Mira Calix’s new experimental performance ensemble works through delicate, electronic deconstructions of piano music. They make an exploration of live performance using contemporary instrumental techniques, live electronic manipulation and compiled electronic sound. The trio, Calix with pianist Sarah Nicolls and sound designer David Sheppard, improvise, reacting to and feeding off one another’s instruments, each making discrete interpretations in their respective musical languages. The results range from fragile scratchings and squeakings to heavy drones from the dark side of metal.
 
Sarah Nicolls plays the piano, Mira Calix makes recordings from inside the piano with a microphone and manipulates the relults, Sheppard feeds the piano and recordings into his computer to processes. The artists are each exploring an individual sound space using methods that are a considerable departure from their usual output. For Calix, using an instrument to make sound spontaneously is radically different from her usual approach with computers which depends on programming and pre-recorded sounds.
 
Alexander’s Annexe was a completely performance based project, until their debut album became Warp Records’ first contemporary classical release. The group formed after meeting through the London Sinfonietta and found early support from the Britten-Pears Programme (Aldeburgh Music), with an invitation to undertake a residency in Suffolk, England. The resulting work, Push Door To Exit, was premiered at the 2005 Aldeburgh Festival and then developed with the addition of interactive elements for audience for the Ravello Festival 2005, Italy, where the thirty minute recording was made for their Warp debut.
 
Mira Calix, a laptop artist renowned for her insect works, will be releasing her third album on Warp Records later this year and is working on a diverse range of projects including collaborations in opera, musical theatre and dance. She has dj-ed for over ten years, playing on bills with artists such as Derick May, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada.
 
Sarah Nicolls is one of the UK’s leading new music (read avant-garde/ contemporary classical) pianists. In 2006 she performed with BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Lutyens) and is currently preparing for a Wolfgang Rihm concert with the Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed concertos with the London Sinfonietta
 
David Sheppard is one half of Sound Intermedia, a sound design team working in Classical and contemporary music. Sheppard is a classically trained arranger, composer and performer. Sound Intermedia is in the interesting position of being a principle soloist in contemporary classical orchestra, The London Sinfonietta.
 
Alexander’s Annexe have performed at the If festival in London, Sonorities in Belfast, FUSE at Leeds – a performance that was broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Mixing It in May 2006 – and Tonhalle in Dusseldorf alongside Haushka and Mapstation.
 
> www.alexandersannexe.com
 
Appearances:
> CTM.07 > Opening Concert