Joby Burgess, the “insanely talented British percussionist” (Chicago Classical Music) presents Powerplant, an inspiring collaboration of British artists, which fuses driving minimalism and electronica with original video.
Taken from his suite for global junk Gabriel Prokofiev combines African soda bottles and live looping in Fanta® - described by The Wire as “pollution as a sound source, recycled to maximum effect”. London based composer and producer Max de Wardener takes influence from Michael Haneke’s film The Piano Teacher in a powerful reworking of Franz Schubert’s Winterreise.
Graham Fitkin’s Chain of Command is constructed entirely from vocal samples taken from speeches by George W Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. Featuring the Xylosynth individual syllables are spun together in this confrontational and direct work, examining the use of music as a weapon of torture.
Javier Alvarez’s Temazcal combines a single pair of maracas, Latin American folk music and pre-recorded sounds, to create a world of electronic noises and rhythmic shadows. In the words of composer John Adams, “The music of Javier Alvarez reveals influences of popular cultures that go beyond the borders of our own time and place.”
Famed for their visually innovative, multi-media performances, Powerplant operate at the forefront of the alt-classical scene, presenting percussion led performances with sound design by Matthew Fairclough and visuals by Kathy Hinde.
One of Britain’s most diverse percussionists, Joby Burgess is best known for his virtuosic, often lissom performances, daring collaborations, extensive education work, and regularly appears throughout Europe, the USA and beyond. Both in the studio and on the road Joby Burgess works with artists including Peter Gabriel, Goldfrapp, Max Richter, Steve Reich, Pete Tong and Eric Whitacre.
Programme
Carbon Copy Joby Burgess / Matthew Fairclough
Fanta® Gabriel Prokofiev
Chain of Command Graham Fitkin
Temazcal Javier Alvarez
Until The Blood Is Pure & Im Dorfe Max de Wardener
Press Quotes
“Powerplant - an inspiring collaboration between percussionist Joby Burgess, sound designer Matthew Fairclough and visual artist Kathy Hinde - give electronic music a multimedia makeover.’”
The Scotsman