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.
Category: News
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.
JGT DJ's at Maze Festival at Secret Project Robot
JG Thirlwell is schedule to make a rare DJ appearance on July 12 2012 at You Are Here Festival (aka The Maze!), which will be held at Secret Project Robot in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
The art duo Trouble will build a gigantic maze into the gallery and have booked a month of performances inside of it. The festival consists of 4 weeks of performance and time-based arts events in the life size maze installation.
The evening JG DJ’s will feature performances by Miho Hatori’s New Optimism, Z’s , Bachanalia, Anne Liv Young. Subsequent nights of the festival will feature performances by Mick Barr, Lucky Dragons, Das Racist DJ’s, Hunter Hunt Hendrix’ Kel Valhaal, Loud Objects, Jack Quartet, Amen Dunes, Noveller and many more. You can read about the project on the Vice Noisy website, and even contribute to a Kickstarter with which they hope to fund a maze in Berlin.
JGT in Kaliningrad, Russia for Sound Art festival
JG Thirlwell will be in Kaliningrad, Russia from May 24-26 2012 for the Sound Around Kaliningrad Festival, an International Festival of Experimental Music and Sound Art. JG will have a new six channel sound installation on display, entitled “Otitis Interna”. In addition he will do a performance and lecture.
Describing “Otitis Interna”, Thirlwell said : “When I was presented with the image of the room in Kaliningrad where my sound installation would be housed, I felt it evoked a sonic landscape of wood and organic matter, of work and anxiety, of memory and loss trapped in the grain and the walls. I sought to examine and paint these ideas with sound. I sourced and arranged a sonic palette into a six channel spatial environment/composition of musique concrete to convey these ideas into the space. Adding blacklight as the sole source of illumination in the room added a twist of disorientation which is meant to invoke an x-ray.”
Other participants in the Festival this year include Jacob Kirkegaard, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Jana Winderen, Kiwa, Greta Christensen & Camilla Sørensen a.k.a. Vinylterror and Horror,Mats Lindstrom, Robert Piotrowicz, Vladimir Tarasov, Maksims Shentelevs, Hanna Hartman, John Grzinich and Jelena Glazova, as well as Kalinigrad musicians Kratong, Danil Akimov, Nikodim, Sergey Sorokin, Kraynost, Not a mind, StirliTZ and more. The festival will take place in many sites around the city, including the Kaliningrad Zoo. There will be concerts, performances, installations, workshops, screenings, audio broadcasts, interventions in public spaces and an open record library.
Manorexia European Tour Dates Postponed
We regret to announce that due to severe mismanagement most of the Manorexia European tour has been postponed.
Manorexia will be playing the following dates
April 12 ATP presents Union Chapel, London
April 13 Roadburn Festival, Tilburg, Holland
April 14 Extrapool, Nijmegen, Holland
The ensemble will be Angharad Davies (violin), Tim Parkinson (piano), Dan Gresson (percussion), Jessica Cox (cello), Rachel Steadman (violin) and Nozomi Cohen (viola), with the composer, JG Thirlwell, on laptop
The other shows in the tour will be rescheduled for a later date. Sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment.