HORSES is wordless music and sound by Robert Stillman. The spirit of 'Horses' music is somewhere between the fairground, the rural parlor, and the stars; while the shrewd listener may be able to pick out hints of Stillman's influences, (among whom he counts John Fahey, Kurt Weill, Scott Joplin, and Maurice Ravel), his music exists on its own terms, a detailed musical territory unto itself.
Attendees of Stillman's live shows have come to expect the unexpected; a 'Horses' performance can mean a one-man-band, tape-based sound collage, live accompaniment of silent archive footage, or a full ensemble event.
Stillman's most recent release, Early Maine Films (l'animaux tryst field recordings), is a CD/DVD featuring original sound and music composed to accompany turn-of-the-century archive footage from Stillman's native corner state. Selections from the project were performed live with the films at the 2007 H&M High Line Festival (curated by David Bowie) in New York City.
2009 will bring the release of two new "HORSES" works, the LP Machine's Song, a musical account of life as a one-man-band, and the EP Masterbox, which focuses on the wood and metal sound-making machine, "Piano." Both recordings explore the music that lies within mechanica, realized in song, and dream-narrative sound design, applied to the tape-hiss canvas.
This music combines the epic scope of radio-days orchestral glamour with unorthodox mis-use of recording equipment. They feature piano rags of rage, unravelling marching-band rhythms, abandoned skating-rink organ, and cymbal crashes like the man in the bar's first shocking realization of his own drunkenness.
In addition to his own work, Stillman collaborates with a diverse cohort of idea-and-action people-including Kurt Weisman (Feathers/Witch), Flying, Luke Temple, the Subjects, and the End of the World.
"In an age of so many genres and subgenres, it's refreshing to come across a disc that defies categorization. So it goes with 'Horses'... It's elegant, graceful music that's in no rush to get anywhere in a hurry..." Billboard
"Wonderfully sympathetic music that has the feel of Glass or Reich, whilst retaining an organic warmth." -The Terrascope
Robert Stillman's music is not Americana, it is American. It is made from real blood, a line we insist on remembering the magic in...he plays the real Ragtime of Now with a contraption and he is crying and all the real flooding waters of American pain and blood coarse through his body." Camp Studio
"...'Horses' whirls like a dancer in a slit skirt, each slow turn and quick step showing you a glimpse of something you desperately want to see again, and each track another chance to capture it." The Washington Examiner
"He is interested in the mystery and ambiguity that remain when you take slivers of life away from their worldly signifiers...the sound of the world captured with magnets and wires." The Bollard
"Stillman is a master of small gestures, and it's his ability to let sound escape in measured doses--like an author slowly revealing each wrinkle in a potboiler--that makes Horses consistently engaging." Magnet
EXCERPT: 'LOGGING IN MAINE 1906' FROM 'EARLY MAINE FILMS', 2007
The first Willkommen Records event at Coachwerks in Brighton. Located just off Lewes Road, on Hollingdean Terrace, this is a beautifully converted industrial space and now an inspiring and spacious venue (plus they have a very cheap bar!)
Noiserv is the name given for Portugeuse musical mastermind, David Santos. Compared to Juana Molina, David Thomas Broughton and Jose Gonzalez, he creates a hypnotising and emotionally engaging atmosphere, looping the sounds of the room, xylophone, guitar, melodica, harmonica and keyboards.
Woodpecker Wooliams is a charming one woman experimentalist. With an extraordinary bag of tricks, employing vocals, kora, celtic harp, clarinet, harmonium, glockenspiels and whistles, she conjures bewitching freeform lo-fi chants and sings folk songs of mystery and secrecy.
Redwood Red is Cathy Cardin. She is the feminine touch to Willkommen favourites Sons of Noel and Adrian and Laish Quartet. With her grounded and pure vocal delivery, she interweaves a unique fingerpicking guitar style with double bass and flute. This is a rare live outing for Redwood Red and one not to be missed.
Tickets available from Resident (01273 606312) or online here:
SoundCurious #1: listen & look : look & listen A weekend of enthralling activities in sound and moving image: Live scoring and zoetroping, puppets, OHP animation and more and more.
Performances from:
Hamilton Yarns Robert Stillman Bunty Weirding Vessel Collectress Sons of Noel and Adrian Charlie Henry The Grubby Mitts Vitamin B12 Same Actor Bela Emerson Viv
Oct 10th & 11th Workshops 1000 - 1200. Shows 1800 - late. Weekend £14, Day £8 Coachwerks. 19 Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton. More info at www.soundcurious.org.uk
For all Brighton-based fans of leftfield jazz/experimental electronica/alt folk: October 28th at the Komedia Studio Bar… Bellows (formerly John The Savage) EP launch, also featuring The Vainglories and Twenty-One Crows. Oh yes.
Whalebone Polly is a duo made up of Kate Staples of This is the Kit and Rachael Dadd of The Hand and their music has much in common with those groups - rippling banjos, warm harmonies and odd percussive interludes.
Rozi Plain has played with Francois and the Atlas Mountains and has had records released by the Fence Collective. Her songs are sumptuous and charming.
Rowan Coupland amassed a mini-choir for his last Willkommen show at the Sanctuary - who knows what he’s got in store for us next?
Tickets from Resident (01273 606312) or online here:
this is just a BIG BLOODY 'THANK YOU' to all the wonderful & big hearted folks who played at THE 'FAIRTRADE GALLERY'S APRIL ALTERNATIVE FESTIVAL' it was a great success & bless you all for making it so...we must do it again sometime xxx ftg
Trembling Bells - Alex Neilson of Directing Hand, Scatter, Bonnie Prince Billy, Jandek, Six Organs of Admittance and Baby Dee has himself a new band and they are rocking!
Hamilton Yarns : Brighton's experimentalists are for one night only, live and electric.
The Mariner's Children , sawing trombones and shantys in the sky.
bobby, just a note to say thank you for playing at that house yester morrow. it was just what the doctor ordered. -a+m and you,perfect line up for me. thank you xx
"WORKSHOP "BADEJAZZ" FROM 12 TO NOVEMBER 15"---I SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL "BADEJAZZ" Grupo Invitado: DAVID BINNEY QUARTET: - David Binney, saxo alto. - Jacob Sacks, piano. - Matt Brewer, contrabajo. - Nasheet Waits, batería. - Hugo Alves, trompeta. - Joaquín Chacón, guitarra. - Arturo Serra, vibráfono e iniciación. Clases de Istrumento, combos, armonía, improvisación, e iniciación. Conciertos y Jam sessions. Badajoz, del 12 al 15 de Noviembre del 2008. Matricula, 90 €. www. badejazz. es
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