New psychedelics and minimalist drone continue to be more current than they have been for a long time. Particularly fresh mixtures are now coming from the USA and captivate listeners through the ease with which they bring together enthusiasm for experimentation and delightful Pop gestures. However, there are also elsewhere those who operate successfully between spiritual ritual and consciousness expanding flow.
The night begins with "Burning the Sound" by Portuguese artist
Rudolfo Quintas, which has been nominated for the
transmediale award. This interactive sound performance is about the nature of rituals, power and control. It uses fire from a regular lighter to subvert patterns of rhythm, thus using technologically mediated computer sound to exorcise sound as a spiritual strategy.
The music of
Mudboy, the self-called "doctor of experimental organomics", lies somewhere between folk, minimal music, and experimental electronic and sends his listeners on a hypnotic psychedelic trip. His speciality is playing on circuit bend organs.
Lucky Dragons brings the hippyesque optimism and the experimental ease of Californian counter-culture to Berlin. Trance-like, psychedelic pieces in bright tonal hues with complex, hypnotically honking rhythms are paired with fine melodies and organic analogue sounds – music between pop, folk and psychedelic ritual unlike anything else currently being made in Europe.
The Australian guitarist and percussionist
Oren Ambarchi is known as an outstanding improvisation musician and through his numerous collaborations with Boris, Sunn O))), Fennesz, Otomo Yoshihide, John Zorn, Keith Rowe and others. His solo works fascinate with a warm melancholy that pervades his long, overtone-rich drone pieces. Ambarchi’s dense, powerful and yet meditative pieces seem to make space fluid and slow down time. They completely immerse listeners and transport them into a floating sound world of flowing movement.
The evening is accompanied by
Markus Detmer, chief of the Staubgold label, on the record players, who is one of the most outstanding experts and merited publishers of subtle, sometimes minimalist, sometimes ornamental music with a great psychoactive effect.