It is staggering to realise that this already is the 25th
STA. That’s silver and time for a
celebration, surely? I couldn’t stay for
the whole day, but here’s what I did manage to see:
Ardisson & Pugh
Charlotte Pugh and Charles Matthews utilising gamelan,
recorder and computer in various interesting ways. Delicate improvisation utilising gamelan
bowls hung from a microphone stand and Pugh’s recorder which I initially
mistook for a Sho or Shakuhachi. Here’s
a taste of their music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAIPAEbOwv4
They were playing against a back ground of
Věra Chytilová’s 1966 film
Daisies. It worked really
well. I’m not sure if Ardisson &
Pugh had chosen it specifically or whether it just happened to be projected at
the time but it was great.
Timeron
Accidental beats, conflict between man and machine,
misbehaving loops Aphex filtered through a sedated TG/industrial sieve. I liked the overall result, but judging from
Timeron’s perplexity toward the end of his set, what we we getting wasn’t
exactly what he had in mind.
Antipattern is Alastair Strachan who is a long-time
fixture on Brighton’s experimental scene.
More misbehaving beats minimal but searching when the
kick drum is found it is colossal through the Green Door’s massive pa. Sttrachan seems slightly taken aback before
taming the beast somewhat although I for one could have listened to that
untamed kick for hours. Alastair introduces
a hydrophone in a pint of water which is treated to a tube outputting some kind
of sonic material into the liquid. A nod
to Lee Patterson, perhaps?
Inwards
2 lads, 1 x mac + doepfer a100, producing pleasing
minimal electronica although I was in and out of the room during their set so I’m
not best qualified to report on this with any authority.
Cao is Constanza Cao originally from Peru, now based in London. She produces some beautiful harsh electronics
from just a laptop and a Korg ms20 synth. Dark stuff. Fantastic.
As I am one quarter of Kuroneko, I can’t and won’t
comment further, apart from to say that I enjoyed playing at STA very much.
Orok whom I have seen before at a previous STA felt it necessary
to make an announcement to the effect of asking for silence, saying his was “…quiet
music…and relaxing – you might want to sit down on the floor…” Audiences for experimental music are there
because they want to be and don’t need to be told what to do, in my
experience. That said, Orok’s set was
excellent and fulfilled his own criteria perfectly. I would have sat on the floor if it wasn’t
for the Green Door’s uneven cobbles.
Mouthful o’ Hakarl & The Fiery Biscuit are a new-ish
collaboration between two Kevs and a Graham.
Pleasingly reminiscent of North African musics to these ears, possibly
due to The Fiery Biscuit’s duduk drum and Hakarl’s saz-like instrument. Mouthful Of Worms’ Kev Kilter augmented these
very musical proceedings with karaoke-mic feedback shenanigans from what I
could make out. Possibly my favourite
part of the day.
It was at this point that my own domestic existence cut
in rather abruptly and halted my participation in this latest STA, so
regrettably I missed Graham Dunning & Embla Quickbeam, Left Hand Cuts Off
The Right, Harmergeddon (who Kuroneko performed with at a live cinema event in
London earlier in the year and who I recommend seeing wholeheartedly for their
unique presentation of video and self-built instruments) and Q’LIL GLB GELLS
THALL.
Keep ‘em peeled for the next STA.
