Author: JG Thirlwell

Thirlwell Performs Live Score To Harry Smith Film In Woodstock NY

JG Thirlwell

On November 15 2025, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at the Tinker St Cinema in Woodstock. Heaven and Earth Magic is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.

This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. This is the first performance on the West Coast.

Opening the show will be Nick Malkin whose practice focuses primarily on the interplay between found sound, field recordings and electronic instrumentation.
Visuals by Tommy Grenas (Anubian Lights)

Tickets available here

JG Thirlwell appears on ARP centenary tribute album

JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell has contributed an exclusive track to Soul Of The Machine, a 36-track compilation: honoring Alan R. Pearlman, creator of ARP synthesizers in the year that would have been his 100th birthday.

The collection includes everything from ARP’s first synthesizer — the massively powerful ARP 2500 modular system — to the 2600, Odyssey, Pro Soloist, Omni, and many more ARP instruments.

Other artists on the collection include Martin Gore, Steve Roach, Michael Brückner, Phil Cirocco, Chris Meyer of Alias Zone, John Foxx, Mark Isham, Panic Girl, Rupert Greenall, Drew Schlesinger & David Torn, Don Slepian and many more.

The album is released by Projekt Records and is available here on Bandcamp. It will be released on double CD in mid November.

Soft Cell + JG Thirlwell “Ghost Rider” Limited Twelve inch Single

JG Thirlwell

Soft Cell is releasing a Limited Edition Colored Vinyl 12″ of their cover of the Suicide classic “Ghost Rider” with JG Thirlwell on guest vocals and Gary Barnacle on sax.

In 1983 and 1984 Thirlwell performed the song with Soft Cell live many times, and on the TV show The Switch in the UK.  It was performed again for the first time in nearly 40 years at Soft Cell’s show at the Beacon Theater in NYC in 2022, which led to the recording of Ghost Rider for the first time with Marc Almond, JG Thirlwell and Gary Barnacle recording their parts over Dave Ball’s original backing track, all of which has been freshly mixed for 2025 by Dave and Philip Larsen.

Tracklisting:
A1 Ghost Rider (with JG Thirlwell & Gary Barnacle)
A2 Ghost Rider (Marc’s Version)
B1 Ghost Rider (Dubbed Out Version)
B2 Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track)

Buy it here

Ken Jacobs RIP

JG Thirlwell
I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of legendary experimental film maker Ken Jacobs. In his work he used strobing techniques to create 3D illusions, manipulated found footage, experimented with projection techniques and much more. 
 
I collaborated with Ken on several films, including scoring “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, “Precarious Footing” and “Georgetown Loop”. Ken used the music from the Manorexia album “Dinoflagellate Blooms” to score his film “Seeking the Monkey King”. In addition, I performed live scores to Ken’s Nervous Magic Lantern projection series on a few occasions.
 
Ken Jacobs was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1933. Ken’s beloved wife Flo had died in June 4 this year. Ken’s son, film maker Azazel Jacobs said “While the official cause of death was from kidney failure, life without his collaborator and partner since 1960 was unimaginable for so many, especially him.”
 
Rest in power, Ken.

Thirlwell performs live score to Harry Smith film at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles

JG Thirlwell

On October 19 2025, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles. Heaven and Earth Magic is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.
 
This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. This is the first performance on the West Coast.
 
The evening will open with a rare screening of Thirlwell’s 11-minute film Sonder, which was commissioned by the Frekvens Film Symposium in Gotland, Sweden in 2018. Sonder was conceived, directed and scored by Thirlwell and filmed by Sebastian Mlynarski.
Tickets available here

JG Thirlwell performs Silver Mantis in San Francisco

JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell will be performing his Silver Mantis project at The Center For New Music in San Francisco on October 25 2025. There will be two shows, at 6pm and 8pm. Tickets are available here

Silver Mantis is a 50 minute electro-acoustic presentation, performed with software and sampling, theremin and prepared piano. It is an immersive multi channel composition which allows for an elastic performance. It’s performed with a projection created exclusively for the project by acclaimed Swedish visual artist Sten Backman.

JG Thirlwell performs Silver Mantis on Halloween 2025 in Seattle

JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell will be performing his Silver Mantis surround sound project on October 31 2025 at The Rabbit Box in Seattle. Tickets are available here.

Silver Mantis is a 50 minute electro-acoustic presentation, performed with software and sampling, theremin and prepared piano. It is an immersive multi channel composition which allows for an elastic performance. It’s performed with it with a projection created exclusively for the project by acclaimed Swedish visual artist Sten Backman.

More JG Thirlwell West Coast dates will be announced soon.

JG Thirlwell’s “Venture Bros Volume 3” Soundtrack

JG Thirlwell
We are thrilled to announce the release of JG Thirlwell’s Music of The Venture Bros Volume Three. The album is available now through our shop.
 
Music of The Venture Bros Volume Three will be released on Thirlwell’s Ectopic Ents label on September 5 2025, in an arrangement with Adult Swim / Williams Street Records. The music is drawn from seasons 1-7. The CD contains detailed sleeve notes by Thirlwell.
 
Thirlwell’s unique and influential score for The Venture Bros. television series garnered widespread critical acclaim.Thirlwell was nominated for an Annie Award (the highest honor in the field of animation) for his “outstanding achievement in music” on The Venture Bros in 2016. He created the musical score for the show since its debut in 2003 until it finished its run with Season 7 in 2019. The Venture Bros returned in 2023 with a movie for HBO, which Thirlwell also scored.
The first volume of Venture Bros soundtracks was released in 2009 and the second was released in 2016. Thirlwell also scored the Emmy-winning hit FX cartoon show Archer.
 
The CD version contains 34 tracks and there are 21 tracks on the vinyl LP version which is pressed on “Canyon Effect“ colored vinyl. The vinyl also comes with a download code so the buyer may obtain the full album digitally.
 
The CD and colored vinyl LP are available  now through our shop and is also be available on Bandcamp in selected retail outlets, distributed by Virtual.
 
Go team Venture!

Thirlwell performs live score to Harry Smith film at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn

JG Thirlwell

On July 29 2025, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at Nitehawk Cinema by Prospect Park in Brooklyn. “Heaven and Earth Magic” is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.
 
This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. This is the first performance in North America.
 
The evening will open with a rare screening of Thirlwell’s 11-minute film Sonder, which was commissioned by the Frekvens Film Symposium in Gotland, Sweden in 2018. Sonder was conceived, directed and scored by Thirlwell and filmed by Sebastian Mlynarski.
Tickets available here

Foetus album HALT in mixing stages

JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell has been working with Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Z’s, Hubble) at Circular Ruin studios in East Williamsburg Brooklyn, mixing the final and ultimate Foetus album. Thirlwell remarks, “Ben is amazing, and the album sounds absolutely monumental and epic”. The album has been recorded over the last seven years at Self Immolation Studios at the Ectopic Ents HQ in Brooklyn, NY. As usual, Thirlwell has composed all the tracks and played all the instruments on the album, with special guest appearances from Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Timo Ellis (Netherlands, Cibo Matto), Brendon Randall Myers (Scarcity, Dither, Glenn Branca), Laura Wolf, Sami Stevens, Simon Hanes (Tredici Bacci) and Jake Baldwin. The album will be entitled HALT and is slated for release on November 5, 2025 on Ectopic Ents. Stay tuned.