MIMEO - Wigry

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

5...according to our Ant on Fri 27 May, 2011.

Monster collaboration alert! This is a recording from November 14th 2009 in Wigry which featured nine kings of experimental/improv/computer music: Phil Durrant, Christian Fennesz, Cor Fuhler, Thomas Lehan, Kaffe Matthews, Gert-Jan Prins, Peter Rehberg, Keith Rowe, Marcus Scmickler and Rafael Toral and together they created a totally weird and wonderful sound. Upon this, my first listen it is pretty difficult to digest exactly what is going on here. The striking thing is how spacious things feel even though there is really so much going on. So many delicate and fine sounds enter and then retreat, morph and transform. It really is quite mind boggling but really no single artist steals the show, each working intuitively to build this strange yet most welcoming sonic environment. I would have loved to have been present at the performance. If you are into the Fenn O'Berg records or Afternoon Tea by Ambarchi/Fennesz/Pimmon/Rehberg/Rowe then you'll really need to check out this classy 2LP in gatefold sleeve.

MIMEO is an electronic music orchestra of 10 to 11
musicians. The instruments range from analogue (Thomas
Lehn) and digital synthesizers (Marcus Schmickler),
amplified objects and old analogue equipment (Gert-Jan
Prins) to software designed especially for improvisation
(Phil Durrant); the line up varies from improvisers who
started in '60's (Keith Rowe) to younger genereation of
electronic musicians (Christian Fennesz); its aesthetics is
floating from space-jazz (Rafael Toral) to noise (Peter
Rehberg). The massive sound of the orchestra, sensitivity
to room's acoustical and social restraints and new
concepts for each performance make them one of the most
thrilling music phenomena of the last decade.
The concert published on the double vinyl was part of New
Music Peninsula – a series of experimental music concerts
held in Wigry. It was organized by Agnieszka Tarasiuk of
Residential Arts Centre and curated by Michał Libera and
Michał Mendyk of 4.99. Other concerts included complete
performance of “The Great Learning” by Cornelius Cardew,
zeitkratzer's reinterpretations of electronic music from
Polish Radio Experimental Studio and a panorama of
contemporary music in Lithuania. Some of the
performances have been released by Bôłt: New Music in
Eastern Europe.

MIMEO performed in the church. The evening was dark,
cold and windy. Each of the musicians had a separate
loudspeaker. Musicians were seated by the long table
placed between two rows of the benches. Almost like a last
supper. Everybody believed it was the final event in the
cultural programme of the Residential Arts Centre. Due to
some mysterious decisions the Centre was running for one
more year and was shut down on May 1st 2011. No other
cultural event after MIMEO happened in the church.

Phil Durrant, software synth / digital sampler
Christian Fennesz, computer
Cor Fuhler, piano
Thomas Lehn, analogue synthesizer
Kaffe Matthews, computer
Gert-Jan Prins, electronics
Peter Rehberg, computer
Keith Rowe, prepared guitar
Marcus Schmickler, computer
Rafael Toral, electronics

Recorded on 14th of November 2009 in Wigry
by Zosia Gołębiowska and Rafael Toral.
Mixed and mastered in 2010 at Piethopraxis, Cologne.
Cover artworks by Igor Omulecki.
Layout by Piotr Bukowski.
Produced / Curated by Michał Libera and Agnieszka Tarasiuk
(Residential Arts Centre in Wigry).
Published by Bôłt: New Music in Eastern Europe.
Co-produced and distributed by MonotypeRec.