The first event in a new series at Cafe OTO co-curated by Norway's Ny Musikk organisation and OTO projects. This will be the UK debut of Minibus Pimps - the new collaborative project between legendary UK musician John Paul Jones and prolific Norwegian producer/musician Helge Sten - perhaps better known as Deathprod and a founding member of Supersilent. The pair explore ravishing, intricate noise via a set-up of guitar/bass and various electronic devices. The evening will open with a duo appearance from Steve Noble and Sebastian Lexer - one of the highlights of the recent Freedom of The City festival.

JOHN PAUL JONES / Bass Guitar, Electronics

A prolific session musician in the 1960s, he played, arranged and recorded with artists including Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Cat Stevens. He was a founder member of Led Zeppelin. Following his unparalleled career with Led Zeppelin, he worked as a performer, arranger and producer for artists and groups including Diamanda Galas, REM, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and La Fura dels Baus. He released his debut solo album, Zooma, in 1999, followed by The Thunderthief (2001). Since 2004, projects have included John Cage’s Music Circus at the Barbican under the direction of Stephen Montague, touring with bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, and working as co-composer and performer for Merce Cunningham’s Nearly Ninety.

In 2009 he co-founded the band 'Them Crooked Vultures', with Dave Grohl and Joshua Homme, releasing a universally acclaimed album and touring the world to sold-out venues. In 2011 John appeared and performed in Mark-Anthony Turnage's opera 'Anna Nicole', and is currently writing an opera based on Strindberg's 'The Ghost Sonata' as well as performing with his computer noise duo 'Minibus Pimps', and as featured artist with Norwegian avant-garde improvisers 'Supersilent'.

HELGE STEN / Guitar, Electronics

For the last twenty years Helge Sten has worked as a composer, musician and producer. He studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Trondheim, where he explored electronic sound manipulation and composition.

Helge Sten has performed with artists like Motorpsycho, Mazzy Star, Ben Frost, Biosphere, Terje Rypdal, Sidsel Endresen, Susanna and Cikada. As a composer he has worked with television, dance, theatre and performance companies, as well as various sound installation work. His main body of work has been released under the Deathprod moniker, and he is a founding member of Supersilent.

minibuspimps.com


Photo by Scott McMillan

STEVE NOBLE / percussion
SEBASTIAN LEXER / piano+

Inspired duo pairing of Sebastian Lexer on prepared piano/electronics and percussion powerhouse Steve Noble. Lexer’s electronic treatments bring a rich, Feldmanesque depth to the soundfield into which Noble dives and is swallowed whole. Noble’s usual approach to the kit might have a closer affinity with Morty’s way with words rather than his music, but here he works with Lexer’s held tones and slippery, liquid resonance towards a music of totally energised suspense - hovering, pregnant - but also delivering on that possibility with moments of shock and sheer joy rendered as sound.

"Steve Noble’s pairing with the prepared piano and electronics of Sebastian Lexer was particularly inspired, keeping the drummer in textural and even harmonic areas rather than more traditional rhythmic ones. Lexer sampled and played back the sounds he was making, having Noble dance with his own shadow, while the sound of bowed piano strings and scraped cymbals mingled and filled the glorious space in the hall." The Liminal