Sunday 1 March 2015, 8pm
For the second night of his residency, Buenos Aires-born experimental composer, musician and founder member of cult Argentinian group, Reynols. Alan Courtis, performs with Unlimited London – a special group combining talents from The Carbonators, Club Soda, Stay Up Late and more.
“I prefer a concert where something special happens, even if it’s not technically perfect. I like to make music where the structures aren’t settled. Where you have… doubts about what is good and bad... I’m not asking people to listen to all my records. There’s a lot of stuff there and I don’t think it’s necessary to listen to everything. It’s not important. For me, it’s more like a process – to keep searching, rather than to say, yes! I’ve got it! I’ve got the perfect formula! I think that’s the main thing, you know, to keep on searching. To keep trying.” – Alan Courtis
Alan Courtis was born in 1972 in Buenos Aires , Argentina. He was a founder member of Reynols who spawned over 100 releases. He also has more than 100 solo releases and collaborations on labels like: P.S.F., Blossoming Noise, No-Fi, Porter, RRR, Riot Season, Kning Disk, Beta-Lactam, Sedimental,Alt.Vinyl, Feeding Tube, etc. He has toured extensively in Japan, Europe, USA, Australia, NZ & Latin America and has collaborated with musicians like: Pauline Oliveros, Lee Ranaldo, Jim O’Rourke, Phill Niblock, Otomo Yoshihide, Francisco López, Daniel Menche, Yoshimi, Eddie Prevost, Makoto Kawabata, KK Null, Mats Gustafsson, Rick Bishop, Toshimaru Nakamura, L.A.F.M.S., Thomas Dimuzio, Tetuzi Akiyama, Lasse Marhaug, Ashtray Navigations, Nihilist Spasm Band, Rapoon, Birchville Cat Motel, The New Blockaders, Kaffe Mathews, Jaap Blonk, Jazkamer, C.Spencer Yeh, Okyung Lee, Avarus, & Kemialliset Ystavat.
His music always has strong experimental sense and usually based on high-skilled techniques of prepared sound, tape manipulations, processing of field recordings, live electronics, objects, cymbals, synthesizers, computer tools, playing traditional (both acoustic and electric) instruments as well as self-built, strange and unusual instruments (eg. unstringed guitar). Courtis has composed music for films by directors like Claudio Caldini, Sergio Subero, Guillermo Ueno & Pablo Mazzolo. He currently coordinates a Field Recordings Workshop at Centro de Investigaciones Artisticas and Cobra Libros in Buenos Aires, and he has also ran workshops in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico, Peru, Chile, United States, Australia, New Zealand & Japan.
