Thomas Lehn
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electrovoX
Ute Wassermann • voice, birdcall whistles, objects
Richard Scott • EMS Synthi A and modular analogue synthesisers
Thomas Lehn • EMS Synthi AKS analogue synthesizer
info | audio | reviews | biographies | downloads | tour dates
Ute Wassermann • voice, birdcall whistles, objects
Richard Scott • EMS Synthi A and modular analogue synthesisers
Thomas Lehn • EMS Synthi AKS analogue synthesizer
info | audio | reviews | biographies | downloads | tour dates
photo © Klaus Kuervers
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electrovoX is a conundrum of vocal and electronic sounds, an electro-acoustic musical trip with voice and analogue synthesizers. Electric crackling, sound turbulences from distant galaxies, bubbling, twittering and trilling, oscillating distortions. Electric - organic - technoid - futuristic.
Synthesizer virtuosos Thomas Lehn and Richard Scott are among the few musicians worldwide who have been working with analogue synthesizers, such as the EMS Synthi AKS synthesizer, for many years.
Ute Wassermann's voice pulsates and flickers like a synthesizer, creates distortions and sounds like a modem or ring modulator.
electrovoX performed among others at Kontakte Festival 2019 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.
photo © Klaus Kuervers
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audio samples
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© photos by unknown
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reviews
[coming soon]
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biographies
Ute Wassermann | Richard Scott | Thomas Lehn
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photo © Cristina Marx / Photomusix
Ute Wassermann
studied visual arts (sound installation, performance art) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg, and singing at the University of California, San Diego. She tours the world as an improviser, she realises audiovisual voice performances / installations and compositions for soloists and ensembles. At the core of her research is an ongoing and uncompromised exploration of her voice. Ute Wassermann´s otherworldy singing transcends the human voice. She sings multidimensional sculptural sounds oscillating between electronic, animalistic, inorganic and human qualities. Sound environments are an important source for her imagination. Ute creates imaginary acoustic habitats in which her chameleon like voice is tuning in with composed or found soundscapes. Her methods to extend and alienate the voice include the use of bird whistles, lo-fi electronics, resonators, fieldrecordings and different types of microphones. Her performances engage with everyday objects or self invented instruments for voice which can take shape as acoustic costumes.
Over the years she has developed an ever-growing catalogue of multifaceted vocal expressions which has inspired improvisors and composers all over the world. Her workshops which are often described by the participants as a liberating experience involve improvisation or composition from solo to choir.
She is a member of bands like: Speak Easy / Phil Minton, Thomas Lehn, Martin Blume, MUT / Thomas Rohrer, Michael Vorfeld, electrovoX / Thomas Lehn, Richard Scott, radiotweets / Birgit Ulher, Tree 23 / Joke Lanz, N.E.W. / Andrea Neumann, Sabine Ercklentz, shohob (Raed Yassin), Hatifnatten (Sabine Vogel).
Selected performances with: Jaap Blonk, Isabelle Duthoit, Richard Scott, Emilio Gordoa, Max Eastley, John Butcher, Magda Mayas, Rieko Okuda, Andrea Parkins, Mazen Kerbaj, Els Vandeweyer, Korhan Erel, Charlotte Hug, Fernando Vigueras, Ricardo Arias, Ignaz Schick, Michael Zerang, Münchener Kammerorchester, L´ART POUR L´ART, ELISION, ASKO, Distractfold, Basel Sinfonietta, Ensemble Mosaik, KNM, Quiet Music Ensemble.
Premiere of compositions especially written for her voice by Richard Barrett, Henning Christiansen, Chaya Czernowin, Hespos, Matthias Kaul, Karen Power, Alejandro Romero Anaya, Raed Yassin, Sam Salem and performances of works by Salvadore Sciarrino, John Cage, Luciano Berio, Cathy van Eck among others.
www.utewassermann.com
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photo by unknown
Richard Scott
is recognised as one of the first wave of composer-performers who helped set the scene for the recent resurgence of interest in analogue modular synthesis. After 15 dedicated years with the saxophone, including periods of study with masters such as Elton Dean and Steve Lacy, he surprised everyone, including himself, by abandoning the instrument and delving into the world of electronics and emerging digital technology. After six years research with controllers, software and digital tools, such as WiGI/Buchla Lighting instrument he developed with the support of STEIM, he met Rob Hordijk and became fully absorbed in the world of modular synthesis. He spent some years creating his landmark double LP, Several Circles on Cusp Records which records some of the compositional possibilities of the instruments, and he completed a PhD mapping out some consequences of these tools for his own compositional practice. In 2011 he started a concert series Basic Electricity with Navs (and later with Hainbach) in Berlin, one of the first regular modular synthesiser nights dedicated to international live performers. He instigated two editions of the Sines and Square festival in Manchester, dedicated to analogue and modular synthesis, and edited a related edition of the online journal eContact!. Since then, he has been performing regularly with his suitcase modular instrument mainly with many collaborators on Berlin's fertile improvised, electroacoustic and experimental music scenes.
Among other he has been collaborating with Axel Dörner, Thomas Lehn, Ute Wassermann, David Sylvian, Sidsel Endresen, Audrey Chen and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Work featured on KONTAKTE Biennale für Elektroakustische Musik und Klangkunst, International Computer Music Conference and Moers Festival. Albums with Evan Parker, many solo albums, including Several Circles (cusp editions) and collaborations. Initiated two editions of the Sines & Squares festival at Manchester University focused on modular and analogue synthesis and curated several concert series in Berlin. Two Ph. D.s: the first on Improvised Music from the University of London, 1992, the second, a Portfolio of Electroacoustic Compositions, University of Manchester, 2020. Leads a Master’s degree in Creative Production (Music) at Catalyst Institute, Berlin.
www.richard-scott.net
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photo © Petra Cvelbar
Thomas Lehn
has been one of the most innovative and successful musical personalities in the field of electroacoustic music in the practices of improvisation and composition for years. He was trained as a sound engineer and pianist at the music academies in Detmold and Cologne from 1979 to 1987. As a pianist, he has been active in both, classical chamber music and jazz ensembles throughout the 1980s. Gradually a shift took place in both of the musical practices he has always pursued, interpretation and improvisation: expanding from traditional to contemporary musics.
The analogue synthesizer re-entered his musical life during the early 1990ies and soon the EMS Synthi AKS became his second main instrument. As a synthesizer interpreter – live and in studio – he has realized works by Éliane Radigue, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Bogusław Schaeffer and Zbigniew Karkowski, among others.
He was soloist in the world premiere of Peter Jakober's dort with Klangforum Wien at musikprotokoll festival and in the CD recording of Christopher Fox's Topophony with the WDR Symphony Orchestra.
He is founding member of the ensemble]h[iatus, since 2006 dedicated to contemporary improvisation and interpretation. It had premierred commissioned works by Vinko Globokar, Anthony Pateras, Jennifer Walshe, Jürg Frey a.m.o. .
He demonstrates continuity in longstanding activities in ensembles such as KONK PACK, TOOT, THERMAL, MIMEO, SPEAK EASY and the duos with Marcus Schmickler, Tiziana Bertoncini and Gerry Hemingway. More recent are trios with John Butcher the pianists John Tilbury and Matthew Shipp, respectively, the trio DEFUSE with Xavier Charles and Roger Turner and the SOUNDBRIDGES quartet with Ken Vandermark, Matthias Muche and Martin Blume.
New projects are Companion Species in duo with vocalist Jennifer Walshe and with turntableist dieb13.
Concert tours have taken him throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the USA. His artistic work is documented on about 100 recordings.
www.thomaslehn.com
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© photo by unknown
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upcoming dates
tba
past dates
Tue. 18 April 2023, Berlin @ Morphine Raum
Sat. 28 September 2019, Berlin @ Festival Kontakte | Modular Synthesizer Night
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photo © Klaus Kuervers
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updated on May 15, 2023