ISSUE presents Norwegian artist Helge Sten’s Deathprod project in a rare New York appearance Tuesday, March 28th. Well known for performing with the electroacoustic improvisational unit Supersilent, Sten’s music as Deathprod has been highly influential in its prescient formulation of a dark sonic palette that has become widely celebrated in contemporary experimental music.
Performing rarely live, on recordings Deathprod is usually credited with "Audio Virus", a catchall term for "homemade electronics, tape echo machines, ring modulators, filters, theremins, samplers.” Together these sources form his signature black ambience and elegantly dark soundscaping that has become his studied method. Deathprod performs ISSUE while embarking on a series of U.S. shows in Supersilent, marking an exceptionally rare opportunity to see the project in live performance.
Jeremy Gara opens the performance, showcasing his densely textural, melodic synth work featured on his 2016 debut solo album Limn, mastered by Helge Sten. Renowned for his work as drummer for Arcade Fire and innumerable collaborations and ensembles, Gara draws on his varied musical history to craft a hypnotic, emotional music: a cerebral presentation of subtle elements, open sonic fields, and alluring melody.
Deathprod is a musical pseudonym used by Norwegian artist Helge Sten. Sten began creating music under this name starting in 1991, culminating with a box set of most of his recorded work being released in 2004. Simply titled Deathprod, the collection contains three albums along with a bonus disc of previously unreleased, rare, and deleted tracks. Sten is a member of Supersilent and works as a producer on many releases on the Norwegian label Rune Grammofon. He has also produced Motorpsycho and has worked with Biosphere.
Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Jeremy Gara has been a member of Arcade Fire since 2004. In the past few years he’s spent his energies outside of the band collaborating with a wide variety of artists: bandmates Sarah Neufeld, Will Butler, Tim Kingsbury, as well as other artists such as Michael Feuerstack, Susanna Wallumrød, Owen Pallett, Nedelle Torrisi, to name a few. Most recently he’s been seen filling in occasionally for Fred Armisen, playing drums in the 8G Band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. Jeremy's first solo album, Limn, was mastered by Helge Sten (Deathprod, Supersilent) and was released March 11, 2016 on NRCSS Industry.
