This unmissable concert brings these two iconic figures from the world of improvised experimentation, together as a duo for the first time. After creating explosions in the downtown NY art rock scene with the legendary DNA, Japanese-born Mori has become one of the world’s most celebrated and respected improv auteurs. Since the turn of the century the Norwegian Ratkje has dazzled with her maverick vocal work, feted compositions and thrilling excoriations of pure noise. Their performances will vibrate with wild sonic colours, forged by a pair of musicians who span two generations of fearlessly inventive sound craft.
We're also please to confirm that the evening will now open with a rare appearance of the Evan Parker/John Wiese duo continuing the heady collaboration they first undertook as part of the Free Noise tour of the UK in 2008 that culminated in their C-Section CD/LP on Second Layer/PAN.
IKUE MORI
Ikue Mori left Tokyo for New York in 1977, began playing the drums and soon formed the legendary No Wave band DNA with Arto Lindsay and Tim Wright, appearing on the highly influential compilation No New York.
DNA dissolved in the early 80s and Mori began experimenting with drum machines, developing a singular improv style with an instrument people rarely associate with instant composition. As her technique evolved, she moved onto working with a laptop around 2000.
Over the past 3 decades, Mori has accrued an impressive reputation as an improvisor, testified by her stellar cast of collaborators, including John Zorn, Kim Gordon, Jim O’Rourke, Zeena Parkins, Mike Patton, Thurston Moore and an impressive discography courtesy of labels such as Tzadik and Mego. She regularly performs with Parkins as the duo Phantom Orchard and in various combinations with Zorn, and is a member of the trio Death Ambient with Fred Frith and Kato Hideki.
Over 3 decades since her first impact on avant garde music, Ikue Mori’s influence on musical explorers of all generations is still profound.
“Ikue Mori is one of the most respected musicians in the downtown scene, renowned for her abilities as an accomplished composer and improviser and as one of the foremost electronic music innovators” (allmusic)
Maja S.K. Ratkje approaches music making with a broad palette and rare profundity. A graduate in composition from the Norwegian State Academy Of Music, her music is performed around the world by Oslo Sinfonietta, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra and many more.
Ratkje is also a major force in the world of noise and improvisation and is renowned for her solo performances, her work as part of groups such as SPUNK and Fe-mail and collaborations with artists such as Jazzkammer, Joelle Leandre, Jaap Blonk, Zeena Parkins and Stephen O’Malley.
Ratkje has an impressive discography of albums for labels such as Rune Grammofon, Important and ECM, and it is perhaps her album for John Zorn’s Tzadik label, River Mouth Echoes, that best exemplifies the considerable dynamic range of her work. A collection of tracks recorded over a decade, it includes orchestral pieces, electro-acoustic compositions, voice manipulations and sheer harsh noise and perfectly showcases the breadth of her musical ambition.
“Anyone who has seen or heard Ratkje perform live will know what a superb musician she is, and one who can genuinely be said to be extending the expressive range of the voice through technical and technological means…. Her work is celebratory and inclusive, an energising rallying call to those who are curious enough to peek out from behind the curtain of mainstream mediocrity” (The Wire)
One of the towering figures of improvised music, saxophonist Evan Parker has been shattering conceptions of what constitutes music since his early experiments with John Stevens, Derek Bailey, Paul Lytton and Peter Brötzmann. A restlessly inventive presence, he's refused to let his music stand still and continues to break new ground, whether in solo performances, small groups with players such as John Edwards, Tony Marsh, Okkyung Lee and Peter Evans, or large groups, such as his own Electro-Acoustic Ensemble.
JOHN WIESE
John Wiese is an artist and composer living in Los Angeles, California. He works primarily in recorded and performed sound with a focus on installation and multi-channel diffusions, as well as scoring for large ensembles. He has toured extensively throughout the world and is also a founding member of the concrète grindcore band Sissy Spacek. With the mixing desk as his instrument, John Wiese employs strategies and techniques of musique concrète and electroacoustic music as part of an increasingly unqiue approach to editing and the stereo spectrum. His new full length 'Seven Of Wands' is out now on PAN.
