My thanks also to all the guest artists who have shared the stage with us, generously contributing to, and transforming, this practice. There’s too many names to mention, but I’d like to thank, in particular, two club-runners, Bruce Coates (who with Sarah O’Halloran and I kicked-off Stet Lab in November ’07) and Mike Hurley for their advice, cautionary tales and encouragement; to Murray Campbell, Franziska Schroeder and John Godfrey who took time out of their busy schedules, and stepped-up when others would/could not; and to Corey Mwamba, Ian Smith, Justin Yang and Alex Hawkins for encouraging words, and an unwavering belief in grass-roots music organizations. Special thanks to Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders and Don Malone; heavy-hitters who believed in the Lab enough to participate with neophyte improvisers in what must be, by their standards, a low-key event.

Kudos to Jesse Ronneau for supporting improvised music, and the aims of the Lab in particular, during his time in Cork. I apologize for the many whose name I’ve not listed, but y’all have my warmest thanks, and my sincerest admiration for your contributions—we are a better space for it!

Of course, the biggest thanks go to everyone who participated as listener (and I am thinking in particular of the regulars who come every month!), and to those brave ones who jump-in the deep-end!

Signing-off as curator: Thanks, thanks, thanks and thanks to y’all!

BTW, some of my observations about running this space around the half-way point of my tenure as curator are at ‘Lab report 2007-2009: how to run an improvised music club’.

Han-earl Park was making good interesting sounds on guitar and pedals and stuff; Kevin Terry played the cello, what a lovely sound, and later Jesse Ronneau found some fun wacky stuff to do with it; Anthony O’Connor did some cool bendy things to his bass guitar; and vocalist Veronica Tadman made some sweet vocal shreeps that I thought people only did in the privacy of their own home.

And then the friendly, encouraging folk there drew me into the session. You can listen to that if you want.

I played with Korhan Erel and Kevin Terry. Korhan seemed to be playing something like a mobile phone and a Wii handset with the computer. I don’t know what he was doing, but he did it well! Kevin was playing something I could recognise as an instrument, namely a guitar. A lovely encouraging steady stream of things I could recognise as notes. I played some stuff that I couldn’t recognise as a tune, but the audience seemed to recognise it as valid, cos they clapped, and even laughed once or twice at the funny bits!

It was my first time (can’t ya tell?!).

It was fun at the time, but was it music? I’m going along again this Monday to listen, enjoy and learn. And I’ll leave the melodica at home.

In the words of my 16 yr old Liam, when he had a listen to the Stet Lab recording: “It’s like a club where you and your cronies can get together and make weird noises.”

Korhan Erel, Jesse Ronneau, Han-earl Park and Veronica Tadman (photo: © 2010 Julia Healy)

Thanks to Korhan Erel for performing, and to everyone who played on the night (Ruti Lachs, Tony O’Connor, Han-earl Park, Jesse Ronneau, Veronica Tadman and Kevin Terry) including newcomer to the Stet Lab stage and old-timers. Special thanks to Kevin for refereeing on the night, Veronica for MCing, and to photographer Julia Healy [see the photographs (new window)…].

Last but not least, thanks to all who, despite adverse meteorological conditions, came to support this event. We couldn’t do this without you!

As with all the recordings since December 2008, this month’s recordings are covered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. [More info…]

The evening will also mark the second appearance by the trio of Han-earl Park (guitar), Jesse Ronneau (double bass) and Veronica Tadman (voice).

Should be a good one. We hope to see y’all there!

Stet Lab featuring Korhan Erel

Monday, 11 January 2010

9:00 pm (doors: 8:45 pm)

Upstairs @ The Roundy [map…]
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland

€10 (€5)

Stet Lab kicks off the new year upstairs at The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork, Ireland on Monday, 11 January 2010. This month’s Stet Lab introduces to Ireland, the Istanbul-based electronic musician, computer artist and improviser Korhan Erel.

Those who have attended Stet Lab events will have seen many electronic performers on stage, but Korhan Erel is one of a kind. Erel’s work is well known within the experimental and electronic music scenes and with the international improvised music community. Approaching his computer-based performances as a musician, performer and instrumentalist, he avoids the easy trap of over-clouding the sound field with layers and overpopulating the frequency spectra, allowing space for other performers. Radically rethinking the laptop, in his hands it becomes, according to Erel, the “sound body and resonator,” whilst the controller is “the exciter.”

Erel is a pioneer of the free improvisation scene in Istanbul, founding the ensemble Islak Köpek, and releasing the first Turkish free improvisation recording in December 2008. His work  has been released on the re:konstruKt label; he has performed at STEIM (Amsterdam), and has performed with Le Quan Ninh, Kirstie Simpson, Karlheinz Essl, Nora Volkova Ensemble, Markus Wenninger, Attila Dora, Artur Vidal, Sebastien Branche, Ecotone Experimental Theater, Mary Margaret Moore, Richard Nunns, Christian Asplund, Oguz Büyükberber, Umut Caglar, Robert Reigle, Sevket Akinci, Kevin William Davis, Dilek Acay, Dirk Stromberg, Volkan Terzioglu, Erdem Helvacioglu, Elektronik Kumpanya and Tolga Tüzün.

This month also sees the return of the trio of Cork-based improvisers, Han-earl Park (guitar), Jesse Ronneau (double bass) and Veronica Tadman (voice), adding an analogue contrast to the digital main act.

The event will begin at 9:00 pm (doors open at 8:45 pm) and entry is €10 (€5).

Stet Lab will return on Monday, 8 February 2010 featuring drummer Evan Dorrian from Canberra, Australia.

the performers

Korhan Erel: computer and electronics musician, performer, improviser, composer.

Turkish composer / improvisor based in Istanbul. He is a founding member of Islak Kopek, Turkey’s pioneer free improvisation group. He performed and had compositions played in radios, festivals in Turkey, Austria, Australia, Holland and Germany.

Korhan approaches computer performances from a conventional instrument approach. He refrains from using many sound layers and frequency ranges in order to leave space for acoustic and electric instruments he plays with. He also plays melodica and Cracklebox in ensemble performances. For his solo performances, he augments the computer with other sound sources, such as analog electronics (modular synths, guitar effects, oscillators, digital effects). He plays his computer instruments similar to a conventional instrument player—the laptop is the “sound body” and the “resonators,” the controllers are the “exciters”. The screen is occasionally used for monitoring software status and is not used as a part of the performance, thus avoiding the typical look of the laptop musician, staring at the screen all throughout a performance. He uses Wiimotes, and a Kaosspad 2 as the “fretboards” for his instrument.

Korhan’s compositions blend industrial sounds, found sounds, abstract sound textures and acoustic instruments into sound collages. He is currently working on new instrument designs on Audiomulch that will enable him to create instant compositions and sound collages for solo and group performances as well as playing with dancers, video artists. One such project is called Ses Duvari, a collaboration with video artist Ilknur Büyükberber.

Korhan has been recording with Islak Köpek and other improvisers since 2006 and plays on the following releases:

Islak Köpek / Islak Köpek – A.K. Müzik (www.akmuzik.com.tr)

Umut Caglar & Korhan Erel – Music for Walkie-Talkies #2 (www.rekonstrukt.com)

Oğuz Büyükberber, Umut Çağlar, Korhan Erel, Florent Merlet – twentyeight-twelve-twothousandandeight (www.rekonstrukt.com)

Korhan has played with the following artists:

Le Quan Ninh, Kirstie Simpson, Karlheinz Essl, Nora Volkova Ensemble, Markus Wenninger, Attila Dora, Artur Vidal, Sebastien Branche, Ecotone Experimental Theater, Mary Margaret Moore, Richard Nunns, Christian Asplund, Oguz Büyükberber, Umut Caglar, Robert Reigle, Sevket Akinci, Kevin William Davis, Dilek Acay, Dirk Stromberg, Volkan Terzioglu, Erdem Helvacioglu, Elektronik Kumpanya, Tolga Tüzün.

Han-earl Park works from/within/around the traditions of idiom-agnostic, experimental improvised musics, sometimes engineering theater, sometimes inventing ritual. He prefers collaborative, multi-authored contexts, and has worked with animators, film makers, poets, theater and mime performers, dancers and installation artists. As a musician (guitar, banjo, bass guitar, piano, electronics and software) he has performed in clubs, theaters, art galleries, concert halls, and (ad-hoc) alternative spaces in Denmark, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and the USA.

He is involved in ongoing collaborations with Bruce Coates, and with Franziska Schroeder, fifteen year long associations with Alex Fiennes and Murray Campbell, and has performed with Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, George E. Lewis, J. D. Parran, Paul Dunmall, Pauline Oliveros, Kato Hideki, Mark Sanders, Chick Lyall, Jan Langedijk, Stu Ritchie, Koen Nutters, Pedro Rebelo, Elspeth Murray, Mark Trayle and Hannes Raffaseder. He is also the constructor of io 0.0.1 beta, an interactive musical artifact, and cofounder of the Church of Sonology.

Park is a recipient of grants from the Arts Council of Ireland, and a recipient of the Ahmanson Foundation Scholarship and the Calarts Scholarship. He has appeared at festivals including Sonic Acts (Amsterdam), the Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology Festival (California), dialogues festival (Edinburgh), Sonorities (Belfast) and VAIN Live Art (Oxford). In addition to numerous self-released CDs, his work has been released by Owlhouse Recordings, frimp.co.uk and Frog Peak Music. He has performed live on Resonance FM (London) and on Drift Radio (at mediascot.org), and his recordings have been featured on Kalvos and Damian’s New Music Bazaar (Vermont), and You Are Hear (at www.youarehear.co.uk) which was selected as Critics’ Choice by The Independent (UK).

Additionally, Park founded and curates Stet Lab, a monthly improvised music space in Cork, Ireland, and teaches improvisation at the UCC Department of Music.

Jesse Ronneau is an award winning composer and improviser specializing in experimental acoustic and electro-acoustic music, specifically music using explorative instrumental techniques and live-processing. Jesse received degrees in Composition from the University of Cincinnati, Roosevelt University, and Northwestern University. His works have been performed (and continue to be performed) extensively throughout Continental Europe, the UK, Ireland and the US. He is currently a lecturer of composition at University College Cork.

Han-earl Park: Hello.

Eliza: How do you do. Please state your problem.

Not exactly a problem, but a kind of…. I’m wondering about what happens when old… when there’s a meeting of improvisers.

Is it because you are wondering about what happens what old that you came to me?

Sorry? No, what I mean is what happens when there’s an on stage reunion I suppose.

Please don’t apologise.

Okay. Take the performance by Marian [Murray], Tony [O’Connor] and myself. How does that compare with the work we’ve done in the past?

Why do you ask?

Well, Marian’s been out of the Lab equation since July ’08, and Tony, spare the cameo appearance in January [2009], the same.

In what way?

In what way? I haven’t really been performing with them, and they, with each other, for a while. The last Lab was, in that sense, a kind of reunion.

Does that question interest you?

Well, that is the question.

I’m not sure I understand you fully.

Does the most recent musical meeting accentuate past patterns, or do you bring new stuff to the table?

We were discussing you—not me.

Okay, do we bring new stuff to the table?

Please go on.

If the purpose of the Lab was to bring improvisers (their practices and approaches) from far afield, how does this reunion play into that?

Do you think its likely that the purpose of the Lab was to bring improvisers (their practices and approaches) from far afield?

Well, I did write the mission statement!

You say you did write the mission statement?

Well, I did.

Can you elaborate on that?

I’ve already done that elsewhere so no, not really.

Are you saying no just to be negative?

I feel I’m getting off topic.

How long have you been getting off topic?

Probably from the start.

What does that suggest to you?

That I’ve not got a clear picture of the situation.

Do you feel strongly about discussing such things?

Yes.

You seem to be quite positive.

Thanks.

I’m not sure I understand you fully.

Take the meeting with Thomas Buckner earlier this month. There’s a dynamic, between Jesse [Ronneau] and myself, and the negotiation between us and Thomas.

Please go on.

The first-time, real-time, on-stage meeting with, in this case, Thomas creates interesting tactical problems for the improvisers. And I get to interact with Jesse in a totally new environment—context.

Do you say and you get to interact with Jesse in a totally new environment / context for some special reason?

Well, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, but it’s no particular secret that Jesse and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on things improvisative.

Don’t you really mean this in a bad way?

Not at all. That difference is surely what fires the engines of improvisation.

What is it you really wanted to know?

I suppose what I want to know is whether that Murray-O’Connor-Park trio was familiar or unfamiliar.

What would it mean to you if you got to know is whether that Murray-O’Connor-Park trio was familiar or unfamiliar?

Okay, how about this: to what extent, and in what way, was that trio a familiar retread, and to what extent was it something outside the comfort zone?

Are such questions much on your mind?

Given some comments by Paul [Hegarty], Mel [Melanie L. Marshall] and the recent encounter with Thomas, yes.

You are sure.

Yes.

I see.

But perhaps I am simply fetishizing the novel and new.

You don’t seem quite certain.

Most of my work in the last few years has been in the jam session mold. People fly in, or I fly out, and there’s an ad-hoc meeting. What I miss is the band.

Your work in the last few years has been in the jam session mold?

Yup. Even the concerts.

Does that have anything to do with the fact that your work in the last few years has been in the jam session mold?

Well, I suppose one leads to another.

That’s quite interesting.

But I miss the bands. The time to work on specific tactics and approaches.

You say but you miss the bands?

The Church of Sonology, say, or even the ensembles that exist for a few days or weeks. That gives the performers enough time to develop stuff that doesn’t happen in one-off meetings.

What does that suggest to you?

I’m neglecting stuff?

Do you believe it is normal to be neglecting stuff?

Well, it’s good to abandon stuff, not get too attached to it.

Do you feel strongly about discussing such things?

Well, [Evan] Parker admired [John] Coltrane for his ability to abandon. [1]

I’m not sure I understand you fully.

Again, I’m not sure about the fetishizing of the new.

Do you enjoy being not sure about the fetishizing of the new?

Not that—I wonder about the politics of it.

Can you elaborate on that?

Oh, I don’t know. Is it a form of middle-class, upward mobility—transcendence?

Why don’t you know?

Because it [the new] can also be about revolution.

Is that the real reason?

Hard to say. How can I perform one political maneuver while avoiding the other?

What answer would please you most?

That it is about change, but not…. Not sure. That I’ll need think about that.

notes:

1. Graham Lock (1991), ‘speaking of the essence’, Wire (issue 85, March), pp. 30–32.

Listening back to the recordings I can’t remember what I was playing or what’s coming next, but I can remember what I was thinking as I played. Such thoughts included “That doesn’t sound like what I expected”, “Now What?”, “Ha!”, “That was cool”, “Where’s he going with this?”, “What is that on the ceiling?” and “Should I finish here?” I think that, for me anyway, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t (depending of course on how you choose to define ‘worked’) which I suppose is in the nature of these things. What I mean, I think, is that sometimes it sounded like two people performing together and at other times it was more like two people who happened to be improvising at the same time. Leaving aside any personal taste in the aesthetics of sound, I think it’s more fun to perform together. I don’t mean that the performers should always be ‘in tune’ with each other or mimicking each other but just in tune to each other. If that makes any sense. Most importantly, I had a blast. It was really good fun to improvise with another person and play with them, off them, against them. Fun fun happy happy fun times.

Number two (the one after the first thing): Playing for R.E.A.L.

I definitely wasn’t expecting the opportunity to play with this toy. Just before the second half of their set begins, and me thinking I was safely out of the frying pan and cosy in front of the fire, Jesse Ronneau comes over….

“I’m gonna start this half, and then any time you want you come up, and take the bass from me and take over….”

Cool. Deadly… wait, what? How am I going to make this not seem like a rude intrusion??

Should I go now? No… Now? Hmmm, maybe not. What about now…? Just Go!

What followed was me messing around with the best double bass toy I’ve ever come across. I’m not sure how fantastic my performance was but once again…

I had fun.

A big thanks to the R.E.A.L. ensemble (Francis Heery, Piaras Hoban, James Fortune, Nora Salmon and Jesse Ronneau) for performing, and, hey, if I’m allowed to thank myself on behalf of the Lab, to Han-earl Park for opening the event. Major kudos to everyone who took to the stage, both Stet Lab (ir)regulars (Owen Sutton, Veronica Tadman and Kevin Terry) and newcomers (Méadhbh Boyd, Áine Mangaoang and Ros Steer). Special thanks to Kevin for refereeing on the night, and to photographer, John Hough.

Finally, as always, thanks to all who came to support this event.

As with all the recordings since December 2008, this month’s recordings are covered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. [More info…]

Also performing will be guitarist Han-earl Park who last performed solo in Cork almost exactly a year ago. [Listen…]

It should be an evening of compelling performances. Hope to see y’all there, and many thanks for your continued support.

Stet Lab with the R.E.A.L. Ensemble plus Han-earl Park

Tuesday, March 10th 2009

9:00 pm (doors: 8:45 pm)

Upstairs @ The Roundy [map…]
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland

€10 (€5)

Stet Lab presents the debut of a live electro-acoustic group, the R.E.A.L. Ensemble, upstairs at The Roundy, Castle Street, on the Tuesday, 10th March 2009 at 9 pm.

The R.E.A.L. Ensemble is composed of an award winning composer and improviser, Jesse Ronneau (double bass), plus four of Cork’s most exciting emerging artists, Francis Heery (laptop), Piaras Hoban (laptop and iPhone), James Fortune (electric guitar and effects) and Nora Salmon (laptop).

“We focus on spontaneous creation of immersive sonic landscapes produced by merging digital technologies with amplified acoustic instrument,” explains Francis Heery, one of the founders of the ensemble. Plundering techniques and technologies from contemporary composition, rock music, algorithmic music-making, drone music, minimalist electronica, musique concrète and noise, “sounds are played, processed, synthesized, reorganized, digested and regurgitated, creating a self-generating interactive entity, unpredictable, uncompromising and constantly engaging.”

One of Stet Lab’s regular performers, Veronica Tadman, adds, “Stet Lab has not hosted anything like the R.E.A.L. Ensemble before; it is going to be an exciting fresh venture. I personally am intrigued by what an iPhone can do musically, so will be looking out for its appearance on the night. A performance not to be missed!”

Opening the event will be guitarist Han-earl Park. In contrast to the cutting-edge technological resources of the R.E.A.L. Ensemble, Park will be demonstrating what new musics might be made with an amplified guitar, with some imagination, skill, and a little luck.

With the opportunity for the adventurous to sit-in and perform with the programmed acts, this month’s event will be a leap into the exciting outer-reaches improvised music.

The event will begin at 9:00 pm (doors open at 8:45 pm) and entry is €10 (€5).

Stet Lab will be back in April with more left-field, real-time musical interactions.