So this weekend, as you might know, we’re working with Wire to curate a series of events across London, and thought it might be nice to give you a little more detail of what’s going to be happening at Cafe Oto on Friday night – <a href=http://www.wegottickets.com/drill-london" target="out">tickets here. The evening will be opened by Edvard Graham Lewis, who you will know as Wire’s bassist and lyricist, putting down his instrument. "I’m going to do some electronic pieces that I’ve never played out at all. It’s work which came about through installation and film work that I’ve done in Sweden," he tells us.
Next up is Klara Lewis, who we reviewed in Rum Music last year. Said Rory Gibb at the time, "The three tracks on Klara Lewis’ debut EP are based on field recordings made in Sweden, Turkey, Germany and Russia, and a great deal of their appeal lies in the way signifiers from these very different places rub up against one another, only occasionally embellished with blushes of static or whining voices".
Says Klara Lewis of her work subsequent to that release: "The material I have worked on since is an extension of, and reaction to, the EP – similar technique, new movement and space. Every field recording is potentially a new instrument. I have been listening to Roy Orbison, Kode9 & the Spaceape, and much else." Non-musical influences on Klara’s work? "Pingu. My parents accepted my first obsession. I have learned so much through re-watching and re-listening over and over, a way to try to understand what/why I like/don’t like about a film or a sound. Absolute focus and fascination was something I learned to embrace. I think this is why I often have strong and precise opinions – I know what I like and what I don’t. The Brothers Quay. Detail doesn’t get much better than The Quays films. Being completely absorbed by strong atmospheres and emotions without being able to explain whats actually going on… or what it’s all about. David Lynch. The excitement of material everyone can have their own take on. Humor and darkness combined – it’s impossible to really realise one without the other. David Lynch, Scott Walker and Ted Milton do this in ways I love." Klara Lewis promises "26 focussed minutes" to all who attend.
Following Kara, Quietus favourite Land Observations will be playing for us. James Brooks, formerly of Appliance, release Roman Roads to much acclaim, including Number 13 on our LPs of 2013 chart. There will be pleasing resonance to the Land Observations set, given that Kingsland Road, which runs just yards from Cafe Oto, is a Roman Road that features on his album. Brooks tells us that he’s currently working on new Land Observations material. This is, he says, "expanding on the first record. This is the first time of coming above ground, as it were… So I’ve completed the demo stage and now to start recording. Landscape (be it natural or man-made) continues to inform the project. I find it endlessly rewarding for musical exploration…"
Finally we’ll have a one-off collaboration between Scanner and Gazelle Twin. The latter will not be performing at the event, but is supplying a visual element via two TV screens. Meanwhile, Scanner will manipulate her cover of Wire’s ‘Heartbeat’.
Says Scanner, "I like the idea of taking one track of Wire which Elizabeth has interpreted, and me stripping that open. It began because I’ve been working with Clock DVA, for this new record, and they’re really heavy. Elizabeth made her ‘Heartbeat’ cover, and what I’ve done is deconstruct the idea of the song, so now it’s about 30 minutes long from three and a half minutes. I’ve completely stripped it open, and she appears for about three minutes and then disappears again. She won’t actually be on the stage at Cafe Oto, but there’ll be two old fashioned video monitors on either side and she’ll be at the back of the hall. I’ll stand between the video monitors and perform the piece, so she’s there, but I’m performing between two versions of her. It’s very percussive, then bits of her appear… I didn’t want to make it too pretty for people. Then ‘Heatbeat’ starts somehow inside it, around the 20 minute mark. All the beats are around a heartbeat. I’m thinking of also taking bits of Wire and feeding them inside it, so there’s all these tiny teasers."
DJing on the night will be our own Rory Gibb, have a listen to one of his mixes here.
