, Duo with Leila Bordreuil, GALM Quartet, While We Still Have Bodies, and Foster-Grollman-Bennett Trio. Michael Foster: www.michaelfostermusic.com
