Wednesday 28 August 2024, 7.30pm

Seefeel + Agathe Max

No Longer Available

Before the electro-infused indie and post-rock of today, there was Seefeel. Like the pulsating, polyrhythmic sound scapes they composed, Seefeel ebbed and flowed to and from existence; some noticed, buying up every last release as they trickled out from Seefeel's christened studio, 'Polyfusia'. Many remained fans to this day in light of the fact that, until recently, Seefeel had been on an open-ended and indefinite hiatus. In spite of a relative underexposure the importance of Seefeel's existence cannot be overstated. They provided a bridge between the electronic nouveau and indie-rock; being ultimately instrumental in opening up the parallel reality of electronic music to the more adventurous members of the indie scene.

Seefeel first emerged at a time when conventional guitar music was stagnating; Grunge, with it's iconoclastic visual and aural aesthetic, was subverting the excesses of post-1980s arena rock and subsequently hijacking mainstream audiences hungry for something new. Indie and art-rock were pushing the genre forward further still by placing more emphasis on the aural texture of the guitar rather than creating hooky chords and bridges. To the far left of it all, there was a curious musical development whose heart beated to a time-measured circuitry of sequencers, samplers and drum-machines; spurred on by the synthetic revolution of the 1980s, electronic music was coming into it's own as technology was finally able to accommodate it's boundless compositional potential. Perhaps instinctively the members of Seefeel, under the guise of a conventional four-piece guitar band, tapped into these vanguard movements and technologies, fusing them into a new sound altogether; one with the humanity of a band and the inhumanity of a machine. Back in the mid ninteen ninties Seefeel sounded like nothing else at the time and, in the wake of countless contemporaries, still sound fresh and unique today to those who would newly discover their timeless work.

Agathe Max

France-born, London-based Agathe Max, violin and viola player, beside different collaborations (Abstract Concrete, UKAEA, These Towns, Ondata Rossa) works on projects including electroacoustic composition, music and sound design for documentaries, animated movies, short movies, theatre, contemporary dance and art exhibitions. Max’s last composition Shadoww, journeys from blissful voice and yearning bow work on ‘Ylang Ylang On Heart’ through to intricate synthesis and pounding beats. It’s widescreen, panoramic music propelled by fervid energy, but never at the expense of detail and nuance. Partly inspired by shadow work exercises from her friend Louise Bolla – that is, a practice of psychological therapy which aims to connect with what’s hidden in the unconscious – Max’s music traces a parallel possibility in sound. Music’s ability, whether in a church or a club, to give a brief glimpse of being plugged into something beyond your own ego. 
www.agathemaxmusic.com
https://instagram.com/agathe.max
https://agathemax.bandcamp.com/

Photo by Estie Joy