Sunday 11 August 2019, 7.30pm
What's described as "a trumpet player trapped in a two dimensional universe" is in fact the unique work of Lucas Abela (also know as Justice Yeldham), a maverick musician with an unhealthy obsession with sheets of broken glass. In his now infamous show which has astonished and bemused countless people in over 45 countries, Abela ecstatically purses his lips against panes of amplified glass whilst deftly employing various vocal techniques ranging from throat singing to raspberries, to turn the discarded shards into crude musical instruments. The results are a wild array of oddly controlled cacophonous noise teetering on the edge of music. This show quite simply needs to be witnessed to be fully appreciated, let alone understood.
"Lucas is just captivating. It's incredible how he can flip the feeling of a room upside down and sonically theres just no other sound like his" - ZACH HILL - Death Grips
"the most exciting performer I have seen in the last three years – in fact, since I first saw Iggy Pop" - Bruce Russell - WIRE
magazine.
"brilliantly immediate performance, galvanising and alien and funny, and free of safe gestures and easy comparisons." - Frances Morgan - the quietus.
Formerly known as Justice Yeldham, Granpa is the new persona for maverick Australian free noise musician Lucas Abela. The difference between the two are subtle, Abela still performs on shards of broken glass turned into crude musical instruments. Played by pursing his lips against the panes and vibrating them using vocal techniques akin to throat singing crossed with raspberries, creating an erratic array of strangely controlled, while oddly musical, cacophonous noise. While Yeldham is centered on ecstatic pure improvisation often resulting in maniacal performances, Granpa is an attempt to rein in the instrument and take it in a more musical direction. Abela also hopes the change might help to dispel the negative connotations his bloody forays as Yeldham have created, the blood for some overshadowing a truly unique musical output. However this transformation is far from complete Yeldham being the Hyde to Granpa’s Jekyll, occasionally taking over his subconscious.
http://dualplover.com/yeldham/
Mariam Rezaei is a multi-award winning composer, turntablist and performer. She previously led experimental arts project TOPH, TUSK FRINGE and TUSK NORTH, and in November 2022, received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards For Artists in recognition of her contribution to music composition. Her music has recently been described as ‘genuinely ground-breaking’ (London Jazz News 2022) and ‘high-velocity sonic surrealism’ (4* The Guardian 2022). Recent releases include ‘BOWN’ on Heat Crimes, 'SADTITZZ' and ‘SKEEN'. Recent performances include Turntable Trio with Evicshen and Maria Chávez at Counterflows/ REWIRE 2023, and as soloist and co-composer of ‘6 Scenes for Turntables and Orchestra’ with Matt Shlomowitz for ICTUS/Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, for the final concert at IM Darmstadt 2023.
Recent collaborations include Joan La Barbara, Evicshen, Maria Chavez, Maggie Nicols, Black Top (Pat Thomas & Orphy Robinson), Lasse Marhaug, Rhodri Davies, Angharad Davies, Alya Al Sultani, Mette Rasmussen, Audrey Chen, Elaine Mitchener, Will Guthrie, Lukas Koenig, Julien Deprez, Kenosist, Gwilly Edmondez and Elvin Brandhi.
Upcoming performances include ‘Azadi/Freedom’ with London Sinfonietta at HCMF 2023; Tehran Contemporary Sound, Berlin; Another Sky, London; 6 Scenes for Turntables & Orchestra with Brussels Philharmonic/ICTUS Ensemble, Brussels, Antwerp & Glasgow; GIOFest 2023, Glasgow; Taipei Biennial 2023, Taiwan.
Tom Wheatley is an artist and musician based in London. His work is patterns, rhythms and cycles, at an interface of physical and digital zones. Recently, his music has been documented on video and record.
His main collaborations are ТЕПЛОТА with Grundik Kasyansky, Cast-On with Ilana Blumberg, and various lineups & outputs with Daniel Blumberg, often including Billy Steiger, Ute Kanngiesser and Jim White.
