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experiments in music

Test Tone vol. 42

Test Tone 42 flyer

Sound Experiments

Test Tone presents vol. 42: Mardi Gras! A Lovely Carnival of Light and Sound on Fat Tuesday

February 17, 2009 (Tuesday) 20:00 to 25:00 at Super Deluxe, Nishi Azabu, Tokyo.

Welcome to where the street parade ends, the celebration finally culminating in the basement of Super Deluxe. Gather around for a rhythm-drenched evening featuring imaginary flower-covered floats but real night-time light displays to keep you glowing throughout the night.

Featuring:

Samm Bennett (Wave Drum) + Hiroyuki (Kalimba)

Samm Bennett (Wave Drum) + Hiroyuki (Kalimba)If you believe music to be a language, there would be people who seem to speak it with a rare fluency, like it was always their native tongue. Kalimba (African thumb-piano) virtuoso Hiroyuki and singer/songwriter/percussionist/drummer Samm Bennett are two of these special souls. With a perfect combination of fine musicianship and an inventive approach to their chosen instruments, both move effortlessly through a number of musical contexts.

Hiroyuki can still be found busking in the streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya as well as collaborating with theatre, image and dance performance (including everything from contemporary dance to belly-dancing and tap-dancing).

Samm hardly needs any introduction, as he has already made a name for himself worldwide as a founding member of Chunk , Semantics (with Elliott Sharp and Ned Rothenberg), Third Person (with Tom Cora), Skist (with Haruna Ito) and as a stellar musician in his own right.

The two of them together will be a very rare treat, a must-see for any fan of truly fantastic music.

Samm Bennett

Hiroyuki (Kalimba)

Kindapingpong (Shantell Martin + Atusi Assiv)

Shantell MartinOf course, anyone who has any interest in the visual arts in Tokyo will already have heard of illustrator, designer, VJ, artist and videographer Shantell Martin. With a number of multimedia collaborations to her credit, including the recent release of her visual mix/remix DVD 'Koobs' (from the innovative Lightrhythmvisuals label), who knew she had it up her sleeve to start a band as well?

Certainly Shantell is no stranger to live band interaction, but this time she works directly with sound designer Atusi Assiv to create a spontaneous and free audiovisual fiesta, which is head-bobbingly addictive.

Bring your lawnchair for this one!

Shantell Martin

Atusi Assiv

Coppe' + Special Guests

Coppe'For the songstress from Mars, a spaced out version of Fly Me to the Moon with Senor Coconut was the first stop on her way to Earth. At interplanetary arrivals she hooked up with the band and together they set out in a jazz-powered tour bus to spread the word around town. And the word is music. And the music is here.

If you've seen Coppe' play Test Tone before, then it's time to see her again: her live band of double bass, drums and special guest Jemapur (Lakho / Phaseworks / W+K Tokyo Lab) will perform a set of relounged jazz standards for an unwound Tuesday.

Recommended drink from the bar: martini.

Mango & Sweet Rice

Onnacodomo (visuals)

Onnacodomo Taking their inspiration from moments and objects from everyday life, visual unit Onnacodomo make the ordinary decidedly extraordinary. Eschewing computer-generated graphics or recorded material, the three members (DJ Codomo, Yasuko Seki and Ruka Noguchi) perform in real time using a video camera to capture their spontaneous creations.

Shimmering projections are created using water, mirrors and an array of lights, while a world of fantastic images is constructed with found photos, kitchen utensils, toys, stationary and improvised artwork.

Kaleidoscopic, absurd and unreal, Onnacodomo takes you into a slightly-unhinged world that is absolutely original in its conception.

Onnacodomo

Masaru Aikawa (Installation)

Masaru AikawaAs the entertainment industry falls into expensive legal battles over copyright infringement, we are faced with a number of questions about the nature of art. Should we really be making consumables for the masses? Are we packaging our own identity? Masaru Aikawa doesn't have any answers, but he does present a brilliant idea in his exhibition My 25 CDs. Taking the appearance of a run-of-the-mill listening post at your local record shop, his latest work offers something completely out of the ordinary.

Test Tone vol. 42 will mark the opening party of the Super Deluxe special installation, running from February 10 - 25. Come listen in.

Masaru Aikawa

Evil Penguin

Evil Penguin Grand wizard of vinyl and interstellar treasure hunter, the Evil Penguin makes the perilous journey to the forbidden archives, extracting the tastiest gems from a cosmic vat of recordings long forgotten.

03.02.2009. 11:35