Makaya McCraven with his band in sensational first concert in Athens.
Scenius Series are grateful!
Good Read
Scenius, or Communal Genius
The geography of scenius is nurtured by several factors:
• Mutual appreciation – Risky moves are applauded by the group, subtlety is appreciated, and friendly competition goads the shy. Scenius can be thought of as the best of peer pressure.
• Rapid exchange of tools and techniques – As soon as something is invented, it is flaunted and then shared. Ideas flow quickly because they are flowing inside a common language and sensibility.
• Network effects of success – When a record is broken, a hit happens, or breakthrough erupts, the success is claimed by the entire scene. This empowers the scene to further success.
• Local tolerance for the novelties – The local “outside” does not push back too hard against the transgressions of the scene. The renegades and mavericks are protected by this buffer zone.
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INSPIRATION
The Necks Experiment with Long-Form Minimalism
Disquiet is a genuinely absorbing series of luxuriously paced improvisations from the Necks, who have been doing this kind of thing for decades.
Fred Frith’s Improvised Structures
English guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser, one of the most long-lived and vital characters in a field of action that ranges from pure improvisation to rock, from composition to daring New York and Japanese creative forms.
Erdfisch = Soil Fish
On their self-titled epic, the duo, whose name neologizes the German words for “soil” and “fish”, gifts us with avant and convincingly blended 9 tracks that promise to attract music fans from Post-Kraut and Contemporary Jazz to Experimental Electronic and Sound Art alike.
MATMOS: Metallic Life Review
A “life review” is a phrase used to describe the psychological phenomena reported by people who have survived near death experiences: the sense captured in the phrase “my life flashed before my eyes.”
Ches Smith’s Clone Row
Clone Row is the long-form improvising ensemble led by drummer and composer Ches Smith, featuring Mary Halvorson and an exceptional quartet of New York-based improvisers.
Scientists of Groove, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
The series „Scientists of Groove“ offers a transformative cinematic experience, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the spellbinding world of one of contemporary music’s most visionary talents, Nik Bärtsch.
Makaya McCraven’s four-EP project review by Quietus
The drummer-producer’s four-EP project blends live performance and post-production tricknology into a new kind of superstrong musical compound
Tortoise on the changing face of Chicago, Steve Albini and their new-gen fans
Informed by everything from jungle to Krautrock and musique concrète, Tortoise broke new ground 30 years ago. Returning after nine years away, ‘it’s a different world’, they say.