DUOS2022
a sequence of digital releases and live concerts
In collaboration with Relative Pitch Records and Studio Rainer Spehl
I'm starting the year with a good deal of inspiration for this new project - DUOS2022. As can be gathered from its title, it’s an year long project, a continuation and development of my curated live concert series which started as DUOS2020/2021. I'll dedicate much time to composing, improvising and performing in duos with
a number of dear colleagues.There’ll be various means by which this work will be shared - in person and remotely, adapting to any unforeseen circumstances.
I'll be releasing a series of digital duo albums in collaboration with the label Relative Pitch Records. My sequence of live duo concerts will also continue
supported by the Initiative Neue Musik Berlin.
When I was in my early twenties, I wrote: "Music for me is the freeway to our rarely remembered ways of communication.” More than 20 years later, I still stand by
this statement which has increased in clarity throughout the intervening years. In duos, we define the "rarely remembered ways of communication." In dialogue
the exchange is so direct, clean and clear, so immensely profound! With DUOS2022 we'll investigate, in-depth, the way we relate to one another in the time of
ongoing instability due to Covid 19 and climate crisis. This work is precious as we long to share, remaining creative and connected through music. In the ever
present moment, in the act of creation, there can be no incorrect response, no misunderstandings. Intuitively connected to one another we ourselves are
transformed as is the space in which we stand.
a sequence of digital releases and live concerts
In collaboration with Relative Pitch Records and Studio Rainer Spehl
I'm starting the year with a good deal of inspiration for this new project - DUOS2022. As can be gathered from its title, it’s an year long project, a continuation and development of my curated live concert series which started as DUOS2020/2021. I'll dedicate much time to composing, improvising and performing in duos with
a number of dear colleagues.There’ll be various means by which this work will be shared - in person and remotely, adapting to any unforeseen circumstances.
I'll be releasing a series of digital duo albums in collaboration with the label Relative Pitch Records. My sequence of live duo concerts will also continue
supported by the Initiative Neue Musik Berlin.
When I was in my early twenties, I wrote: "Music for me is the freeway to our rarely remembered ways of communication.” More than 20 years later, I still stand by
this statement which has increased in clarity throughout the intervening years. In duos, we define the "rarely remembered ways of communication." In dialogue
the exchange is so direct, clean and clear, so immensely profound! With DUOS2022 we'll investigate, in-depth, the way we relate to one another in the time of
ongoing instability due to Covid 19 and climate crisis. This work is precious as we long to share, remaining creative and connected through music. In the ever
present moment, in the act of creation, there can be no incorrect response, no misunderstandings. Intuitively connected to one another we ourselves are
transformed as is the space in which we stand.
Relative Pitch Records releases
I am going to make an attempt to describe what you mean to me
with vocalist & electronic musician Charmaine Lee
I am going to make an attempt to describe what you mean to me
with vocalist & electronic musician Charmaine Lee
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This album was conceived and developed via exchange of images and sound files from a distance. Charmaine and I responded to each other's imaginations, drawing upon our personal senses in the comforts of our own homes. I associate it with something intimate, familiar, with worlds of dreams, fantasies and parallel realities which merge into one another in the virtual space of creation somewhere between Paris, Berlin and New York. All the short spoken haiku-like poems which became the track titles are coming from messages and actual dreams I often record on my phone in the state of pre-sleep or just-awake. The commissioned cover art is entirely created with words related to the album. Noah, who is a young Korean artist living in Seoul, is joining this fantasy journey in his own way, expanding and connecting us to one more place, one more personal universe on our globe. Distance becomes irrelevant, the division between dreams and reality disappears, through sound, words and visions we are "always in close proximity, long time closeness." |
Original cover art by © Noah Kae Choi
The truth about the key with Jeff Surak, tape recorders & objects Bricolage III with cellist Tomeka Reid
The truth about the key with Jeff Surak, tape recorders & objects Bricolage III with cellist Tomeka Reid
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Original cover art by © Michael Rauter Original cover art by © Biliana Voutchkova
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The recording with Jeff gave us unlimited possibilities of a dialogue with the environment. We did a day of guerilla actions in various places in Berlin, recording everything with no distinction between "performing" or matter of fact actions such as taking the tram to the next location, packing and unpacking etc. We kept our ears open and merged with the multicolored soundscapes of each location. The next day, we went to the Liebig12 where Jeff had a residency, and he had set up a studio situation for a recording session there. We kept the spirit of the guerilla actions, letting the tape roll the whole time. I was really inspired by the fact that music making took place beyond our control, that we welcomed unexpected circumstances and used them as inspirations for sonic response, that we waved our sounds together with the already existing soundscapes in a most fascinating real time composition. The masterful final edit Jeff did is a delight, a kind of non-narrative story telling of two days in the city of Berlin.
Two documentation videos were filmed by Roberto Duarte: Guerilla actions in Berlin, watch it here DUOS2022 table concert, watch it here |
This release has a very nice history of coincidences: last year Tomeka and I were invited by the Goethe-Institut Chicago to do an online collaboration as part of their series Bricolage, curated by Magda Mayas and Dave Rempis. They matched pairs of musicians from their respective cities - Berlin and Chicago, to prepare and present a half hour long video and an artist talk. Shortly afterwards Tomeka invited me to participate in the online edition of her string festival, the Chicago Jazz String Summit. And then I invited her to my festival, DARA String Festival. We didn't know if my festival would only be online because it was a Corona year. It ended up that for the summer months in Berlin live concerts could take place, so the festival happened and Tomeka came to Berlin. We were really happy to be able to play together and we decided to record an album and use the music material for the Bricolage III presentation. I already had some ideas about the video part, so we also took some footage of our hands. Later on when Tomeka went back to the US, we continued the collaboration via online exchange of more video material from the places where we were. It inspired me and gave me the possibility to learn and create my first self-edited film. Working with Tomeka on these several occasions was really fruitful and especially valuable during the strenuous year of severe lockdowns.
Watch the film Bricolage III here |
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Like thoughts coming with violist Joanna Mattrey
Original cover art by © Boryana Pandova
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Bagra with trumpeter Susana Santos Silva
Original cover art by © Nicholas Hughes
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Joanna and I have followed and appreciated each other's work for a while.
We have been wanting to find a way for a collaboration and it happened, very organically, back in May when Joanna visited Berlin. It was wonderful to meet and play for the first time during our two intensive days, recording and playing a live concert for the DUOS2022 series. Already during the recording session, I noticed the constantly changing flow of our improvisations, waves of different sound worlds coming and going, but somehow staying in a constant, peaceful environment. Much like a meditation where thoughts are coming and going freely. I decided to use a field recording to create this constant environment for the full album. It was captured in the garden of a close friend where I spent a quiet slow afternoon, recording. The connection between the two seemingly unrelated recordings came to me in an instant. Merging the sound worlds and atmospheres of the garden & the studio gave birth to "Like thoughts coming". 
Original cover art by © Ishan Clemenco This release seems to be the most natural continuation of my collaboration with Leila, after our first concert together in 2019 in New York. She was first introduced to me by Kevin Reilly who is now putting out this album. Leila was part of my DARA String Festival 2021, and we recorded this album after immersing ourselves into playing 5 concerts in 3 different cities, in duo and with fabulous string player colleagues. The soundscapes created together are bringing me to a new zone of exploration, into a world of lush and rich sonorous string timbres full of color and spectral overtones, where music and noise happily coexist as pure luminous sound. Rainer Spehl Studio concerts 2022 May 15, Joanna Mattrey - viola
May 19, Susana Santos Silva - trumpet June 11, Götz Bargende - video projections July 2, Jeff Surak - amplified objects + November 2, Veronika Svobodová - self made instruments, field recordings, with special guest Lena Czerniawska November 18, Martyna Poznanska - installation, performance December 9, Angélica Castelló - recorders and electronics The series is supported by INM Berlin, with thanks |
The recording of Bagra was done in one breath. It was deeply enjoyable to be
in a state of completely circulating synergy, deep understanding and liberation. The two long tracks of the album are the first we played, released without any editing. The mix allows the listeners to experience an aural sensation changing between extreme closeness and wide openness. Susana and I didn't want any associative words relating to the album, so we embraced the idea of naming the tracks. Bagra and Geraldina are the two names that each of us chose independently from the other, from a long list of female names which I suggested. The music directly communicates everything else we'd like to say. 
Original cover art by © Götz Bargende I met Michael Zerang years ago at one of his frequent trips to Berlin, and since then, we have played together a number of times. Our first deeper duo exchange was in 2019 when we had a short tour in the US and a recording session at the beloved ESS in Chicago, which became The Emerald Figurines. We strongly bonded, playing together felt organic and rich, and we continue our duo collaboration on as many occasions as we have. With this release we open together the DUOS2022 series. |
DUOS2020/2021
DUOS is a continuous sequence of duo concerts, taking place at studio Rainer Spehl and periodically at various other locations / countries. It started as a single event in December 2019 by a duo concert with Michael Zerang, commissioned by "Incense of Music”. It was the first ever concert presented at the studio/workshop of furniture designer Rainer Spehl. The large workshop hidden from the noise and livelihood of Berlin gives a spacious yet intimate atmosphere conducive to openness and friendly exchange. Rainer Spehl welcomed the quiet energy of the small audience and creative dynamism of the musicians, in his spacious place full of organic material and infused by the secluded meditative handwork of wood. Upon discussing the positive feedback of the audience, the ideal acoustic as well as the atmosphere favourable to both introspection and exchange, Biliana and Rainer agreed on hosting an ongoing sequence of duo encounters. Duos2020 was born and formally started in February 2020, changing the last number as the years change (respectively Duos2021, Duos2022 etc.).
Participants for the series in the previous years are:
Leila Bordreuil, Mazen Kerbaj, Andrea Parkins, Judith Hamann, Annette Krebs, Gunda Gottschalk, Emilio Gordoa, Carl Ludwig Hübsch and Matthias Müller.
Trailer link here
DUOS is a continuous sequence of duo concerts, taking place at studio Rainer Spehl and periodically at various other locations / countries. It started as a single event in December 2019 by a duo concert with Michael Zerang, commissioned by "Incense of Music”. It was the first ever concert presented at the studio/workshop of furniture designer Rainer Spehl. The large workshop hidden from the noise and livelihood of Berlin gives a spacious yet intimate atmosphere conducive to openness and friendly exchange. Rainer Spehl welcomed the quiet energy of the small audience and creative dynamism of the musicians, in his spacious place full of organic material and infused by the secluded meditative handwork of wood. Upon discussing the positive feedback of the audience, the ideal acoustic as well as the atmosphere favourable to both introspection and exchange, Biliana and Rainer agreed on hosting an ongoing sequence of duo encounters. Duos2020 was born and formally started in February 2020, changing the last number as the years change (respectively Duos2021, Duos2022 etc.).
Participants for the series in the previous years are:
Leila Bordreuil, Mazen Kerbaj, Andrea Parkins, Judith Hamann, Annette Krebs, Gunda Gottschalk, Emilio Gordoa, Carl Ludwig Hübsch and Matthias Müller.
Trailer link here
