Spire: Live @ Passionskirche, Berlin, 5th
CTM12

Marcus Davidson
Eleh
Hildur Gudnadottir
Charles Matthews
Jana Winderen
The Eternal Chord

“To conclude the Festival and celebrate its own thirtieth anniversary, British label Touch invites us to one of its Spire events, which are centered on the sonic power of the organ. Almost no other instrument can trace a vector from the deep time of technology thru to the present, and thus equal the several thousand-year history of the organ. Consequently, the curators of Touch are just as interested in transferring this instrumental concept to modern technology (the organ as a forerunner of the synthesizer), as they are in the psycho-physical impact of its sound, in the history of political instrumentalisation of the organ, and in the first experience and ritual appropriation of its underlying principles in prehistoric times – namely of wind, whistling through natural cavities and chimneys. As a deep-listening event with works by Giacinto Scelsi, Jana Winderen, Olivier Messiaen, Marcus Davidson, Gyorgy Ligeti, Hildur Gudnadottir, Frank Martin, Charles Camilleri, Stephen Montague, Arvo Pärt, Eleh, Diana Burrell, The Eternal Chord and a group improv session, Spire makes manifest the metaphysical focus that has permeated the Touch label program since its inception.”

All photos by Jon Wozencroft

Transmedia presents: The Art of Listening 2, Touch’s residency in Brussels, January 16-20 2012. This residency is part of the Masters Degree course at Sint Lucas College.

BJNilsen & Mike Harding

The January 2012 issue of Creative Review is a music special with features on festivals, the future of the music video and much much more.

Touch’s Jon Wozencroft is interviewed for the magazine by The Wire’s Jennifer Allan about the tendency for “music’s more obscure genres to adopt distinctive, common visual styles.”

Read online at www.creativereview.co.uk [subscription required]

Transmedia presents: The Art of Listening 2, Touch’s residency in Brussels, January 16-20 2012. This residency is part of the Masters Degree course at Sint Lucas College.

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Congratulations to Geir Jenssen (Biosphere) for winning a Spellemann Award (Norwegian Grammy), in the Electronic Music section, last night in Oslo.

N-Plants was released in 2011 and is still available in the TouchShop.

NATURE: The Water Boatman’s Song

BBC Radio 4, Tue 10 Jan 11.02, rpt Thur 12 Jan 21.02

Writer Paul Evans accompanies sound recordist Tom Lawrence on a journey in sound across Pollardstown Fen to hear the extraordinary sounds of an underwater orchestra of aquatic insects. Additional sound recordings: Chris Watson, Producer Sarah Blunt.
For over a year, sound recordist Tom Lawrence has been capturing the sounds of Pollardstown Fen in Ireland. These are no ordinary sounds, but the sounds of a hidden world; an underwater world, where an orchestra of creatures create an extraordinary and vibrant music. Above the water’s surface, grasshoppers and crickets stridulate; that is, they rub one part of their body across another to produce ‘those fiddling tunes so evocative of summer’. Below the surface, something similar happens as water beetles, water scorpions, great diving beetles, water boatmen and lesser water boatmen and hundreds of other species produce sounds day and night at over 2Khz, reaching 99 decibels in some cases – the equivalent of sitting in the front row of an orchestra “Tapping, knocking, hammering, drumming, clicking, creaking, cracking, croaking, buzzing, fuzzing, bleeping, winding, reeling, revving, puttering, pattering, humming, pulsing, squealing, shrieking…. the insects reveal themselves”. Writer and narrator Paul Evans meets Tom Lawrence and takes a journey into the Fen to hear these sounds for himself. Tom leads the way. His friend, Jim Schofield joins them, bringing with him a boat (an inflatable boat that they first have to pump up), and then the three men ‘wobble’ along reed-lined drains into the Fen. It’s a journey of revelations; not only does Paul encounter the underwater orchestra, but also Old Ireland and with it a magical adventure; They find a snake, haul up a bag of treasure, climb the steps of a Famine Tower, experience vertigo as they stand with their heads in the clouds high above the quarried land, watch Peregrines swipe through the air like sharp knives, and learn the story of a hanged man, his lost love and a vixen who wanders amongst the reeds, her piercing cry echoing through the darkness.
“Sadly, since the making of this programme, Tom has died, but this is a very beautiful and fitting tribute to his work.” (Jane Anderson, Radio Times)

“The Water Boatman’s Song” on the BBC iPlayer

Chris Watson, Jana Winderen & Mike Harding have contributed sounds to the educational project “Minute of Listening”, produced by Sound and Music.

Minute of Listening is a creative learning project through which Sound and Music hopes to enable every child in the country to gain access to a huge diversity of music and sound and, for sixty seconds each day, to focus on the richness and enjoyment of the act of listening.

www.minuteoflistening.org
www.soundandmusic.org

“A benchmark in field recording not to mention a map of the soul, an insight into the human condition and a key to dreams.” (Caught by the River)

You can read the full review here and buy the album and 12″ vinyl in the TouchShop.

It is with great shock and sadness that we report the death of Tom Lawrence, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday 19th October 2011.

Tom was a lovely man. We started working with him relatively recently, and helped publish his last album, Water Beetles of Pollardstown Fen (gruenrekorder). He also contributed a beautiful piece to TouchRadio. Here you can listen to The Lough’s Breath.

Tom’s website can be found here.

We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife and two sons. It was a privilege to know and to work with him. Rest in peace, Tom.

Date: 20.10.11. Time: 7pm – 10.30pm.
Free entry. The Bear Pit, Bear Gardens, London SE1 9EB.

Announcing a special evening of Bankside performances curated by The Tapeworm, as part of the Merge Festival.

London’s finest cassette-only label, The Tapeworm, presents its third annual event in the Capital. Exemplary music and much excitement is to be expected from a line-up of the label’s mates.

Mr Ken Hollings, a writer of note, shall be reading his text from the first Bookworm publication, to be launched on this very same night. Sweden’s BJNilsen will be flying in and making a splendid noise for you all. A second Swede, CM von Hausswolff (…he’s a king, dontchaknow!) will share a stage with Touch’s Mike Harding, in a reading of Edgar Allen Poe like none before. Cult vs. occult — former Medicine Head man Peter Hope-Evans and illustrator Savage Pencil will whip up a dark blue storm. Mr Pencil’s fine drawings will also be on display — exhibition continues 21st to 23rd October, 12 to 6pm. Hopping on the bus from Elephant & Castle is Zerocrop and his band; pop perfection from a local lad. And finally, a London eye — video installation by Vicki Bennett, aka People Like Us.

Plus! Last minute additions!! Special guest artist Joachim Nordwall plays his “Ignition” album, live; and special ghost artist Michael Esposito does some spooky shit. How exciting!!! Plus, Dale Cornish from the Baraclough groop will be spinning the cassettes of steel.

Exhibition featuring work by Savage Pencil and Vicki Bennett: Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd October 12 – 6pm.

www.mergefestival.co.uk
www.tapeworm.org.uk
Download flyer [.pdf]

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The 11th Spire will take place on 21st October 2011 in Lincoln Cathedral as part of the Frequency Festival 2011 (21st –29th October, Lincoln).

Philip Jeck
BJNilsen
Charles Matthews
Charles Matthews & Mike Harding – The Eternal Chord
The Spire Ensemble – Organogram
with John Beaumont (Tenor)

Tickets:

www.lincolnminstershop.com

Tickets can be bought over the phone on +44 (0)1522 561644
Or from the shop itself if they happen to be in Lincoln…
www.frequency.org.uk