Media 2018

Brandon Lopez's second residency presentation, ALLS WELL THAT ENDS is situated in a series of works in development that use idiosyncratic improvisational techniques within forms of traditional and graphic notation, as well as aural development, to approach broader themes of catharsis and ritual religiosity.

Brandon Lopez continues his 2018 residency with the ISSUE debut of his piano trio, dubbed "Mess," with pianist Sam Yulsman and drummer Chris Corsano. Lopez has, in his own words, “spent some time attempting to hammer another nail in the coffin for the American thing.” With Mess, he attempts to dismember the notion of the piano trio to create a counterpart where each instrument functions outside of their supposed traditional roles. A sprawling thing devoid of harmony or melody, the trio insists giving violence and silence equivalent weight.

Vanessa Rossetto premieres “The Dirt,” a new work accompanied by a short film by frequent collaborator Matthew Revert. In a time when many fear that we are collectively hurtling toward a possible violent conflict fomented by jingoistic forces within our own national body, "The Dirt" presents an account of a similar situation long ago but remarkably fresh in the minds of people still living, where the dangers were comparable to those today, but the threat was external rather than internal.

For her ISSUE debut as a solo artist, C. Lavender presents “Transmutation Helix,” a performance piece engaging the audience to explore sound at deeply physical and emotional levels as a way to mend their relationship to stress and physical pain. The piece features Lavender employing specialized software to create tones which trigger a “frequency following” response in the brain, subtly modifying brainwave patterns between alert and meditative states.

By channelling the “ethos of being a medium for music while refraining from any attempt to extract praise,” Pheeroan akLaff imbues his work with ancient belief systems that address creativity as received rather than generated.

Saturday, April 21st ISSUE is pleased to present an evening with pioneering composer David Behrman in collaboration with fiddler, improviser, and composer Cleek Schrey. Together, the two perform newly-developing situations: re-worked pieces from the past, embedded Appalachian fiddle tunes, and new compositions.

Julia Santoli premieres two new works within a sculptural landscape: “spirit is matter” with saxophonist Tamio Shiraishi, and “the prisoners are becoming ambient” with electronic artist and PTP label-head Geng.

Spencer Clark himself performs his Typhonian Highlife project’s newest record The World of Shells. Presented as three long-form medley-style works for double keyboard with projections, the performance is a live showcase of a work described as Clark’s “most pellucid and detailed.”

Sea Urchin, Egyptian-Austrian artist Leila Hassan’s collaborative project with Francesco Cavaliere, performs in their American debut. Exploring a unique blend of poetry and dub music, their practice modulates sine waves, tapes, and electroacoustic devices.

Berlin-based Italian sound artist Francesco Cavaliere presents one of his “audio stories” -- an invented mythological narrative surrounded by abstract electronic music, presented in Italian with english subtitles. After years of live performance and intense studio work, Francesco has developed a unique style using his voice and an incredible archive of homemade sound effects as his primary sound sources.

Emerging from a long lineage of musical structures born from the difficult social and political conditions of race relations, Afrikan Sciences uses electronic instruments as a medium for open-ended explorations of form and composition across the musical linguistic heritage of African-American music, while Sassacyprigo’s free-form dance stylings channel intuitive action and a continuous “soul survivalist” strength to live free.

ISSUE presents Parisian-born artist Félicia Atkinson presenting a brand new performance involving an imaginary dialogue between the poems of Francis Ponge (1899-1988) and texts of her own, in French and in English, accompanied by electronics, voice and piano.