NL premiere

Drawing from noise, hip hop, and techno, The Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters bring a grungy, frayed-edges approach to free jazz. Stemming from composer, turntablist, and performer Mariam Rezaei’s residency at London’s Cafe OTO late last year, the ensemble features Mette Rasmussen on alto saxophone, Gabriele Mitelli on piccolo trumpet and electronics, and Lukas Koenig on drums. While moments in the music leak with familiar jazz sounds, the scratched techno-fabulations of Rezaei’s turntablism combine with with Mitelli’s ferocious trumpet, Koenig’s blasting drums, and Rasmussen’s snarling sax to form a new sonic concoction that brims and explodes outwards into something yet-to-be-discovered, yet-to-be-defined. Although no saxophones are expected to spontaneously combust during their performance, the way that the group warps expectations around their instruments’ sounds may as well obliterate them: there’s cosmic chanting, spangled noise, and gnarly wails – all coursing with a fun experimentation and chaotic punk character. “I always joke about Limp Bizkit and being the DJ in a big band,” Rezaei says, “so making [this group] is both a dream and a joke come true.”