The Tone Generation

Check this:

Over 10 programmes, artist/musician Ian Helliwell delves into his archive to look at the development of electronic music right across the world in the classic era of analogue technology. Starting in Europe and finishing up in the Southern Hemisphere, he will be playing vintage tracks from celebrated and overlooked composers from each country.

6 programmes already completed [Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Belgium, Scandinavia]. Next programme announced: #7, Eastern Europe. Stay tuned here.

D.D.A.A. play Ronsard

This obscure group of radical experimental noise makers used improvisation and collage to craft strange sounds and deconstructed songs for highly creative music that is as far off the path of conventions as that of similar but more known visionaries like the Residents and Nurse With Wound. In fact, DDAA roughly began the same time as NWW in the late ’70s, started by three visual artists, Sylvie Martineau, Jean-Philippe Fee, and Jean-Luc Andre in Lion sur Mer, France. The multi-talented trio originally formed Illusion Productions to create plastic sculpture and other various artistic pursuits and DDAA became the musical arm of Illusion. Déficits des Années Antérieures, their full name, translates roughly in English as “last year’s deficit,” though perhaps more appropriate is the fact that their initials are an anagram of Dada, that pre-Surrealism art movement at the time of World War I. As none of the three were trained musicians, their music had a distinct naïve quality of outsider art and with few noticeable influences, exists on a plane of its own. Like others whose music is too uncompromisingly different to become commercial, DDAA began releasing recordings under the umbrella of Illusion Productions.

[via The Thing On The Doorstep blog]

Here is presented the cd version of DDAA play Ronsard. There are five tracks featured in it, two from the original LP [tracks 1 & 2], two from the limited 7″ [tracks 4 & 5] and one bonus track [track 3, All my mistress Marie]. As soon as I found it in Athens I decided to upload it having no knowledge of the post on The Thing On The Doorstep. I finally made my post to give a chance of obtaining it in better quality (FLAC) [to my best knowledge, it is OOP in all formats] and for the bonus track. There is much more info and sounds to be found in two of the most interesting blogs around, my friend continuo’s and The Thing On The Doorstep by fellow minded Cranio, I only recently discovered. Thank you for all these great shares.

DDAA play Ronsard

[part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4]

take a walk at the galleries

Due to the nature of my trip to and business in Athens apart from attending EMW I paid a visit to a variety of artists and galleries. The following selection is of the most interesting ones

Nikos Lytras in National Gallery

A great exhibition showcasing and documenting the work of Nikos Lytras who unfortunately died at a young age and left only a small body of work. What lacks though in volume it makes up in importance. One of the greats that is frequently ignored. On the brink of Greek modernism Nikos Lytras was a daring pioneer. From his portraits and nudes to his land and seascapes you can admire his full, fluid brush stroke, bearing strength and emotion, his stroke that was rejected at the time as dirty and filthy. A rare event of great importance.

Until 2th of June

Dafni Rokou in Astrolavos Gallery

With studies in photography and cinema Dafni Rokou has created about 30 pieces [varying sizes] using mixed technique, for her exhibition in Astrolavos gallery. This part of her work [unfortunately I am unfamiliar with her other projects or activities] is simply amazing. Dark, dusted, surreal, disturbing at times visions staged and executed in first phase [I presume] photographically. Greatly influenced by the Russian avant garde of the 20s, Rokou does very little to hide the cinematic feel her work evokes. Witkin is there [even Alan Tex] along with a variety of references and influences all creatively filtered and combined to form the amalgam of Dafni’s work. The concept and main inspiration for this unit of pieces are the undelivered letters and packages trapped forever within four Post Offices scattered around the globe, that closed on the same day on exactly the same time. Stories left untold, wishes that never reached their destinations. Hopes, fears, events, places and faces. I actually bought a piece at the exhibition [shown below], I wish I could afford more. I will try to get in touch with Dafni Rokou and get back to you with more on her and her art.

Until 24th of May.

Also [worth mentioning]:

Nansi Sousoula also at Astrolavos [until 24th of May] and Stelios Faitakis at The Breeder [Eumorfopoulou 6, Psirri, until 30th of May]