Everything. The gamut. The esceton. The whole bloody lot. Bruce Forsyth encouraging Leslie Garret to sing Gershwin really badly to an audience of smirking morons ... from that extreme to the extreme beauty, quality, grooviness and emotion of artists like Elliot Carter, Ikseltaschel, Aretha, both Rebeccas; Martin & Campbell, Dylan (Bates or Bob), Nina Simone, Chief Carrot... I think I'll complete this box later.
Sounds Like
Well, anyone who fills this box in with any candour is going to regret it. I mean; we're all individuals aren't we? Or at least under that happy illusion.
When Einstein said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler," he probably didn't envisage Django Bates's music, which revels in its complexity like a brainy kitten with a ball of fibre optic cables. But within his own parallel universe (aka Denmark's Rhythmic Music Conservatory), Bates has reduced his simmering brew to its necessary components: sneaky, snarky basslines, asymmetric patterns that groove, sweet vocal melodies, as well as passionate ensemble writing with a sense of humour that redrafts Charles Ives, Spike Jones and Frank Zappa for the age of Britain's Got Talent. Yet Bates is serious too, with such inventiveness, mastery of orchestration and flair that he runs rings around his contemporaries in every genre. The extreme hyperactivity of The Right to Smile, Subjective Hooks and Something Less Soothing is balanced by the spacey Evening Primrose, the oddly Edmundo Ross-like May Day and the joyful Sheep.
(**** review in UK press for "Spring Is Here (Shall We Dance?)" by John L Walters, The Guardian, Friday 20 June 2008).
Elsewhere in UK news: snow hits england...
'While there were instances of bravery and heroism, there were also examples of stupidity: The emergency services criticised the "mindless idiots" who built a string of solid snow walls across busy roads in Lincolnshire'.
For more information visit www.djangobates.co.uk
The cd's have arrived! Hip hip, etc... Thank you Django. I have to say I do love all of this music, but you certainly have perfected the art of the ballad. Be well.
Hey Django. I don't know whether you remember my from our London/Lucerne composition lessons. I just saw some you tube video of you playing the piano and was deeply impressed. I know you're an incredible composer but what you did with that piano at a composition masterclass in Lucerne was nothing else but magic! I hope you are well! Greetings Urs
Lithuanian electronica, fluxus and proto-pagan minimalism, it's all OUT HEAR on Monday 21 Sept, 8.00pm
TWITTERING MACHINES AND SUTARTINĖS Curated by Anton Lukoszevieze
Lithuanian contemporary music is a hidden gem of the European scene, characterised by a proto-pagan minimalism and a folk inspired sensibility. Sutartinės form the bedrock of much new Lithuanian music, together with electronica and the canonic inventions of composer Rytis Mažulis. Cellist and curator Anton Lukoszevieze plays and introduces the Chordos String Quartet, plus rarely heard music by leading Fluxus member George Mačiūnas.
** This concert is being recorded by BBC Radio 3 and will be transmitted in Hear and Now on Saturday 17th October at 10.30pm.**
Dear Django. Thanks for being the first and breaking the ice by posting my first message! As in "my marriage is in...." optionally substituting "my" for "our/your" etc??
Every time that we listen & write music... play an instrument... sing & dance... act in a play... or work in some audio/image/video engineering process... something is healing inside...
When we share it with friends... something is healing all over...
cada vez que escuchamos o escribimos musica... tocamos un instrumento... cantamos y bailamos... o trabajamos en procesos de ingenieria de audio/imagen/video.... algo se sana por dentro...
Cuando lo compartimos con amigos... algo se sana en todas partes...
El Amor puede conducir... de manera simple... todo...
hehe I've got a new song "smile my little one" and I wonder what you think about it..!!
