Capsule

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Matmos interview on The Quietus

“Matmos – the electronic duo comprised of Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt – have been creating, constructing and collaging sonic ephemera since the mid 90s. With each album they release, Daniel and Schmidt seem to have thrown each other a gauntlet, between them creating compositions based around the collection and processing of particularly unorthodox sounds. Sometimes compared to artists like Steve Reich, and certainly to Pierre Henry (the ‘father’ of Musique Concrete), Matmos have created albums entirely from the sounds of surgery (A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure), used the sound of a bovine uterus (on their venerative album The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast which pays tribute to notable queers), and on their first self-titled effort sampled the nerve signals of a crayfish.”

Read the full interview by Nix Lowrey HERE
Capsule present Matmos with J Lesser at the mac in Birmingham this Sunday tickets are available HERE
We’re intrigued and so should you be – see you there.

Rare live Matmos show

Capsule are delighted to be hosting a rare live performance by sonic experimenters MATMOS. They will be doing just 4 UK shows and you can catch them at mac on Sunday 15th May.

Matmos is M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel, from San Francisco aided and abetted by many others. In their recordings and live performances from 1995, Matmos have used the sounds of:
amplified crayfish nerve tissue, the pages of bibles turning, a bowed five string banjo, slowed down whistles and kisses, water hitting copper plates, the runout groove of a vinyl record, a $5. 00 electric guitar, liposuction surgery, cameras and VCRs, chin implant surgery, contact microphones on human hair, violins, rat cages, tanks of helium, violas, human skulls, cellos, peck horns, tubas, cards shuffling, field recordings of conversations in hot tubs, frequency response tests for defective hearing aids, a steel guitar recorded in a sewer, electrical interference generated by laser eye surgery, whoopee cushions and balloons, latex fetish clothing, rhinestones on a dinner plate, Polish trains, insects, ukelele, aspirin tablets hitting a drum kit from across the room, dogs barking, people reading aloud, life support systems and inflatable blankets, records chosen by the roll of dice, an acupuncture point detector conducting electrical current through human skin, rock salt crunching underfoot, solid gold coins spinning on bars of solid silver, the sound of a frozen stream thawing in the sun, a five gallon bucket of oatmeal and the vagina, uterus, and reproductive tract of a cow, among other things.

For this performance the band will be joined by J Lesser, known for his unrepentant approach to sound creation.
http://brainwashed.com/matmos

Capsule forthcoming gigs

Capsule are delighted to be hosting a show with WOODS this Monday at the Hare & Hounds. Support comes from The Doozer & Spectrals. Doors are 8pm

“A distinctive blend of spooky campfire folk, lo-fi rock, homemade tape collages, and other noisy interludes, all anchored by deceptively sturdy melodies.” – Pitchfork

Read what Pete Ashton has to say about the show

Other Capsule shows that are coming up include:

Tuesday 22nd March
Seefeel + Dead Fader + Epic45
Providing a bridge between the electronic nouveau and indie-rock and feat DH Scotch Egg and ex-Boredoms drummer Iida Kazuhisa.

Wednesday 23rd March
Arbouretum + Health & Efficiency + Tigernaut
Producing sweeping, atmospheric textures of heavy psych folk

Sunday 3rd April
Earth + Lori Goldston
The band took its name from the first incarnation of Black Sabbath. they are best known as pioneers of a minimalistic, long and repetitive form of heavy music known as drone.

Sunday 15th May
Matmos with J Lesser + John Wiese
Ever shifting  experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco

For further details check www.capsule.org.uk

Paul Hamlyn Award for Capsule

Capsule is delighted to announce they have been awarded a grant of £60,000 over two years from Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The award will be used toward capacity and organisational development in particular the successful delivery of forthcoming projects Home of Metal and Supersonic 2011, and the development of a five year plan.

Capsule are really grateful to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for recognising the contribution they are making to the region and further a-field. The grant will be of enormous benefit to Capsule and particularly help secure our future during these uncertain times.

Gavin Wade of Eastside Projects last year received a Breakthrough Fund, which has secured 3 years funding for the organisation from Paul Hamlyn Foundation. This is all great news for the future of organisations based in Eastside.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation Arts programme supports the development and dissemination of new ideas to increase people’s experience, enjoyment and involvement in the arts.

On the couch with Stuart

Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai at home with his dog (Picture: Pete Millson)

We did a short interview with Stuart at Supersonic Festival 2010, he talks about his experience of visiting as both a punter, DJing and performing with Mogwai. He doesn’t mention the infamous year of the bomb – when it was in fact his mum that telephoned from Glasgow to let us know that Birmingham had been evacuated due to a bomb scare and we had to close the festival. Stuart is also a big fan of Frank the pup, which of course gives him extra points.

Mogwai play the HMV Institute on Thursday and we can’t wait to hear their new material played live – Hardcore Will Never Die went into the UK album charts at number 25.

Supersonic gets a ‘big up’

Kevin Martin aka King Midas Sound and The Bug was recently interviewed for The Quietus and talked at length about his experience of working with Supersonic Festival and our approach.

In a weird sort of way Supersonic were responsible for me rethinking what I wanted to do with King Midas Sound. I’d seen Corrupted play a year or two before and they helped me remember the roots of where I’d come from musically….

They take chances where a lot of festivals don’t. And also they’re fans of the music whereas most festival organizers aren’t. Most festivals are run by money men. Most of this industry is run by shitheads with a craving for a fat wallet. Jenny [Moore, Supersonic Co-Founder] and Lisa have stuck to their guns and been passionate about it. They booked me very early on as The Bug when my first album was coming out. They booked me for two years running and you don’t forget stuff like that. You always remember the people who are in it for the right reasons and who support you because they appreciate what you’re trying to do. A lot of people in this business are just shallow, empty vessels of greed. And they are not that.

You can read the full article here

Capsule Job Opportunity

Marketing and Audience Development Assistant, Capsule + Home of Metal

F/T to August 2011 (Mid Jan start required)
£5.80 p/hour (£11,310.00 pro rata)

This is an exciting Future Jobs Fund Opportunity for anyone aged 18-25 who has been unemployed for a minimum of 6 months and is looking to forge a career in the arts.

You will work closely with the Programme Directors at Capsule on all aspects of Capsule’s day-to-day activities with a particular focus on ‘Home Of Metal’ – an exhibition across the West Midlands.

Duties will include general administration, research, copywriting, artist and artwork logistics.  You must be able to work unsupervised, have a good understanding of how to use social networking tools, copywriting skills, basic photoshop, passion for music and the arts, an eye for detail and excellent communication skills. Degree level or equivalent is preferred.

To apply for this position please send your CV and a covering letter / statement outlining your interest and experience to:
Lisa Meyer, lisa@capsule.org.uk using ‘Marketing and Audience Development Assistant’ in the subject.

Deadline for receipt of CV and covering letter              - 5th Jan
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview on     - 7th Jan
Initial briefing with successful candidate                - 14th Jan

For more information please contact:
Lisa Meyer, lisa@capsule.org.uk or 0121 248 2252

This post is offered through the Future Jobs Fund. To be eligible to apply you must be aged 18-24 and be claiming job seekers allowance. The post is offered for 6 months from January 2011. 30 hrs per week at minimum wage rates.

Supersonic review in The Wire

In the latest issue of The Wire Magazine a review from Supersonic Festival 2010, in which they refer to the Eastside creative community -

The West Midlands and Birmingham in particular are ‘the Home Of Metal‘ – where founding fathers like Black sabbath and Judas Priest played their first shows and a second wave, including Napalm Death and Godflesh, spawned numerous subgenres…We get a sense of the diverse musical and artistic interest that fed into the Birmingham scene. It’s clear that the city’s current music community, or at least the one centred around the Custard Factory, is equally openminded – something which the organisers Capsule both cater to and take inspiration from.

Supersonic confirms that there’s certainly something in the air in Birmingham, or, as one of the organisers suggests, in the city’s architecture, that makes even the older artists come across as fresh. That’s because you’re not observing them on display in a ‘zoo’, but working in their natural habitat: a post-industrial space. So many other music festivals offer what you expect to hear, merely affirming your good taste in music, Supersonic is a place to be educated and surprised: new, experimental and intellectually nourishing material is cleverly smuggled in under a black cloak of fist-pumping riffs and cathartic noise.

David Moats

Post Supersonic 2010

Photograph courtesy of quaintliving.com

So it’s almost a month since Supersonic Festival 2010 – here is a little video which whizzes through some of this years highlights. You can also have a look at our collective memory which has collated blog posts, photos and other video footage – enjoy and see you next year!

“Supersonic Festival is one of the most celebrated dates on the UK festival calendar.” Clash Magazine

Seeing Sound – Supersonic Festival

As part of Supersonic Festival Laura Coult has curated ‘Seeing Sound’, which will take place at VIVID on Heath Mill Lane, over the weekend of the festival, and will include a screening of Tony Conrads seminal work The Flicker (1966).
This is FREE to the public & Supersonic ticket holders

SEEING SOUND, curated by Laura Coult
VIVID
140 Heath Mill Lane | Birmingham |B9 4AR
www.vivid.org.uk
Fri 12 – 5pm
Sat 12 – 6pm
Sun 12 – 4pm

An exhibition exploring the ways in which we experience sound as light, movement, noise, and colour. Spanning 40 years the programme draws together historical and contemporary moving image works including Ben Russell’s Black & White Trypps No. 3 (2007) which documents an audience’s collective freak-out during a performance by Rhode Island noise band Lightning Bolt; and a special one-off screening of Tony Conrad’s seminal work The Flicker (1966) a 30-minute film exploring the possibilities for harmonic expression using a sensory mode other than sound; audience reactions to the film ranged from disorientation, temporary hypnosis, and intense experiences of colours and patterns, to headaches and violent bouts of nausea, all seemingly caused by the pulsating light’s interaction with the brain’s alpha waves. Other artists include Benedict Drew and Juneau Projects.

Live Performances: Sun 1pm
classical percussionist Joe Snape and musician Mr. Underwood. Snape will perform Lärmlicht #2, for percussionist, 4-channel tape and 8 lightbulbs. The piece is the first in an ongoing series which explores the expressive potential of light in the context of musical performance.

Following on from his Noise Box Workshop, Mr. Underwood will stage a rare performance of Steve Reich’s Pendulum Music. Originally scored for “For Microphones, Amplifiers Speakers and Performers” this adapted version will be performed using four Noise Boxes / Optical Theremins (similar to those made in the workshop) and four torches. This performance will take place in darkness – the torches, the only source of light, add a distinctive visual aesthetic to this classic phase piece.

Screening: Sun 3pm
The Flicker (1966) Tony Conrad (16mm)

Free entry