Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Experiment: August 2008

Blood! Torture and gore! Macabre deathwish soundtracks! Obsessions of horror, lightened only by a touch of Tuvalan electro-distortion... It's a dark and chilling August with The Experiment.

"In my tortured ears there sounds increasingly a nightmare whirring and flapping, and a faint, distant baying as of some gigantic hound. It is not a dream - it is not , I fear, even madness ...." The Hound, H. P. Lovecraft

We can't escape the horror! - no escape to utopia for the artists on this month's podcast. Just good ole horror-obsession syndrome.

Supernatural, gore, mystery and bedazzlement are four words that you could use to describe the sounds of London-based act Bromancer, spawned from the Chaos vs Cosmos stable. We are showcasing one of their intense tracks, which can only be described as half Orc marching drill and half conversation with a David Lynchian dwarf.

Also in the filmic vain we have two classic film soundtrack composers. First up is Alessandro Alessandroni who is described as composer, arranger, mandolinist, guitarist, accordionist, sitarist, pianist and master whistler (on such classics as A Fistful of Dollars). Then we have Nora Orlandi, composer for films like buddy spoof comedy series Trinity and Kill Bill. Both composers are very special, as are all Italian film soundtrack back catalogues.

Next we have another label showcase, from Sweden, Nosordo Records from who we have two electronic recording artists creating sheer beauty: The Idealist and the collaborative works of Dax Pierson and Robert Horton.

Ever been to Tuvalu? A Polynesian island near Fiji, it's the fourth smallest country in the world. One of our artists this month is from there. The wonderful yves/son/ace are influenced by early French disco and electro artists like Black Devil, but they like to add an extra bit of reverb and distortion!

Blood! he screamed. Blood! No, we're not quoting Lovecraft again, but telling you about our next artist, Blood! who are from Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. Again a very mysterious band whose influences are 24-hour streams of horror imagery, and macabre death wishes, who can probably name you any classic or obscure horror flick at will. They've seen it, devoured it and recycled it for another excellent Blood! soundtrack-type composition.

Finally we have the excellent dynamic, esoteric, instant composing duo, James Dun and Peter Blundell - who are Temperatures, the London-based synth & drums improv team: enjoy.

Keep listening!

The Experiment is a monthly podcast commissioned by the ICA and presented and produced by Kevin Quigley and Jim Hammond.


www.myspace.com/temperaturestheband
www.imdb.com/name/nm0649943
www.alessandroni.com
www.nosordo.com
www.myspace.com/yvessonace
www.myspace.com/ponythirteen
www.myspace.com/bromancer

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