Spirit of Gravity – Page 49 – Spirit of Gravity

Author: Spirit of Gravity

Next radio broadcast on ResonanceExtra FM: Tuesday 3rd October 8.00 to 10.00pm

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

Gravity Waves and the Spirit World

The next edition of the Spirit of Gravity radio show will be broadcast on Tuesday 3rd October from 8.00 to 10.00pm on ResonanceExtra FM.
https://extra.resonance.fm/

Full Spectrum Noise Special featuring classic and rare pieces from John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Iannis Xenakis and Survival Research Laboratories, plus new work from McCloud, Ben Branagan, Luke Pendrell and Eva Verhoeven.

Resonance Extra is available on DAB to listeners in Central Brighton and online to the rest of the world (how to listen). You can also listen online at extra.resonance.fm and directly using this link. Resonance Extra is also available via Radioplayer and TuneIn.

It’s all gone a bit crispy

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

August 2017
The Green Door Store

Spheress

Spheress

Spheress is up on stage when people start coming in, a mix of hardware and laptop, some synths and Volcas, he starts with a double duck being hit with a squeaky toy quickly escalating to an industrial beat, before eventually a bass drone warps in with a gabba kick and an old-style hardcore tone providing a pseudo bass line. It falls away to a different rhythm before it’s drowned out in a squall of drone feeding back through an ancient reverb box. Back to another beat and bass line before building up to a different kind of feedback distortion falling in metallic sheets. Another breakdown before he gets to work on the synths with a Crybaby wah wah, ending on a nasty layered 2 note fuzz attack.

The electrocreche is a bit funny tonight, we have only one toy as the other broke while I was setting up, we scrounge some kit from Spheress and end up with almost a no input electrocreche. Which turns out to be quite fun.

Xylitol

Xylitol

Unfortunately Ommm is poorly so we have Xylitol doing a solo set. I don’t think we were disappointed. Catherine starts her set with abstract lo-fi electronic noises, chimes, Tardis sounds and disembodied voices. Arrhythmic part comes in with a nasty fan drone washing in and out and it ends on some weird Bruce Haack tip. She has songs, mostly 2 to 3 minutes. The next one starts with a Raymond Scott vibe before heading off into something quite 90s J-Pop-ish, with a really nice full bass that slowly rolls out to a repeated quiet organ figure with delay feedback slowly mutating over it. Next up has a glitchy rhythm and Casio organ moving around all over it. I can’t even describe the next one, it has elements of toy music, minimal techno and subtle use of noise. And so it continues, elements of the last 50 years of electronic music, blended into something that sounds like all/none of them, modern and nostalgic, radiophonic and digital. She has a few copies of her 45 remaining, it’s very good, you should buy one.

Dylan Nyoukis

Dylan Nyoukis

Dylan Nyoukis is next up, as promised with his double cassette set up of complete audio mulch. Starting with a slurred down loop of some indecipherable something, a guitar string ping and scrape add some slight sense of rhythm to proceedings. The loops slowly open out, not quite lurching but definitely elliptical in their gait. Dylan works quietly away adding small touches, bringing things in and out slowing or speeding up a touch as required. It’s hypnotic and bizarrely hooked. At some point it sounds like he sneaked the ghost of a bowling alley into the Green Door Store before smuggling it out through the back. Suddenly it switches to something a bit more pier-ish, papier-mâché monsters in cases banging against the glass, Kids with lollipops hitting the metal stands while someone is noisily bending balloon animals. It’s quite dark in an Avengers manner. As the surrounding clutter falls away we find ourselves in a field, the cows moaning not quite happily. A glottal stopping owl starts an argument with a stretched violin chicken. Someone takes a ham fist to a typewriter. A shuffle of someone sandpapering next door winds down with someone talking very slowly backwards over the first musical drone of the set.

Olivia Louvel

Olivia Louvel

Olivia Louvel is finishing the evening off with a selection of songs from her new album “Data Regina” about Mary Tudor, with visual animations written specifically for the event. They’re an interestingly odd blend of almost 80s geometric solid figures with realistically modelled faces acting out various scenes from her imprisonment. I think. (You can see some of them here: www.olivialouvel.com/)
She starts with a glitchy piece with vocal fragments minced up with the light electronic rhythms. The second has a spacious buzzing bass line, with odd notes ringing around it with a full breathy vocal part. The third is more stately affair, “Good Queen Bess” all vocal layers, slow and moving. The next song “My Crown” eschews the space and fills the room right out with a throbby bass, with vocals and further bass tones. It’s a bit epic without breaking out into a full-on beat. So the next song has a very rhythmic structure, everything in it seems to pulse. The next has alternating pulses like it’s all modulated by a square LFO, but the vocals are fragmented, lost. Then straight into the next with Spartan martial snare rolls scattered. The second half has a harmonium slowly unfolding over it. She ends on a long version of “Love or Rule” starting with violin drones and parts, occasional buzz of bass, after a long while a set of machine-like rhythmic parts come in.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7-Uyq9eTsHA

7th September at the Green Door Store: Thomas Ragsdale / ¥eti / Sunset Graves

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

Thomas Ragsdale
Cinematic electronica & visceral AV workouts

Yorkshire based composer Thomas Ragsdale melds cinematic electronica with immersive soundscapes and blissful techno workouts. Spending his formative years composing a varied catalogue of music for TV, film and advertising companies, his gradual shift into the world of performing music is one that’s quickly won acclaim from the likes of Resident Advisor and FACT. His music has been featured with great effect in two groundbreaking BBC documentaries by Adam Curtis including the acclaimed ‘HyperNormalisation’, where his track ‘Warning Mass’ was featured extensively alongside the likes of Brian Eno, Burial and Aphex Twin. His music has also found its way onto commercials by BMW, Prada and Twitter.

Having composed and released soundtracks for feature films premiering at Film4’s prestigious FightFest and EPs with lavish packaging backed with personally intimate subject matters, Thomas’ music evokes spacious resonance and emotional response.

His approach to writing and producing is built around a minimalist framework, choosing to rely heavily on organic instrumentation overlaid with subtle electronic elements, whilst live performances take on a more visceral approach with tense peaks of sound in front of a full live visual show. Thomas so far shared stages on tours and supports with a diverse array of musicians, such as Tropic Of Cancer, Daniel Lanois, Esben & The Witch, Einstürzende Neubauten and Kara-Lis Coverdale.

¥eti
Undanceable Dance Music

¥eti has recently turned his attention to writing complex electronic music. Focusing more on intricately layering a variety of sounds over sporadic time signature changes as opposed to gaining a fan base. ¥eti identifies as ‘Undanceable Dance Music’.
soundcloud.com/swampyeti
www.dejectedmire.com/

Sunset Graves
All hardware textural, percussive soundscapes

Sunset Graves is the core music of Andy Fosberry, bringing textural, percussive soundscapes and drum heavy bass music from the dark south.
Having released the well received album ‘Dead City Hymnal’ in February of 2017 & the EP, ‘Holding Out, Holding On’ in September 2016. The all hardware live A/V show will be packed with new music.
soundcloud.com/sunsetgraves
www.sunsetgraves.com/
www.facebook.com/SunsetGraves

Thursday 7th September 2017 | 8pm – 10.30pm | £5
@ The Green Door Store
Undercroft, Brighton Train Station, BN1 4FQ Brighton

Next radio broadcast on ResonanceExtra FM: Tuesday 5th September 8.00 to 10.00pm

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

Gravity Waves and the Spirit World

The next edition of the Spirit of Gravity radio show will be broadcast on Tuesday 5th September from 8.00 to 10.00pm on ResonanceExtra FM.
https://extra.resonance.fm/

Details to be confirmed – look out here for future updates

Next radio broadcast on ResonanceExtra FM: Tuesday 8th August 8.00 to 10.00pm

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

Gravity Waves and the Spirit World

The next edition of the Spirit of Gravity radio show will be broadcast on Tuesday 8th August from 8.00 to 10.00pm on ResonanceExtra FM.
https://extra.resonance.fm/

There will also be a Resonance Extra “takeover” of Resonance FM this Summer, with Resonance FM agreeing to take eight hours a day (6pm to 2am) of Extra’s content for broadcast to its audience on FM, DAB and online. This means that our August and September shows will go out on BOTH Resonance Extra and Resonance FM.
Resonance FM is available on FM in Central London, DAB Digital Radio in Greater London, and worldwide at resonancefm.com

Another cornucopia of sonic slop from Brighton’s premiere purveyors of weirdo music. The first hour features artists who have a residency at London’s supremely interesting – Somerset House Studios. Listen to the sonic side of some of the UK’s finest trans-disciplinary artists, such as Evan Ifekoya, Beatrice Dillon and Hannah Perry.

The second hour contains selections from of the world of the Spirit of Gravity Collective, with Brighton’s very own experimental prodigy Spheress and New Yorkers iMMANENT.dOMAIN, it’s another kaleidoscopic voyage across the sonic surf….

Gravity Waves:

Chino Amobi ft. Evan Ifekoya: Locus of Control
Beatrice Dillon: Curl
Chino Amobi: Gates to Paradiso parts 1 & 2
Evan Ifekoya: Military Man
Chino Amobi: London
Hannah Perry: Block and Unblock
Spheress: Society of The Spectacle

The Spirit World:

iMMANENT.dOMAIN.: Stardust Moxibustion Code for Inviscid Cipher Highway Alignment – Teething Anima
Olivia Louvel: The Veil
Nil by Nose: Des Milliers De Souris
Far Rainbow: The Power of Degenerated Matter (edit)
Sarah Angliss: Camberwell Beauty
Shepherds of Cats with David McKlean: NYYYYYYYYYYarrggggnnnnnnnnn etc (edit)
Dylan Nyoukis: The Lost Contact
Paul Kendall: Its OK

… and it all started out so nice

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

July 2017
The Rose Hill

minimal impact

minimal impact

So, a little holiday from The Green Door Store, but we will be back there for this month. But it was a lovely trip out to The Rose Hill. Where Steve started with a remarkably bucolic start to a minimal impact set, with his Indian drone box and harmonium, slowly dredging up the trademark thickening that we’ve come to know and accept… weird wandering resonances, fuzzy tones warming imperceptibly, like a small guitar propped in a corner. About 5 minutes in its starting to sound like a normal, if slightly chilled, minimal impact set. Shortly thereafter the bass begins to kick in, heralding the start of proper density, the sound begins to properly thicken up, the sitar-y tones disappearing in the murk, as creepy judders, and hisses wash across the tonal base. By 10 minutes it’s properly intense, and just continues to build, peaking at about 18 minutes. At some point he starts spinning in 2 copies of “Metal Machine Music”, adding an unsettling note of familiarity, a little relaxation before the ending back with MMM overlaying the drone box.

To go with the holiday theme, Toby from the 55th Flotilla was kind enough to run the electrocreche for us this month, bringing in a fine array of properly mangled, way beyond merely bent, toys. Lovely.

Ræppen

Ræppen

Ræppen was next up, Tim becowled, with his Sami drum, looped some throat singing into a pedal, a fairly lengthy set of phrases, with some whistling and proper bass end notes. Over that the drum was rattled along with some more singing, before it faded out over some Brighton beach pebbles he’s been touring with for a few years, rattling and thumping on the stage floor. Again looped with sparse bells and chimes. Wind breaths add a chilling edge, before he brings in the throat singing as a top line this time -almost like an SH101 synth line wah-ing over the backing. Unhuman, and definitely uneasy stuff.

Far Rainbow

Far Rainbow

Third up we had Far Rainbow, Monster Bobby on noise making devices and Emily on drums and percussion, she has a great way around a drum kit, slipping between regular sticking and extended techniques and mousetraps. They start with the sound of the steppes again, wind and rattling bits and pieces, a bass pulse very slowly cycles underneath as Emily builds up work on the cymbals and it drops away to eeriness. An organ cycles in, it sounds Casio, with a slow vibrato, field recordings playback through cheap speakers, slowly rhythms emerge from the electronics, the drums comment on it without joining them, circling round the kit in the opposite direction. It hits peak treble before decaying to a tape loop of a diesel boat making little headway on the Norfolk Broads. It has a monstrous quality to it as it gurgles away the birds slowly coming to the fore as again Emily rattles distractingly on the kit. Slowly Bobby brings drones in and it cascades out in washes of pure reverb and drum, emptying down to gong and triangle.

Annie Kerr, Kev Moore and Gus Garside

Annie Kerr, Kev Moore and Gus Garside

And to round off the four acts of the evening we have Annie Kerr, Kev Moore and Gus Garside, on respectively violin & piano, electronic devices, double bass and words. Annie starts on violin, there is a general trebly hubbub of chirruping electronics, Gus and Annie sliding strings around, it’s slippery, elusive. Rather lovely. Sounds wash in and around, it falls out at one point to Gus bowing his bass endlessly with the side of the bow, strings resonating through his effects chain. Overtones and undertones sliding in and out, Kev and Annie conjure almost human voices to hum alongside it. And then Annie goes and picks out some notes on the piano at the side of the stage, small flourishes, space, more notes. Gus and Kev bring a tension under them as Annie gets stuck in leaning over the keyboard hammering a longer series of notes up and down the keyboard, then slowly falling away, picking out a few odd notes. The room is enthralled. From somewhere in the electronic murk it sounds like East Croydon announcements, Gus starts telling one of his stories, Annie punctuates his lines with hard notes. At the end of that Kev gets a feedback vocal tone going and this is matched by a high line from Annie, they circle each other before Gus brings in a lower bowed drone and Annie gets a bit more lyrical, slurring a single note for several minutes up and down the neck of the violin wringing some harshly melancholic tomes from it.

3rd August at the Green Door Store: Olivia Louvel / Dylan Nyoukis / Xylitommm / Spheress

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Spirit of Gravity

Olivia Louvel
Live electronica based on her “Data Regina” album.

Presenting a new set from her project ‘Data Regina’ inspired by the reigns of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. Olivia Louvel is a French-born, British composer, producer and artist whose work draws on voice, computer music and digital narrative.
“A multimedia suite by composer Olivia Louvel digs deep into the psychic warfare between two 16th century British Queens” The Wire
For more www.dataregina.com
‘Good Queen Bess’ vimeo.com/194082940
‘Infiltrate’ vimeo.com/194087426

Dylan Nyoukis
Low brow set of double tape loop gorf

Dylan has been a key figure of Brighton’s post-noise scene since before it was a noise scene, he is one of the organisers of the Colour Out Of Space festival which brings weird music, sound artists and noise makers from around the globe to Brighton and runs the Chocolate Monk label.
chocolatemonk.co.uk
Whatever kind of crazy stuff it is that you think you do, chances are Dylan stopped doing that some time ago.

Xylitommm
Xylitol and Ommm collaborate over low quality keyboards and many words.

soundcloud.com/ommm
xylitol.bandcamp.com/

Spheress
Brighton based explorer of hardware electronics.

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7nz9_xxmnrlHwECGLyFJkw
shatterarpeggios.bandcamp.com/album/mass-produced-music

Thursday 3rd August 2017 | 8pm – 10.30pm | £5
@ The Green Door Store
Undercroft, Brighton Train Station, BN1 4FQ Brighton