28 April: Hear it! at the Stedelijk Museum

“I don’t separate ‘Sound Art’ from ‘music’. I am one person; my ideas come from the same place.” 

- Alvin Lucier.

On Thursday 28 April the Stedelijk Museum and Non-fiction present Hear it! – a playlist for the Stedelijk Museum, with works by Dick Raaymakers, Alvin Lucier, Mark Bain, Pierre Bastien, La Monte Young and Gert-Jan Prins, and performances by Paul Panhuysen, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Alog, Gabriel Lester, Claron McFadden and many others.

When? April 28, 2011, from 19:30 – 23:00 hrs
Location: Temporary Stedelijk 2, Auditorium, museum café and galleries
Entrance: Valid museum ticket
Language: English
Reservation: Reservation is mandatory

A playlist for the museum
Hear It! is presenting a playlist of these different types of work with sound, and is presenting different generations of musicians and artists who work with sound in their own way. This evening does not aim to provide a historical cross-section of sound in the arts, but is a personal playlist of works from the collection of the Stedelijk Museum and performances by (international) artists and musicians who are exploring the limits of the building and sound. The evening was organised intuitively by listening carefully to the building, the collection and the public, and is possibly most comparable to the way in which a DJ works, or to the musical experience you have with Soundcloud and Spotify. That is why there is a mixed succession of a Siren, a Norwegian DIY band, a Gregorian choir and the public which assumes the role of composer and performer, amongst others.

The sound of now, since 1952
It is now almost 60 years since director Willem Sandberg embraced music in the Stedelijk with his famous series ‘The Music of Now’ in 1952. Sandberg’s view was that the museum should provide room for other art forms than visual art as well, including contemporary music. Since then contemporary music has assumed many different forms and is described in various ways: as experimental music, sound art, sound performances, sound sculptures and audio culture. Some musicians call themselves ‘artists’ and some artworks are characterised as being ‘musical’. It is not always completely clear, but what is evident is that there is great deal happening at the point where the visual arts, music and sound come together.

Performances by
Aardvarck (NL) / Alog (NO) / Nathalie Bruys (NL) / Carl Michael von Hausswolff (SE) / Allard van Hoorn (NL) / Brandon LaBelle (USA) / Gabriel Lester (NL) / Claron McFadden (USA/NL) / Paul Panhuysen (NL) / Sarah van Sonsbeeck (NL)  / Schola Cantorum Amsterdam (NL)

Works by
Mark Bain (USA/NL) / Pierre Bastien (FR) / John Cage (USA) / Alvin Lucier (USA) / Gert-Jan Prins (NL) / Dick Raaymakers (NL) / La Monte Young (USA)

Introduction by: Harold Schellinx / Juha van ‘t Zelfde

Programme: Michiel van Iersel & Juha van ‘t Zelfde (Non-fiction)

Advisors: Bart Rutten, Margriet Schavemaker and Hendrik Folkerts (all Stedelijk Museum)

Research: Adelá Foldynová and Pieter Willems

Live blog: VPRO Dorst

Partners: BeamSystems, Nalden, CitizenM and Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht

What does Amsterdam sound like?

Viral Radio on Nalden.net

Friday 8 January 2010 will be the first Viral Radio of the new decade. In the new year, the Amsterdam vehicle for well tempered drum machines will investigate the musical identities of 6 cities that are part of the viral networks of experimental bass and beat music creation and distribution.

Theses cities are: 1. Amsterdam (January); 2. Glasgow (March); 3. Bristol (May); 4. London (August); 5. Sydney (October); 6. Los Angeles (December).

On the Amsterdam Edition local wonderboys of bleep hop Zwart Licht will perform live, with the support of their producers FS Green and Sir OJ. Viral Radio veteran Aardvarck – DNA testing should one day prove the theory he is the father of the Gaslamp Killer – will join hosts Juha & Cinnaman to cover the spectrum of bleeps and bass in Amsterdam.

Viral Radio will continue to do regular events in the months in between, and radio shows every two weeks on VPRO’s 3voor12, bringing the next level in computated acoustic stimulants.

Viral Radio returns with CDR and survivors of the demilitarized zone

A few months ago we asked our good friend Aardvarck, if he was given the chance to invite someone for Viral Radio, who he would choose. “Mala,” was his immediate answer, followed by an endless stream of unintelligible animal noises, “hoer” and “zijn we er al?” Mala will now play alongside Aardvarck, Cinnaman and Juha at the sixth Viral Radio event at TrouwAmsterdam. He will be joined by his friend, brother-from-another-mother and fellow demilitarized zone pacifist Sgt. Pokes.

In the evening, starting around 8 PM, Viral Radio will present the second CDR night. Adopted from London, the night is intended to create a social network, platform or hub for aspiring producers, avid supporters and kindred spirits who enjoy new ventures into electronic music. Hosted by Juha, Cinnaman and Mamiko Motto, a line of guests will be interviewed about their music practice, amongst whom Mr. Aardvarck himself. Visitors can bring their music on CDRs, which then will be played on our professional club soundsystem, while their names and track titles will be beamed on the wall.

CDR has been adopted by De Verdieping as a monthly night to share ideas and music. It has been transferred from the Wednesday to the Friday, to connect with Viral Radio and to benefit from the presence of international artists as Hudson Mohawke, Mala, Nosaj Thing, Harmonic 313, and all the others that come through the Viral Radio hub.

Viral Radio starts at 10.30 PM. Tickets are 12 euros, and are available at Rush Hour, online and at the door of TrouwAmsterdam. CDR starts at 8 PM. Tickets are 5 euros, but entrance is free of charge with a CDR of your music. Visitors of CDR can stay for Viral Radio without paying any more.

Berlage, a students’ edit

The Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with the exhibition ‘Plan Zuid, in bewerking‘. The exhibition displays works by students of architecture that have responded to the 1915 urban development project ’Plan Zuid‘ by infamous Amsterdam architect Berlage.

The opening of the exhibition will be at De Verdieping today at 4.30 pm, with a public discussion and an introduction to the show. More information on this can be found there. Later on tonight, from 11 pm onwards, De Verdieping will host a small gathering of architecture, alcohol and aquacrunk, with DJs Aardvarck, Cinnaman and Juha, as afterparty of the nachtsalon.

Dorian Concept, Knalpot, Harmonic 313, the Bug…

Gerri and Raphael are Knalpot

A quick message about our plans for tonight, and while I am at it for tomorrow too. A first ever Rednose Distrikt night at the Bimhuis with our friends Aardvarck and Steven de Peven. These Hunter Thompson DJs will be joined by mini-Korg sensation Dorian Concept and low-powered motorized noise band Knalpot.

The night starts at 11 pm, and tickets are a mere 10 euros. Feed your hype at nalden.net and see you tonight.

Tomorrow, Saturday 28 February, Warp Records multimoniker Mark Pritchard will release his Harmonic 313 debut album at OT313. The Australian must battle with the darkest force any soundsystem has ever encounterd, Mr. Kevin ‘Bug‘ Martin. This means sonic warfare. In the evening there’s a little instore drink-and-headbut at Rush Hour, with live radio by Future Vintage.

If you don’t make it to the Bimhuis, keep in mind that Trouw will officially open tonight.