Institute of Contemporary Arts

CMM: [no.signal] present Swedish Outsiders

Date: 17 May 2008

Gabriel Green 

Saturday night was a one off night here at the ICA curated by [no.signal] as part of our Contemporary Music Month. The Swedish Outsiders had come to take over both cinema and theatre for a day full of short films, animations and screenings before offering up a terrific musical line up in the evening. Not really being ‘au fait' with the Swedish electronica, avant garde jazz and drone music scenes I was keen to hear what had brought all these people down to the ICA. So, pushing through the busy bar, I managed to nab a prime front row seat in the theatre and settled in ready to listen and learn.

First to play were Tape . The trio took to the stage with two laptops, two guitars (acoustic/electric), a Korg keyboard and a xylophone for good measure. From this seemingly simple setup Tape launched into some absolutely beautiful music which instantly drew us in and held us nice and tight. Gentle waves of chords supplemented by achingly soft guitar licks took us on a serene journey as digital riffs flickered in and out. Tape naturally combined their acoustic and electronic sounds to create experimental music that was thoughtful yet never repetitive. As they finished their album launching set (‘Luminarium' out now) I felt as if Tape had just walked us, the audience, through an enchanted forest of nostalgia and lost memories. Both poignant and moving, Tape opened the night in grand style.

Benny Nilsen, aka BJ Nilsen , is a sound and recording artist whose works, according to the program, "focus on the sound of nature and its effect on humans, field recordings and the perception of time and space as experienced through sound." This was to be hardcore drone music so it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I took my seat again. Hunched over his laptop in a smart suit Nilsen seemed like a stylish mad scientist as he set to work. Cavernous rumbles, alarms going off, jet plane engines, wailing animals, pneumatic drills and generally all the things that go bump in the night are just some of the sounds I heard amongst this terrifying yet awe inspiring barrage of noise. Not always easy listening as at times it reached ear splitting levels,  Nilsen created a disconcerting apocalyptic sound that crept up before overwhelming the audience. When the noise finally subsided there was a strange mix of euphoria and palpable relief to have ‘survived' what was more a sonic experience than music...but worth experiencing for yourself.

For many the next performer was to be the highlight of the evening. Folke Rabe , an extremely influential composer, jazz musician and lecturer, was here to present three pieces from his huge catalogue of work. This included his seminal sixties work ‘What??'. Even at the ripe old age of seventy two Rabe's passion, knowledge and wisdom shone as he told us the story behind his first piece. Spending time in New York and San Francisco during the sixties he had become fascinated by the vocal manner and timing employed by the US radio disc jockeys of stations such as WABC. From this interest he created a seamless collage of such DJs introducing songs, filling time and station idents. Utilising the cut and paste method known at the time as ‘tape music' Rabe had made a Coldcut like remix, only about twenty years before technology made it simple. At one point he blends the opening chords of ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey' into the closing chords to create what he termed as a ‘five second song'. The piece closes with live recordings of Beatles fans breathlessly exclaiming their love for the Fab Four which add to Rabe's interpretation of US pop culture. A 1985 work followed; formed by Rabe's reaction to the news that a local beach had been closed due to pollution. Calling to mind barren landscapes with its slow burning drones and quiet hums this was a more subtle and less playful piece although no less powerful.

Folke Rabe then returned to the mic to introduce ‘What??'. Describing the piece as a ‘melody of six tones, each four to five minutes long, exposed over twenty five minutes. But on a microlevel each tone has a selection of harmonic overtones.' It proved an interesting listen as almost imperceptible changes took place slowly but surely throughout. I felt lost in time as the hypnotic and pure nature of the sound took control before coming to in order to applaud one of the true innovators of electronic avant garde music.

The final act was split into two halves. The two saxophonists Mats Gustafsson and Evan Parker, both stalwarts of the free jazz scene in their respective Sweden and Britain, stepped up first to do a duo collaboration before they were to be joined by Roger Turner on drums and Pat Thomas on his self programmed keyboards. I'm not sure if Parker and Gustafsson have played much together but they displayed a real ease and natural ability to bounce off one another. Parker provided more of a steady base from which Gustafsson took flight with great verve. The music dipped and soared, full of short, sharp bursts and mini crescendos with Gustafsson bobbing and weaving like Ali in his prime as both men put their all into a vibrant performance. Welcoming Turner and Thomas onstage the quartet proceeded to jack it up a level. Drum rolls and fills scattered through the free wheeling music as Turner showed there is more than one way to play a drum kit. Bringing out plastic forks to scrape across cymbals, bent chunks of metal to whack and mini bells to drop down upon the snare he worked away feverishly. By now they were in full effect and the mix of the breathless saxophone and drums alongside Thomas' bizarre but entrancing keyboard was a sight and sound to behold. Chatting to a few people from the Swedish Embassy in the bar afterwards it seemed the night had not only gone down a storm but also done wonders for English Swedish relations... ‘tack' Swedish Outsiders!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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