Contemporary
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Gaudeamus Music Week
Night of the Unexpected
During the Night of the Unexpected one thing is guaranteed: you will be pleasantly surprised! The Night is a one night festival, highlighting the diversity and dynamics of contemporary music practice. That is to say: a night full of musical surprises leading you right through different styles and genres, from modest chamber music to booming noise.
The programme will be presented in a tightly produced succession of short, sharp performances (without breaks), often off-stage in order to make optimal use of every nook and cranny of Paradiso. With an unconventional presentation the Night aims to enable both artists and audience to have a unique musical experience. An ensemble, for example, may position itself in the middle of the concert hall, surrounded by the audience, the audience may be sung to from the balcony, and a five-minute pianola composition may be followed directly by hypnotising beats and lasers.
non-western music
For the first time the Night, in collaboration with the Tropentheater, will be presenting traditional, non-western music. A duo of gamelan ensembles will be performing together with western, experimental pioneers and avant-gardists during the Night. These coming years the connection between contemporary, predominantly western music and traditional non-western music will be the leitmotiv of the programming of the Night of the Unexpected.
Programme
Killl is the best noise act in Oslo (and far beyond). The ‘live-only’ project of members of Jaga Jazzist, Single Unit, JR Ewing, and No Place to Hide – may lack discography, but they do have a formidable live reputation. They completely demolish the boundaries between metal, rock and electronics, supported by an optic equivalent of their music: flickering stroboscopes by light artist Kyrrelys. A unique performance in the Netherlands. Pure musical violence! website KILLL
Knalpot is ‘(…) probably the best rock duo to surface in the Netherlands in 2009. Guitar, electronics, drums and an immense dose of energy’ (Stream Magazine). After a hyper-energetic performance in the small hall during the Night 2009, the most talented, headstrong band in the Netherlands will treat the audience this year to a sneak preview of new material. MySpace Knalpot
The four men of American Men present themselves as a synthetic Miami-laser-rock-band, and they are proud to do so. Just like Hudson Mohawke and Mike Slot they belong to the LuckyMe family from Glasgow. Their colourful repetitive sound is full of references to post-rock and video game aesthetics. Think Star Wars, fighter jets and gumballs. MySpace American Men
Ensemble Klang is a strongly rising Dutch ensemble. Narayana’s Cowsby Tom Johnson is based on a 14th century Indian mathematical problem concerning the growth of a herd of cattle. website Ensemble Klang
Fans of KRO’s Midsomer Murders (theme tune) or the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations) will recognize the sound of the theremin, an lectronic musical instrument controlled by varying the distance between the player's hands and two antennas. Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer, called Pamelia Kurstin one of the most important innovators of theremin music. Seb Rochford is a resourceful song writer, drummer and producer, who became well-known for his involvement in, for example, Polar Bear. Together Kurstin and Rochford present the theremin and percussion in an improvised live set of jazz, rock and ‘weird stuff’. MySpace Pamelia Kurstin | Wikipedia Seb Rochford
With his subsonic sound pieces Francisco López constructs a highly personal sound world. He presents an intense work in which Indonesian gamelan sounds are transformed into a dreamy and ominous sound universe – ‘mutated gamelan’ –enveloping and absorbing the listener. website Francisco López
Directed by Boukje Schweigman Project Wildeman (wild man) has recently presented a new musical story about the savage in the modern city. Music, theater and poetry come together in music varying from minimalistic and rhythmic, to music played with total abandonment and frenzy. The group has newly won the Jur Naessens Music Award. MySpace Project Wildeman
With Wii-Remote controllers composer, performer and voice artist Alex Nowitz scatters his electronic sounds. As artist in residence Nowitz is attached to STEIM this year. With Minotaurus Nowitz has won the ECPNM competition 2009 (European Conference of Promotors of New Music).http://www.muziekweek.nl website Alex Nowitz
Spring Relapse for voice and electronics by Sergey Khismatov has been nominated for the Gaudeamus Award 2010. His composition seems an amalgamation of man and machine as envisaged by the Futurists. Spring Relaps will be performed by Alex Nowitz. MySpace Sergey Khismatov
The Arrest by Yannis Kyriakides, performed by Ensemble MAE, is based on a recurring dream the French writer George Perec had in July 1970. The nightmare used in The Arrest is about Perec's fear of being stopped and arrested by the police, a fear that perhaps stems from the experience of his parents who were deported and murdered in the holocaust. website Yannis Kyriakides | website Ensemble MAE
During the Night Gamelan Kyai Fatahillah (Sunda/West-Java) will show us just how contemporary gamelan music may sound. website IGFA 2010
The gamelan, typical for Indonesian folk music in Java and Bali, consists primarily of percussion instruments such as drums, gongs, kulintangs (row of small horizontally-laid gongs) and xylophones used to play complex rhythmic structures. Unlike the Javanese slow and measured sounds, the Balinese form has piercing tones and inflaming beats. The balaganjur marching band Gong Semara Ratih (Bali), will conclude the Night walking through the hall with their instruments, like a musical ritual.
Info
The Night of the Unexpectedis put together by guest programmer Roland Spekle together with Koen Nutters of DNK-Amsterdam and Shane Burmania. It is part of the Gaudeamus Music Week and is presented in cooperation with Paradiso, the Tropentheater, MCN and STEIM.
More information and names soon to follow. Check facebook and twitter for programme updates.
Paradiso
Weteringschans 6, Amsterdam
Ticketlijn: 0900-3001250 (€ 0,45 per min)
De uitlijn (AUB): 0900-0191 (€ 0,40 per min)
www.paradiso.nl
