It’s no secret that the dulcet sounds of ambient music are having a moment. First materialising in the form of Brian Eno’s iconic and genre-defining ‘Music for Airports’ some 40 years ago, the past few years have seen a resurgence in collection and recording of the genre, and an exploration into remarkable new corners. At Rewire 2019, we survey the vast landscape of contemporary ambient music with a handful of performances spread across the festival weekend. Kicking off with modern masters like Tim Hecker, William Basinski and Lawrence English, we shift to newcomers like Turkish sound artist Ipek Gorgun and local composer Haron.
Dive into Rewire 2019’s world of ambient below and get your Festival Passes and Day Passes at Tickets.
Over the course of 15 years and twelve solo and collaborative albums, Canadian composer and sound artist Tim Hecker has cultivated a distinct brand of ‘ambient noise’ that is at once intensely physical and profoundly emotive. He heads to Rewire 2019 in support of his latest project, ‘Konoyo’. Joined by an ensemble of traditional gaguka musicians, – a form of classical Japanese music that has been performed in the country’s imperial courts for centuries – Tim Hecker & Konoyo Ensemble blend ancient instrumentation with Hecker’s characteristic synthesizers, ambient drone and warm harmonic noise.
Tim Hecker & Konoyo Ensemble perform at Koninklijke Schouwburg at 20:35 on Friday, 29 March.
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/90unmGG4eKI
William Basinski and Lawrence English are two of ambient music’s modern masters. Best known for his four-part masterpiece, ‘The Disintegration Loops’, Basinski has been a vital force in the New York art scene for over three decades. His Australian counterpart is a preeminent experimental composer and media artist, and founder of leading avant-garde label Room 40. Having repeatedly crossed paths over the course of the past decade, the duo head to Rewire 2019 together in support of their first-ever collaborative release, ‘Selva Oscura’. Expect a delicate balance between English’s polished, cerebral output and Basinski’s melancholic tape loops.
William Basinski & Lawrence English perform at Lutherse Kerk at 00:30 at Saturday, 30 March.
Listen on bandcamp
Alex Zhang Hungtai’s musical repertoire has radically shifted with each new incarnation. First emerging with the crooning experimental pop of Dirty Beaches nearly a decade ago, he’s since released saxophone-driven free jazz as Last Lizard, dark, dissonant drone with his Love Theme trio, and even featured as part of Trouble in the recent Twin Peaks reboot. Now recording and performing under his own name, the Taiwanese-born artist and musician channels his diverse practice into rapturous ambient compositions full of digitally disfigured saxophone, choral serenades, twisted synths, and soaring church organs.
Alex Zhang Hungtain performs at Oude Katholieke Kerk at 21:00 on Sunday, 31 March.
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1f8M2Njcbo
Lush, organic, joyous and terrifying, Ipek Gorgun’s experiments in sound abandon the conventions of classic ambient. Drawing from musique concrète, noise and field recordings, the Turkish electroacoustic composer and sound artist infuses her works with microscopic detail before zooming out to reveal a winding, cinematic narrative. Released by the iconic Touch in September, the critically-acclaimed ECCE HOMO oscillates between small movements and grand gestures, and captures our unique human ability to both create beauty and destroy it to devastating effect.
Ipek Gorgun performs at Korzo (studio) at 14:45 on Sunday, 31 March.
Listen on bandcamp
First emerging with releases for The Hague club music stronghold BAKK Records (sharing records with Legowelt, Aurora Halal & SFV Acid), Haron has adopted a more introspective approach as of late. The new direction culminated in his breakout debut ‘Wandelaar’ on newfound label Queeste, a meandering and mesmerizing ambient soundtrack to summer that’s steeped in graceful melodies and soothing provisation. Commissioned by Rewire, he will present the world premiere of a new performance for piano, electronics and spatialised sound that combines elements from ‘Wandelaar’ with new compositions.
Haron performs at Korzo (zaal) at 18:00 on Sunday, 31 March.
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/0wnj_wPTF14