Japan’s Eye: Circom joins Dark Mofo

PRESS RELEASE:

This June will see Red Bull Music Academy making its inaugural appearance as part of the Museum of Old and New Art's Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania, as the two cultural institutions combine to present a highly unusual, ground-breaking, musical performance. “CIRCOM” is orchestrated by none other than Yamantaka Eye and was originally inspired by the Red Bull Music Academy 2014 event: Chaos Conductor.
 
EYE is commonly known as the closest thing to a frontman the Japanese experimental rock band Boredoms ever had and has evolved into one of the most highly regarded members of the global visual arts scene. A versatile yet instantly identifiable mixed-media artist, EYE exists across a wide palette as a musician, performer and visual artist. Releasing seven staggered studio albums, EYE’s highly influential and always evolving ensemble has stemmed various incarnations, spin-offs, collaborations and close associations with the likes of Sonic Youth, Matt Groening, Ween and most notably Beck.
 
For CIRCOM, EYE leads a group of eight participants through the Jo, Ha, Kyu, which is a traditional Japanese three-act structure. Jo: beginning, slow, quiet, silence, static. Ha: development, brisk, active. Kyu: drastic, intense, ending.
 
The participants will be seated around EYE in a circle as he conducts them in the round. Combining musicians and non-musicians, each operating a laptop and audio interface to create the sonic texture, EYE will direct the circle of laptop wielding performers using an entirely improvised sequence of specialised hand signals as shown in this recording ofChaos Conductor at last year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo.
 
Those that don’t know what to expect at CIRCOM, should turn back time to the auspicious 07/07/07, when EYE famously orchestrated 77 Boadrum, a synchronised drumming circle of 77 modern avant-garde rock percussionists, becoming the foundation for a series of astronomical annual numerical performances that also included 88Boadrum on 8/8/08, Boadrum 9 on 9/9/09, and Boadrum 10 on 10/10/10.
 
EYE's latest incarnation CIRCOM takes his role as conductor into new territory, as he leads the participants and audiences alike into an extemporized musical experience unlike anything else - teaming up with Red Bull Music Academy as they continue their quest on providing Australia with some of the most forward-thinking, extraordinary electronic talent the world has to offer. 

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