Jean-François Laporte (from Québec)

Integrating visual art and sound exploration, Québécois artist Jean-François Laporte has been an influential figure on the contemporary art scene since the mid-1990s. Taking an intuitive approach to creating music, Laporte has learned his art through concrete experimentation on matter, actively listening to each sound, object or material. Much of his work is the result of working with raw material, devising simple yet ingenious constructions born of each material he explores.

Receiving his fifth "Prix Opus" last year, Laporte was named "Facteur d'Instrument de Musique de l'Année" by the CQM (Conseil Québécois de la Musique). This gives timely recognition to the quality of Laporte's work and the importance his visionary musical inventions.

Jean-François Laporte

Benjamin Thigpen (US/Paris/Italy)

For Benjamin Thigpen, music is a medium that speaks about ideas, thoughts, activities, scenes, images and conflicts. With his strong background in literary studies, he has developed a singular approach to musical composition and structure, which has led to accolades and performances of his work worldwide.

Since first moving to Europe from his native US, he has been an influential teacher at notable institutions like IRCAM (Paris) and the Conservatory of Cuneo (Italy).

Benjamin Thigpen

Jérôme Fouquet (France) + Meri Nikula (Finland) + Lead Sister II (US/Japan)

It's hard to define the unlikely outcome of this first-time meeting, but imagine a musical potpourri of trumpet multiphonics, Nordic melody and southern smokehouse anthems and you might be getting close. Coming together from disparate lands to make some glorious sounds will be French trumpet player Jérôme Fouquet, Finnish vocalist Meri Nikula and instrument chemist and all-around music healer Lead Sister II.

This may just be the new vibrations you've been waiting for.

Jérôme Fouquet

Meri Nikula

Lead Sister II

Evil Penguin

Master of disguises, Mexican top-hats, ambient rockabilly to minimal Hawaiian Kumulipo chants, the Evil Penguin poses the primordial question of evanescence against a backdrop of New Wave folk. Celebratory, subliminal, moment-to-moment. A Tasmanian treasure with a penchant for open spaces.