Wednesday 30 April 2025, 7.30pm
Ute Kanngießer is a London based cellist and composer from Germany. Over the years, she has carefully deconstructed her classical roots and almost exclusively performs unscripted / improvised music. Much of her work has evolved in relationship with other art forms such as film, poetry, dance and site specific work. She is interested in the vast expressive possibilities of her instrument in relation to body, space, and others, always looking to rediscover or redefine what is musical in this moment in time. Ute has played at Cafe Oto since its early days and is part of the vital community of musicians and artists that call the venue their creative home.
She will be presenting new solo work and collaborations in a two day series:
Day 1 - 12/03/2025
- Solo
- Duo with Bo-Sung Kim
- Trio with Paul Abbott and Evie Ward
"This is an evening of firsts - BO-SUNG KIM is one of the first musicians I have collaborated with in a non-classical context. She is an exceptional percussionist and has been hugely influential to me. Since then, I have worked with (in my view) some of the best percussionists and drummers out there. Every single one of them has had a deep impact on me: Eddie Prévost, Steve Noble, Crystabel Riley, Toshi Tsuchitori, Jim White, Chris, and PAUL ABBOTT. EVIE WARD is the first poet I have ever collaborated with before projects with Denise Riley, Zara Joan Miller, and Nathaniel Mackey."
Day 2 - 30/04/2025
- Solo
- Quintet with Nik Colk Void, Theodora Laird, Kenichi Iwasa, and Steve Noble
"Every musician in this group has shaped my music in one way or another. NIK COLK VOID is a wizard artist on modular synths an instrumental set-up I love sonically and conceptually. THEODORA LAIRD is such a strong presence and voice she has blown my mind since first meeting her last year at The Avalon. I have known KENICHI IWASA longer than most other musicians in London and he is one of the most creative and versatile multi-instrumentalists I have come across here. But I am lost for words in trying to explain how important (and how much fun) playing with STEVE NOBLE has been to me over the years. I am excited everyone said yes to this first time meeting."
Nik Colk Void is a UK-based electronic musician and artist known for her experimental approach to sound, collaboration, and live performance. With a background in visual arts, she has become a key figure in contemporary electronic music through her work with Factory Floor, Carter Tutti Void, and as a solo artist.
Void’s practice explores the relationship between analogue and digital tools, using voice, guitar, modular synthesis, and extended techniques to create a distinctive language of sound. Her work moves between techno, noise, experimental and abstract composition, often through improvisation, manipulation, and cut-up sampling. As a member of Factory Floor and Carter Tutti Void, Void has developed a reputation for bold sonic experimentation and uncompromising live performances. She has released numerous albums through labels including Mute, DFA, Industrial Records, and Editions Mego. Through her collaborative project NPVR, Void worked with Peter Rehberg, creating improvised live performances at venues including GRM Paris and Tresor Berlin. She also collaborated with Klara Lewis and visual artist Pedro Maia on Full-On, a project developed over three years and released via Alter Records. The work was performed internationally at venues and festivals including Sónar, Dark Mofo, and the Centre Pompidou. As a solo artist, Void approaches each live performance either as a completely improvised and fresh experience or as a continuation of an ongoing process. Often working with the idea of ‘now’, she creates work that is deeply personal, rooted in the present moment, and constantly evolving. Void’s debut solo album, Bucked Up Space, released via Editions Mego, established her as a solo artist with a distinctive voice. The album was mixed by Marta Salogni and mastered by Rashad Becker, receiving widespread critical acclaim for its innovative approach to electronic composition. It reflects both the adaptability of her performance set-ups, designed to resonate within diverse spaces, and her commitment to challenging conventions and creating new dialogues through sound. Nik has presented live performances at international festivals including Mutek, Sónar, Primavera Sound, and Dark Mofo, and has presented installation works at institutions including the Barbican Centre, Tate Modern, and the Centre Pompidou. Nik Colk Void’s work continues to explore the space between sound, technology, and performance, creating an evolving practice rooted in experimentation, collaboration, and transformation.
https://www.instagram.com/nikcolkvoid
https://nikcolkvoid.com/
https://nikcolkvoid.bandcamp.com
Theodora Laird is a vocalist and multidisciplinary artist. Releases under her solo project ‘feeo’ have received critical acclaim. Theodora's practice has involved in tandem with an interest in situating narratives within freely improvised music, specifically through frequent involvement in the GRAIN residency.
Kenichi Iwasa is a London based improviser and multidisciplinary artist from Japan, also known for his legendary Krautrock Karaoke night, and collaborations with visual artists and musicians such as Beatrice Dillon, Maxwell Sterling and Linder Sterling.
He currently performs with Naima Karlsson under the name Exotic Sin and released LP on Blank Forms.
Steve Noble is London's leading drummer, a fearless and constantly inventive improviser whose super-precise, ultra-propulsive and hyper-detailed playing has galvanized encounters with Derek Bailey, Matthew Shipp, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Stephen O'Malley, Joe McPhee, Alex Ward, Rhodri Davies and many, many more.
In the early eighties, Noble played with the Nigerian master drummer Elkan Ogunde, Rip Rig and Panic, Brion Gysin and the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, before going on to work with the pianist Alex Maguire and with Derek Bailey (including Company Weeks 1987, 89 and 90). He was featured in the Bailey's excellent TV series on Improvisation for Channel 4 based on his book ‘Improvisation; its nature and practise’. He has toured and performed throughout Europe, Africa and America and currently leads the groups N.E.W (with John Edwards and Alex Ward) and DECOY (with John Edwards and Alexander Hawkins).
