Open House creates compellingly strange pop songs that sprawl into sonic landscapes through the use of movement, choreography, and staging. The band’s new piece Rememberer uses amplified eight-foot-long sheets of Styrofoam wall insulation, erected into teetering structures that vibrate, hum, squeak, and seem destined to collapse. Architecture doubles as instrument in this collage of music and live construction directed by Steven Reker, which will be performed at the BAM Next Wave Festival in October. Their mini-residency at Knockdown Center culminates with a short open rehearsal performance.
For the past few years Honey Radar, from Philadelphia by way of Indiana, has released cassettes, cd-rs, and lathe-cut singles at a breakneck pace, turning heads in underground rock circles. Blank Cartoon – their first LP for What’s Your Rupture? records – was released this past May to high acclaim, with Pitchfork naming it one of the “best underground garage rock albums of 2016.” They will be joined by Brooklyn’s Plates Of Cake whose third album Becoming Double was released earlier this year garnering favorable comparisons to The Soft Boys, The Go-Betweens, and Nick Lowe. Also on the bill is Baltimore’s Other Colors who play “exploratory pop” and have a new record out on Friends Records, as well as NYC-based Bronze Float, whose understated rock has been compared to Arthur Russell, Skip Spence and Sebadoh.
Machines in Music is a free two-day modular synthesizer exhibition that brings together users and makers for hands-on exploration, discussions, and performance. Last year’s conference hosted 24 modular synthesizer companies from around the world, attracting the attention of beginners and experienced synthesizer users alike. This year’s event is co-curated by Verbos Electronics and Control, and will allow even more participants to meet industry professionals and test out new modules.
12:00 – Magnetic Soundbath: An immersive listening experience presented
by MJ Caselden1:30 – The Synthesizer: A Brief History in Sound
presented by Thom Holmes3:00 – Livelier Live-Electronics: DavidTudor’s Pioneer Approach to Home-brew Instruments
presented by Michael Johnsen and Ronald Kuivila4:30 – Electric Orchestra: Multitimbrality & how to build an entire track on a system in one take
presented by Colin Benders (Kyteman)
Sunday, October 9
12:00 – Magnetic Soundbath: An immersive listening experience
presented by MJ Caselden1:30 – An Electronic Art Pioneer: Ben F. Laposky’s Oscillons
presented by Skooby Laposky3:00 – The Magic of the Buchla: Up Close to the Electric Music Box
presented by Mark Verbos, Reed Hays and Suzanne Ciani
Machines in Music showcase Oct 8, 8pm: Tearing Light From Sound, Mark Verbos, Alessandro Cortini, and Suzanne Ciani perform tickets $15
Auxiliary program Oct 8, 7pm and Oct 9, 5:30pm, : Jorge Chikiar: Radio Collection with John King, Ariel Passadore, Marcelo Toledo, and Leo Genovese using modulated radios and live processing. tickets $10
Radio Collection is a performatic installation by Jorge Chikiar with the use of 8 AM and FM modulated radios. The main aim of tuning in broadcasts of different radio dial stations of the NY area is to use the phonemes as part of an embryo of sounds which will give shape to the structure of the work intervened with the collaboration of local artists playing their instruments and processed in real time.
Jorge Chikiar is an Argentine composer, sound artist and producer. He has presented work at Colon Theater, CETC, Maccarone Gallery, and The Kitchen, among others. Chikiar has produced works for Laurie Anderson, Michael J. Shumacher, Thurston Moore, Jim O’Rourke, David Behrman, Zeena Parkins, Ikue Morí, Steve Reich and more. He has composed works such as Wu Wang for Fractus Ensemble, Granos en el Viento work for Moxenio and Live Electronics, Cracks of Ice, a multichannel acousmatic installation with sounds recorded in Antarctica. He has collaborated with John King for their Crossing Hemispheres recordings and with Marcelo Toledo to produce the opera The Jungle Within.
October 8, 7pm: Jorge Chikiar clarinet & live electronics
John King viola & live electronics
Ariel Passadore samplers
October 9, 5:30pm: Jorge Chikiar clarinet & live electronics
Marcelo Toledo Bandoneón, Tibetan trumpet, sakushi. Leo Genovese keyboards and saxophones
Ariel Passadore samplers
with Pablo Gonzalez interface designer
Nicolas Stavorengo electronic engineering
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing is an architectural form of data sharing where personal computers no longer require a dominant central server to receive crucial resources. Rather, they rely on each other in a network of equally privileged systems.
In the world of double dutch, jumpers and turners form a similar internal network of communication, resulting in new forms of empathy and a hyperawareness of each others’ movements and well-being.
P2P, a collaboration between sound artist Dyani Douze, new media artist Salome Asega, and world champion Floyd Little Double Dutch Team, explores the matrilineal structure of the double dutch tradition in America.
The MAMI MARKET is an all-day marketplace featuring goods for sale by local womxn-identified//qtpoc artists and entrepreneurs, a lineup of DJ sets, discussions, and workshops. Organized with love by BALTI GURLS, Browntourage, Ladin Awad, Top Rank Magazine, POWRPLNT, and the MAMI Curatorial Team. For*Us*By*Us* This event is presented as part of MAMI, on view at Knockdown Center from August 6 – September 4, 2016.
ALL DAY:
**LEVEL UP YOUR 2-STEP: Aural blessings by DJ Trillnatured, DJ Selam and Jaqi Sparro
**BE THE STAR OF YOUR OWN LIFE: Green Screen photo opp, courtesy of POWRPLNT
1:15-2:15PM:
BALTI GURLS in Conversation- An open discussion facilitated by Baltimore-based WOC arts collective Balti Gurls, in collaboration with Mami Market vendors, collectives, and guests about the politics of “safe space.” Does it exist?//How can it function?//Can it be achieved?
2:30-5:30PM:
SMART GIRL CLUB presents: “A Miidnight Summer’s Dream: Goddess, Siren, Nymph”, a healing workshop. Smart Girl Club is an urban feminist collective based in the arts and community outreach. Founded by Destiny Frasqueri and Milah Libin, Smart Girl Club aims to empower women of all shapes, sizes, colors, sexualities, and orientations by focusing on creative collaboration and celebration between women. For it’s third time, SGC will host a healing workshop led by Destiny and Milah. This workshop will be a light, sweet & intoxicating afternoon of activities such as elemental magic healing, Fairy Magick, Goddess Worship, Self Love, Color & Sound Therapy. Ethereal, Goddess, Witchy Attire is encouraged.
**$5 suggested donation. RSVP AT witchesofhealingrsvp@gmail.com with your name, age, and why you want to participate in the workshop.**
3:45-4:45PM:
TOP RANK MAGAZINE Live Podcast Episode: A conversation with writer Doreen St. Felix, Arianna Gil (brujas) + Ryann Holmes (bklyn boihood), hosted by Isabel Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas.
5-6PM:
Soul line dance workshop taught by the one and only Empire City Line Dancers. You will learn the latest line dances from around the US, danced to current and classic R&B music. Great introductory workshop for first timers!
