Masterclass with Metrist: Injecting the surreal into a dancefloor

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

Monday 29th October | 5pm | Studio 1

We are excited to have Joseph Higgins (DMSA Alumni, 2017) back to lead a masterclass. Please note that the session starts at 5pm (not 4:30) and it is relocated to Studio 1.

Metrist is an outlet for Joseph Higgins’ idiosyncratic, constantly evolving dancefloor tailored endeavours. The Brighton based artist’s intensity and sense of humour can be heard through his approach to alien-like sound design and mangled beatwork in his jaunty oddball shaped work. Through his collaborations with labels such as Opal Tapes, Where To Now? and most recently Timedance, Higgins’s work has been described by Hardwax as a “Dare-to-be-different true techno explorer”.

https://soundcloud.com/black-opal-1/metrist-petrol-arses

https://soundcloud.com/timedance/metrist-auld-flaurist-clip

https://soundcloud.com/dimensionsfestival/dim134-metrist

Injecting the surreal into a dancefloor

The session will be looking into how we approach sound design in club music, keeping what is essentially nearly 40 years of electronic music fresh and exciting by adding experimental techniques and approaches to dance music formulas. I will also be talking about working in the industry, how to garner releases and DJ’ing.

Masterclass: Life in Sound: A freelancers perspective on how to make what you love, a profession.

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

The first session for our series of Masterclasses is led by our recent alumnus Jeph Vanger. The sesison is scheduled for Monday 22nd October, 4:30-6 in the Performance Studio (R225, GP).

More info on the session below.

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Jeph Vanger is an Athens-born electronic composer, sound designer and loudspeaker enthusiast working with the medium of sound in connection with the fields of contemporary dance, theatre and installation art. He graduated from Digital Music & Sound Arts course at the University of Brighton last June and over the last couple of years, his works have been performed, presented or exhibited at Fort Process Sound & Art Festival, Tate Modern, London Design Festival, and Athens & Epidaurus Festival to name a few. He just finished his mini UK tour with the 3D audio installation Sφera and in addition, he’s working on various compositions for contemporary dance and theatre productions as well as working as a Performing Arts Technician.
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Life in Sound: A freelancers perspective on how to make what you love, a profession.
During my lecture/presentation/workshop I will share my experiences as a freelance sound artist while giving practical guidance and perspectives on where to find sound and music related work, how to chase up projects, design your website & CV as well as sharing unusual stories from my freelance career. Most and foremost it will be about motivation on how to make the most out of the DMSA course and on how to make what you love a profession, not only after graduation, but also now, whilst still being at university.

Note: In case the students are willing to share their existing CVs and websites, it would be a great chance for discussion and exchange of ideas on how to adjust/improve them, based on their niche and their aspirations.
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Visit Jeph’s website:

https://www.jephvanger.com/

Professional Practice Masterclasses

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

We are happy to launch our series of masterclasses for this semester with talks and hand-on presentations on music production, arts curation, sound design and composition for theater, dance, film and radio. Most importantly, for this first round of sessions we focused on bring back alumni of the DMSA course who have succeeded in the professional world along with current students and members of the newly established Creative Sound & Music Research and Enterprise Group.

Joshua Legallienne On Tour

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

Joshua Legallienne, DMSA Alumnus and currently member of our team, will be on tour in late October with UK sound artist Timothy Didymus. The two artists will present a series of acoustic sound performances in Vienna and Berlin. As part of the tour, Joshua and Timothy will be doing an hour of live sound on Kunstradio and Austrian Ö1 radio which will be broadcast online and accessible worldwide 28th October 23:00-00:00.

More info on the dates:

24/10 | VIENNA – ALTE SCHMIEDE:
https://www.alte-schmiede.at/programm/2018-10-24-1900/

28/10 | VIENNA – ORF Ö1:
https://oe1.orf.at/programm/20181028/530674

and KUNSTRADIO.AT:
http://www.kunstradio.at/2018B/28_10_18.html

01/11 SPEKTRUM BERLIN:
https://spektrumberlin.de/events/detail/joshua-legallienne-timothy-didymus-500.html

DMSA Feature: PJ Davy

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

PJ Davy’s ‘Heads In The Cloud 2.0’ opens tomorrow at The Basement in Brighton as part of the Exploring Boundaries exhibition, Brighton Digital Festival. We briefly talk to PJ about his background, his creative vision and projects his is currently working on.

DMSA: Where do we find you now?

PD: I recently moved to London where I’ll be starting a new role as a Production Technician Intern at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. I’ll be helping the production team provide sound and lighting for contemporary dance, orchestras, and operas. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into London, for a while. I miss the sea and fresh air, already, though.

DMSA: Three important words that represent you as a creative person

PD: Always be yourself.

DMSA: When did you start working with sound and music?

PD: I started working with sound and music, electronically, when I was 14 years old. A friend introduced me to Fasttracker 2, and I was hooked. It’s interface looked like the Matrix. You had to program in volume, panning, and other effects by sequencing numbers that scrolled up or down the screen. It forced some pretty nifty creativity within its limitations, but that’s always where the good stuff comes from.

DMSA: In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?

PD: DMSA opened up my eyes and ears to areas of sound and music I’d not yet explored. It broadened my horizons and opportunities to work with amazing artists I never thought I’d be working with, in worlds I’d never associated myself with. It challenged me to focus my time and effort into projects in a professional way, but always with experimentalism at its heart, and never in a direction that felt forced upon me. I feel like the course has developed my creativity to push my own work within the global art and music community.

DMSA: Other plans for the future? projects, events, visions?

PD: I’ll be with Trinity Laban until next September, so I’m currently looking for a masters program to continue studying in 2019. I have some projects I’m currently working on that I’m really proud of, something very personal, and some others I look forward to being able to share, nearer completion. On the 4/5/6th of October, I’ll be exhibiting my multichannel sound and light installation, Heads in The Cloud 2.0, for Exploring Boundaries at The Basement, in Brighton, at part of Brighton Digital Festival 2018. This second iteration of my installation will focus more on the traces of memories left behind once time has passed since originally posted. It’s easy to forget what of ourselves we’ve submitted onto the world wide web, but we leave behind our ghosts in the machine, possibly forever.

I aim to remain focused, be productive, and keep learning.

Heads In The Cloud 2.0 opens tomorrow and will be running till Saturday 6th.

PJ’s website: www.pjedavy.com

DMSA Feature: Guoda Dirzyte

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

The first feature for the new academic year is with our alumna Guoda Dirzyte. Guoda is currently based in Scotland and about to start her MA at Glasgow School of Art. We talk to her ahead of her workshop on experimental music instrument building (Friday 28th, Performance Studio, GP).

DMSA: Where do we find you now?

GD: After graduating I was all over the place for a little bit doing different projects, but now it looks like I will settle down for at least a year in Glasgow where I will be studying for Masters of Design in Sound for the Moving Image.

DMSA:Three important words that represent you as a creative person

GD: Ambitious. Imperfect. Explorer.

DMSA: When did you start working with sound and music?

GD: I started playing piano when I was 8 years old, but got bored after a few years and decided to switch guitar. However, that wasn’t satisfying enough either, so when I was 13, I started looking more into sound experimentation and instrument making. It got me hooked up then and it still fascinates me today.

DMSA: In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?

GD: DMSA gave me a lot of technical and conceptual knowledge of my own practice. Before starting my bachelor’s, I wasn’t sure what I was doing or why I was doing it. So DMSA gave me a lot of knowledge about different fields of sound studies, from creative programming to audio production, as well as connections for collaborations and different events.

DMSA: Can you tell us a bit more about Más Hangok?

GD: Más Hangok is an experimental ambient music collaboration between me and Maja Mihalik. I play a Japanese heritage inspired handmade instrument which is a crossover between the traditional Japanese lute also called shamisen and the western cello, as well as other experimental instruments (handmade synths, mechanical percussion gadgets). Instrumental experimentations are accompanied by Maja’s eerie vocals that are inspired by Hungarian folk traditions. We started this project at the beginning of our third year at Brighton university, as part of DMSA night event.

DMSA: Other plans for the future? projects, events, visions?

GD: My current plans are to be part of Fort Process festival this weekend were I will be showcasing my new interactive kinetic installaition – Skaņas laukums. Projects and visions wise, I always have some ideas spinning in my head, but it needs time and funds to make it actually happen. For some time now I’ve been looking to put together a solid record of collaborations with different artists, so hopefully this will happen in the future. But for now I mainly plan to concentrate on my Master’s.

Web: https://www.guodadirzyte.com/

Hands-On Workshop With Guoda Dirzyte

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT BUILDING AND FREE IMPROVISATION
Friday 28th September 2018
12-6pm
Performance Studio / Grand Parade

We are happy to have Guoda Dirzyte back to give a hands-on workshop to our students. The workshop is free to students of all levels.

OVERVIEW

This workshop will concentrate on using actions, concrete sounds, and random things, rather than being represented in an illusionist/harmonic manner. Intention is to rise awareness of sounds’ potentiality and create work that retains a sense of immediacy, corporeality, and curiosity. Instrument building and preparation session will be based on transforming the identities of seemingly familiar sounds, found objects and instruments.

In the improvisation session students will be encourage more to listen and communicate rather then show they technical musical abilities. Concert will be based on playing with trash (or any found objects) and deformed or handmade musical instruments brought by students or created during preparation session. Challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Intend to lean towards developing non-verbal communication skills, and strengthens inter-human, intra-human and trans-human relations, which is far more than conventional music based on consumption can offer.

PROGRAMME

First Part {JO 序}: Introduction Talk {30 min}

Second Part {HA 破}: Instrument Building and Preparation Workshop {2 h}

[short break]

Third Part {KYŪ 急}: Do It Yourself Concert (Improvisation Session) {1 h 30 min}

Exploring Boundaries at Brighton Digital Festival

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

1-6 October 2018 | 12-5pm
The Basement
24 Kensington St, Brighton
BN1 4AJ
[map]
[facebook event]

Two of this year’s graduates will be presenting work as part of this year’s Brighton Digital Festival in an exhibition titled ‘Exploring Boundaries’ curated by Digital Music and Sound Arts in partnership with Our Future City (Brighton Dome) for Brighton Digital Festival.

Merging the physical experience of sound with the digital realm, Exploring Boundaries brings two works by UK-based artists PJ Davy (UK) and Jeph Vanger (UK/GR) to this year’s Brighton Digital Festival.

Vanger’s s ‘Sφera’ is a multichannel sonic environment where the physical presence of sound and the ongoing engagement become the priority. The piece pays tribute to the mournful sound of the Foghorn, using original recordings from the Foghorn Requiem (2013) field performance in which more than 50 ships gathered on the North Sea (UK) to perform an ambitious musical score.

PJ Davy’s ‘Heads in The Cloud 2.0’ is a multi-channel, sound and light installation concerning the digitisation of our lives through the internet. Heads in The Cloud presents a physical, human experience to reflect on our relationship with technology and each other, in an increasingly digitised world.

Programme

Sφera | 1-2 October 2018, 12-5pm
Artist Talk: 1st October, 2pm

Heads in The Cloud 2.0 | 4-5 Octber, 12-5pm and 6th October 12-3pm
Artist Talk: 4th October, 2pm

Please note that the facilities can be only accessed through stairs

Poster and Banner Design: Jedd Winterburn

DMSA Alumni featured at Fort Process Festival.

Posted on by Maria Papadomanolaki

DMSA alumni Jeph Vanger, Jack Lister, Jordan Edge and Guoda Dirzyte will present work as part of this year’s Fort Process Festival.

The line-up is exceptional featuring music, talks and installations by Rhys Chatham, Aja, UKAEA, David Thomas Broughton, Kyoka, Grischa Lichtenberger, Max Eastley and more!

You can check out the full line-up here.

A nice feature of the festival can be found over at The Quietus.