20130511 Editions Mego
For almost 20 years the Austrian based Editions Mego label (initially Mego) has been at the forefront of radical electronic music, carving out new forms on an unfathomably regular basis. A solid historical grounding along with the vision of a new utopia has seen an endless stream of innovation amongst it’s countless releases over the past two decades. Incorporating numerous genres and movements that have appeared over the decades including electroacoustic, musique concrete, industrial, noise and techno along with the now patented ‘extreme computer music’ Editions Mego has never been one to rest on it’s laurel’s continually exploring the multifarious threads of past, present and potential future of electronic music.
20130511 Editions Mego was the largest live assemblage of the Editions Mego aesthetic when it was presented here showcased generations of electronic practice whilst remaining reliably restless amongst any quantifiable form.
The GRM room
Having taken the noble task of re-issuing the holy grail of the 20th Century abstract electronic canon from the archives of the legendary French electronic studios, the INA-GRM, a room was dedicated to the GRM with ‘surround sound’ presentations of works both historical and contemporary. Legendary works by the French scientists/poets/maniacs were represented with diffusions of works by Luc Ferrari and Bernard Parmegiani. Another ‘diffusion’ was the premiere of a new work by Hecker who, in the years since his initial works on Mego, established himself in multiple disciplines including computer music, psychoacoustics, installation art, philosophy and radical mathematics (often within the same work). Kassel Jaeger represented the GRM in it’s latest incarnation being a sound engineer who also makes complex works of unsettling beauty. Robert Hampson has worked with the GRM having had the piece ‘Répercussions’ commissioned for playback on the Acousmonium speaker system in 2011. Both Jaeger and Hampson presented their works in person.
The Live Room
The Live Room played host to all manner of sonic exploration. They ranged from multi-disciplined Russell Haswell who performed a fierce sensory shifting audio/visual set and the original abstract/melodic master Fennesz who returned to the home that unleashed him upon an unsuspecting world so many moons ago. New additions to the roster included Austrian audio/visual artist Billy Roisz and legendary ambient producer Mark Van Hoen who perform3e under his Locust guise. The absolute master of exquisite chaos, Kevin Drumm made an appearance as did the most dedicated grand master of the UK underground, Mr Bruce Gilbert. Finally, post techno’s most lucid practitioner, Mark Fell assured an evening of unforgettable sonic arsenal with his unique take on theory, chaos and reconstructed rave gestures.