JG Thirlwell has been invited by EMS (Elektronmusikstudion / Electronic Music Studio of Stockholm) to participate in the second annual Swedish Energies festival, presented by Issue Project Room, iDEAL, EMS, and the Consulate General of Sweden NYC. It is a free two-night festival on Nov 30-Dec 1 2012, featuring a huge lineup of some of Sweden’s most exciting experimental musicians and artists. Performances include collaborations between U.S. and Swedish artists, as well as a cross-section of Sweden’s most pre-eminent experimental groups.
JG Thirlwell will collaborate in a performance on Nov 30 with Vinyl Terror and Horror, aka Camilla Sørensen and Greta Christensen. Vinyl Terror and Horror have worked together since 2001 modifying, deconstructing and reconstructing turntables and vinyl records , resulting in amazingly detailed and well executed noise compositions, performances and kinetic installations.
The evening will take place at the Clemente Soto Velez Center at 107 Suffolk Street, NYC and will also will feature performances by Christine Ödlund (S), Mats Lindström (S), Rolf Enström (S) and Aki Onda & Lise-Lotte Norelius (JAP/S), and continue the following evening performances by Anastasia Ax, Hild Sofie Tafjord, The Gagmen and many more.
Category: News
Manorexia in Australia
JG Thirlwell will be making his first ever live appearance in Australia on Mar 4 2013 when he appears with his Manorexia ensemble in a bill with Kronos Quartet (w/special guest Bryce Dessner) at the Adelaide Festival. The concert will take place at the Thebarton theater in Adelaide. For this concert, Thirlwell will travel to Australia with NY Manorexia alumni Peter Wise (percussion) and David Broome (piano), and the ensemble will be augmented by string ensemble Zephyr Quartet. At the moment this will be the only Manorexia date in Australia. Also appearing at the Adelaide festival will be Laurie Anderson, Deerhoof, Buke and Gase, Goran Bregović, Calder Quartet with Iva Bittova, Van Dyke Parks, Neil Finn & Paul Kelly plus an Unsound portion of the fest featuring Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Demdike Stare, Lustmord, Emeralds and many more. More news when it becomes available.
Venture Bros Halloween Episode
A new episode of The Venture Bros will premiere at 11.30 pm on October 28, 2012 on Adult Swim / Cartoon Network, featuring an exciting new score by JG Thirlwell. Though this Halloween-themed episode is part of season five, the rest of season five will not start airing until 2013. According to Jackson Publick : “Basically, when we did the math and figured out that we probably wouldn’t be able to premiere season 5 until the beginning of 2013, I got super-depressed over the prospect of a Venture-less 2012. Doc was already half done writing a spooky sort of episode that he wanted to take place on Halloween, so we made it official.” Entitled “A Very Venture Halloween”, the episode was created and directed by Jackson Publick and written by Publick and Doc Hammer, both of whom also provide voices for the special.
"The Blue Eyes" screens in NYC
On October 7 2012 at Anthology Film Archives in New York City there will be a rare screening of “Los Ojos Azules” (“The Blue Eyes”) as part of their New Filmmakers series. Shot on location in Mexico, the film was directed by Eva Aridjis with cinematography by Sebastian Mlynarski, and has an original score by JG Thirlwell.
JGT produces Karen O track for new Tim Burton film
JG Thirlwell has produced a new song by Karen O for the new Tim Burton film, Frankenweenie. Entitled “Strange Love”, the song was written by Karen, who also sings on it, and was recorded and mixed at Vinegar Hill studios. The track features the talents of Jaleel Bunton (TV on the Radio) and Yusuke Yamamoto (Chin Chin).
Karen says of the track, “Tim [Burton] wanted an unconventional unconditional love song. My music inspiration came out of the same era of B movie fright film references sprinkled throughout the film. I went in the direction of exotica and calypso stylistically because it’s quirky, good vibes music of that era and when you throw in a theremin solo it’s a marriage made in heaven. I remember Beetlejuice introducing me to the genius of Harry Belafonte’s calypso record so I wanted to give a nod to that too. We ended up with a love song for the end of the film to the film! Frankenweenie is so special, it’s an unbelievable honor to be involved with it.”
The song, which will play over the film’s closing credits, will also appear on the Frankenweenie Unleashed! album, which features songs from and inspired by the film. The album also features songs by Neon Trees, Mark Foster , Passion Pit , Grace Potter feat. the Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons , Robert Smith , Winona Ryder and many more. The film’s original score is by Danny Elfman.
Thirlwell composing for Morning Line sculpture
JG Thirlwell has been commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary to write a composition for the Morning Line, a public art structure in Vienna created by Matthew Ritchie. At eight meters high and twenty meters long and built of 20 tons of coated aluminum, the sculpture incorporates a 47 channel audio system, making it a platform for contemporary music and composition. So far 27 sound artists have contributed compositions, specially conceived for the pavilion’s architecture, which now fill the sonic landscape of Schwarzenbergplatz. JG was invited by guest curator, composer and head of Laton Records Franz Pomassl.
Thirlwell’s 38 minute piece, entitled “Euthenasia”, will premiere in Vienna on Sep 8 and 9 2012 and will take full advantage of the structure’s multi channel spatial amplification. Thirlwell will be in attendance and will perform along with the piece. The audience will experience the piece from within and outside the sculpture.The composition will be added to the existing archive of music and soundscapes selected by the previous guest curators.
There is also a version of the sculpture in Istanbul. Composers who have already composed pieces for the project include Christian Fennesz, Alexei Borisov, Bryce Dessner with Evan Ziporyn and David Sheppard, Ghostigital, Bruce Gilbert, Tommi Grönlund & Petteri Nisunen, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Florian Hecker, Erdem Helvacıoğlu, Jónsi & Alex, Carsten Nicolai, Mehmet Can Özer, Zsolt Olejnik, Finnbogi Pétursson, Franz Pomassl, Lee Ranaldo, Terre Thaemlitz, Yasunao Tone, Chris Watson, Thom Willems, Jana Winderen, Zavoloka and Peter Zinovieff.
Touch 30th anniversary at Experimental Intermedia
In September 2012 Touch will present a series of events at ISSUE Project Room, Anthology Film Archives and Experimental Intermedia in NYC, celebrating the publisher’s 30th anniversary. Since its first release in 1982, Touch has created sonic and visual productions that combine innovation with a level of care and attention that has made it the most enduring of any independent music company of its time. The label has presented a wide range of artists from New Order to Thomas Köner, and now has a strong focus on artists such as Fennesz, Chris Watson, Philip Jeck, Jana Winderen, Hildur Gudnadottir, Jacob Kirkegaard, Oren Ambarchi and Biosphere.
On Sunday Sep 16 2012 the so-called “Touch Ensemble” will perform at Phill Niblock‘s space Experimental intermedia in a concert conducted by one of Touch’s head honchos, Mike Harding. The Touch Ensemble for the evening will consist of JG Thirlwell, Philip Jeck, Ken Montgomery, Marcus Davidson, Lary 7, and Dave Knapik.
Manorexia live in Nantes on the First of September!
Manorexia will play an exclusive one-off European concert at Les Rendezvous de l’ Erdre Festival in Nantes, France on September 1, 2012. This show will be unique in that it is the first show as a combination of the two Manorexia ensembles. Some of you may know that JG has a pool of musicians both in London and NYC that comprise Manorexia EU and Manorexia NY respectively. For this show, Peter Wise (percussion) of Manorexia NY will be joining UK-based members Angharad Davies (violin), Tim Parkinson (piano), Nozomi Cohen (viola), Rachel Steadman (violin) and Katy Cox (cello). This will also be the first Manorexia show on French soil.
JGT guests with Marc Almond at Antony's Meltdown
JG Thirlwell will be special guest in a one-off performance by Marc Almond with a 2012 incarnation of his former group the Mambas, when they perform the classic album Torment and Toreros in its entirety for the Meltdown Festival. This year’s festival is curated by Antony Hegarty of Antony and The Johnsons, who was heavily impacted by Almond’s record. JG wrote and played all the instruments on the song “A Million Manias” which appears on that album, and will perform it live with Marc. In addition JG plays on the track “Beat Out That Rhythm On A Drum”. Antony has said of Almond, ‘Marc laid out a trail of subcultural breadcrumbs and aesthetic tenets that, more than any other single influence, formed the artist that I would become. Ten years before I would hear Nina Simone make a similar affirmation, I read Marc saying that he didn’t care if he hit the notes, for it was only the feeling that mattered.’
The concert takes place on August 9, 2012 at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Center in London. Tickets are available here. Also appearing at this year’s Meltdown are Diamanda Galas, Elizabeth Fraser, William Basinski, Lou Reed, Matmos, Planningtorock, Selda, Joan As Police Woman, Marina Abramovic, Cyclobe and many more.
JG Artwork in Re:Surgo book, curated by Timeless
JG Thirlwell has contributed artwork to a new limited edition hand made art-zine publication. The book is the third in a series published by Re:Surgo, the Berlin based screen print atelier run by Anna Hellsgaard & Christian Gfeller, and was curated by Xavier Laradji, editor of Timeless zines & books. The other artists who contributed to the book are Chilean-born artist Gea, cult transgressor Trevor Brown, Philip Best (of Whitehouse) and Sarah Froelich. It is a beautiful sixteen page three color hand silkscreened book, printed on heavy stock in a numbered limited edition of 125 copies, and is available from the Timeless shop.
JG’s artwork for this project is in his signature red, white black and gray palette, this time using Korean typography as a major design element.