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As part of our 15th birthday year, we have something special for our fellow digital dreamers – we follow the space waves to imagined utopian vistas, dip and dive into oceanic soundscapes and blast off into the boundless infinity of space. ISAN return to our shores to present their fuzzy, shimmering orchestrated and multi-layered conversation between man and machine. In the new project All Aglow, Xenia Pestova Bennett combines her artistry as a concert pianist with the nostalgia of analogue synthesizers and explores resonance to portray the effects of bioluminescence in coastal sea waters. Finally, Robyn Rocket’s joyous space trumpet melodies will be conjured from the air that surrounds us.
As an extra bonus on this edition - setting the scene and joining the dots will be composer and musician Angèle David-Guillou on St John’s warm and wonderful organ.
Robin Saville and Antony Ryan have been navigating the aural autobahn as ISAN since 1996. With Robin based in England and Antony residing in Denmark, they creatively communicate via email, telephone and the occasional postcard. Having recorded for a variety of micro-indies such as Bad Jazz, Static Caravan and Wurlitzer Jukebox, they now consider Morr Music as their spiritual home. ISAN have remixed and been remixed by the likes of Depeche Mode, The Notwist, Seefeel and Piano Magic amongst others. They also love to bring their sounds to the stage, having played festivals such as Sonar and the Big Chill and as far afield as China, Japan, Iceland, Russia and Brazil.
Xenia Pestova Bennett has performed at international festivals, in concert halls, tropical rainforests, caves, ponds and countless weird and wonderful venues and spaces. She has commissioned and recorded dozens of new works, collaborating with major innovators in contemporary music, exploring classical music boundaries with electronics, toy pianos, synthesizers and the Magnetic Resonator Piano. Her work spans a wide range of sound worlds, styles and genres from classical to contemporary art music, free improvisation, experimental electronica and avant-pop.
Robyn Rocket rediscovered her childhood instrument- the trumpet (cornet) -after meeting a big band leader at Morley College who taught her how to learn music theory with her ears rather than her eyes. As a disabled musician Robyn has struggled with her eyes constantly moving and poor short-term memory. In 2017 Robyn met Andy Diagram, the first trumpet player she saw who put their trumpet through guitar pedals and made loops, this inspired Robyn and she started exploring how to do this. In 2024 Robyn will release 5 EPs as part of her ‘Robyn Rocket and People You May of Heard of’ project. This project took 20+ musicians from Cafe OTO, Total Refreshment Centre and Heart n Soul charity and mixed them up. They recorded over 3 days with everyone improvising together. Robyn also runs a gig series at Cafe OTO, in Dalston, East London called Robyn’s Rocket.
Further event details: Cafe open. An event for all ages. Pay-What-You-Can entry in advance or on the door (£12 per adult suggestion, children free), subject to availability/capacity.