Tim Hecker & Konoyo Ensemble^CA/JP

Known for his intense escalation of ambient noise crafted on synthesizers, sequencers and software, Tim Hecker recently elevated acoustic source material onto equal footing with his technology, linking the two worlds in heightened conversation: trademark static, feedback, industrial chords and bass permeate, as ancient musical melodies steadily weave through the soundscape.

Blurring borders between musician and machine, Hecker creates environments of sonic craters and mountains, awash in storms cracked with sunlight. From bleak soundscapes to melodic explorations of acoustic instruments and choirs run through with digital dexterity, Hecker resists languishing in any genre. While traveling extensively in Japan, Hecker became obsessed with the intricacies of Japanese Gagaku court music, letting its silent intervals, harmonic direction and inherent patience guide his newest electronic compositions, which incorporate the 17-pipe horn shō and ryuteki instruments, cello and open tuning distorted electric guitar. For albums Konoyo and Anoyo, the recording process positioned Hecker as a band leader surrounded by his machines, collaborating with Japanese musician Motonori Miura and several gagaku musicians, cellist Mariel Roberts and Canadian composer and organist/synth musician Kara-Lis Coverdale (also on a quest to blur the lines between human and machine, sacred and sampled). Konoyo means roughly “the world over here”, Anoyo “the world over there.”

Continuing the dialogue in live performance, Hecker and the Konoyo Ensemble weave natural and treated sound sources to turn the MUTEK stage into a concert hall of new proportions and ancient/modern revelations. Lighter and looser in a live setting, the Konoyo/Anoyo sound is set free to roam physical space and become its own captivating entity, moving from gentle and organic to brutal and blissful.

With the support of J-LOD Subsidy Program for JAPAN CONTENT.