This Saturday (19th November) Subsine Academy have asked me to do an in-person masterclass at their studios in Glasgow. It’ll run for 2 hours, from 2pm.
I’ll be covering as much ground as possible relating to my background, techniques, software, hardware and creativity in general, and I shall answer any and all questions if you have specific queries.
The focus will be electronic production but I shall also touch on my current work in composition and the more art-focussed side of things.
If you’re interested you can sign up for it at the website. The cost is £40.
My first live performance since Creation in April will be on 24th August at the CCA, Glasgow. I’ll be performing a live instrumental show based on my Eirini albums, consisting of a home-made string instrument of some description, bells and voice.
The concert also features Sonia Killmann, performing her own ‘Them! There! Eyes?’ , and is in support of the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center, and associated Construction Festival, in Ukraine. Both Sonia Killmann and I performed there a couple of years ago – a great experience for us both.
Tickets are still available via the CCA Glasgow, where all proceeds will be donated to support the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Centre and the essential work they are doing during the war
Part of Sonica 2022 in Glasgow, new live work Creation is a performance piece written alongside the construction of new instrument built for the purpose.
The instrument has largely dictated the writing, being a four bridge version of Bart Hopkin’s ‘Handsome Glenn’ zither. It is played from one side, with the electronic pickups on the other side of the bridge, creating a slightly warbly detuned sound that can be adjusted by shifting the bridges or changing the string pressure.
I’ve also included a robotic player mechanism (derived from the excellent Dada Automat), and a rotating disk player mechanism, which sounds fancier than it is. the other facet of the performance is a series of bells and bowls around the space that are also played remotely which, along with the six speakers, helps to create an enveloping kind of atmosphere.
bells, bowls & motors
I’m going to post a more complete rundown of the creation process of the instrument in a future post as it may be of interest to some.
It has been written for a large sacred space, in this case Paisley Abbey, which has a lovely atmosphere and a very beautiful acoustic. The first performance, as part of Sonica, is on 12th March at 3pm.
This statement, written at the time of So Below, is still wholly relevant to this work:
“At present I finding inspiration in the music of various countries and traditions. Many of these traditions have a spiritual leaning, in line with music’s almost ubiquitous use in sacred practice for the majority of known history, from the bone flutes found in caves to the gongs of ancient China and the chanting of monks. There are common features to many of these traditions, including close tunings of notes, repetitive patterns and a simplicity of melodic line, that lends them a particular atmosphere. This is an exploration of some of these techniques, used to effect consciousness change or to create an atmosphere conducive to a devotional mindset.”
So Below is a live performance piece for a chapel or resonant space, with the option of using various instruments. It was first performed in 2019 at the Glasgow University Chapel, supported by Cryptic, and with Maarten Vos on cello.
The setup is for an array of speakers around the space, with the sound moving through the room. It is performed in the dark, or as near-dark as can be achieved, and the focus is on the sound rather than the performance. This recording has been adapted to stereo.
There is now a new page on the website detailing all the current performances and installations. Hopefully it makes it clearer what I’m up to. It is available from the menu on the left. The individual projects are listed underneath.
All are available for bookings. Details are on the individual pages.
I am still in the process of updating the website with releases etc, but will all be clear soon I hope!
New work this year, made in collaboration with artist Heather Lander for Cryptic. It’s a physical installation with intricate surround sound and a live performance element.
‘Primordial Waters’ will premiere as part of Sonic-A in Glasgow this week, appropriately on 31st October (Samhain of the Celtic calendar), concerned as it is with Celtic mythology and practice, and with the natural world in all its dimensions.
It is being performed in its full form at least twice, on 31st October and 1st November at the Tramway in Glasgow at 9pm. It will also remain setup as a short-form installation without the live elements in Tramway during the day of the 1st. You can get tickets here.
I am lucky enough to be performing two different shows in Mexico over the next fortnight, as part of the 15th Visiones Sonoras Festival in Morelia, and by extension in Mexico City.
The first show will be a live version of music released as part of my Other World Music (OWM) series, and be part of the festival’s inaugural concert in Morelia.
The second show will be a version of ‘So Below’, performed in Mexico City’s beautiful Ex Teresa chapel, now an arts venue. It will be performed alongside some of Scottish Composer Matthew Grouse’s latest work.
There will be news on further performances shortly, and am working towards a London show in the not-too-distant (but probably more distant than I think) future.
It’s been a quiet start to the year as far as observable activity is concerned, but behind the scenes it has been full on.
The first work to break ground will be ‘So Below’, a one-off performance with my sometime collaborator Maarten Vos at the Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, supported by the PRS Foundation and Cryptic.
I don’t want to go into too much detail on what to expect but it will be immersive, will incorporate cello, electronics and multi-channel surround, and will take place at night.
Hopefully some of you can make it.
Wed 3rd April, 8pm. Tickets are £10/£7 and available here.
Thought I’d better post about the new live shows, as I’ve changed things round a bit for the new album.
I’ll now be doing two different shows as Alex Smoke, one for dancefloors and one for watching and listening.
The first is like my old live show but totally reworked and incorporating new hardware and nearly all new music. It will be billed as the usual ‘Alex Smoke Live’.
The second is a much more esoteric mix of sound and visuals, and aimed more as a gig, with Florence To in charge of the visual elements. It will be billed as ‘Alex Smoke – L.O.W A/V’.
I’ll be posting a dancefloor live set soon, but for now these videos are teasers for the A/V show.
