Minor Musics: Finland – Tomutonttu + Kiila
Tomutonttu (“dust gnome”, is the alias of Jan Anderzén, a visual artist and leader of an avant-garde sound group entitled Kemialliset Ystävät. His lonely music is crafted from the colorful sounds of toy reeds, mutilated vocals, and groovy loops of animal noises that come together to create a whirling, whimsical mess. Speaking of his work, the artist describes it as as ”a confusing detail of the Kemialliset Ystävät freedom flow, a microcosmos of strange sound creatures and dirt flying around in the stereo space and interacting with a logic all of their own.” Recently, Tomutonttu played a series of concerts for school children at the planetarium of his home town, Tampere. His discography is a labyrinth reflecting the nature of his own music.
Kiila plays psych-tinged folk rock that draws evenhandedly from Bruce Springsteen, C.O.B., Harmonia, Feodor Pratsu, and contemporary experimental music. On stage, the careful songcraft and the power of playing music right here, right now are emphasized. On recordings, the electro-acoustic textures are more distinct and the music breathes easily through details, layered webs of sound and sonic wandering. Often described as folk music, Kiila’s is a sound in which various folk forms are neither completely absent nor always very apparent. Played together, sung together, Kiila is a feast for six and ear candy for the rest.
Kiila was formed in 1993 in Ulvila, Finland. Over the years, the composition of the group has always varied, but by 2010 the backbone of the band has consisted of six musicians for three years. Kiila’s latest album Tuota tuota was released in June 2009 on Fonal Records. In March 2010, Kiila toured Scotland extensively with Alasdair Roberts & Band and in the fall, Kiila will perform in the US for the first time, at ISSUE Project Room, and prepare music for their new album.
Minor Musics: Finland is made possible through the generous support of the American-Scandinavian Foundation; the Consulate General of Finland; and ESEK, the Finnish Performing Music Promotion Centre; and Luses, the Popular Music Committee of the Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Music.
Climax Golden Twins + Pigeons
Pigeons
Pigeons are a duo. They live in Bronx, NY. They have recent releases on Blackdirt, Olde English Spelling Bee, The Curatorial Club and Soft Abuse.
Climax Golden Twins
Climax Golden Twins is a Seattle, WA based experimental collage outfit originally consisting of Rob Millis and Jeffery Taylor, and later Scott Colburn, who joined the group in 1996. The group’s earliest material was recorded in 1993, but wasn’t released until their 1996 album, Imperial Household Orchestra. Early CGT albums, such as Climax Golden Hiss (1995) and the aforementioned Imperial Houshold Orchestra (1996), offer a glimpse into their unique world of lo-fi collage — organic, acoustic instruments mixed with found sounds, electronics, and clips of sampled exotica. Their later CD, Locations (1998), focuses on voice and found sound, while Dream Cut Short In The Mysterious Clouds (Anomalous, 2000) is a studio album that returns to their earlier formula with random noise-punk interludes, dreamyscapes and acoustics mixed with field recordings.
On January 25, ISSUE Project Room will inaugurate its new space at 110 Livingston with Gaudeamus Muziekweek, a four-day festival celebrating groundbreaking and challenging new music by emerging composers from around the world. Working in partnership ...
ISSUE is starting off the New Year with a change of scenery. That's right, Issue Project Room is moving out of our space at the Old American Can Factory and into 110 Livingston in Downtown Brooklyn. We've had a great run at the Can Factory,...