The Drone Ensemble play in UnEarth II at Alphabetti Theatre on Saturday 14th January 2017

A night of experimental music from the North

When: Saturday 14th January 2017
Show begins: 7:30pm 
Tickets: £5 from:  https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/162197 or on the door
Age recommendation: 18+

UnEarth, presented by TOC (The Occasion Collective) will be the second of a series of experimental music events at Alphabetti Theatre, showcasing some of the North’s experimental and electronic musicians from the fields of coding, improvisation and more.

A special late licence has been arranged so the music can continue until 2am!

Line-up:

Cooking with Faye

A Newcastle based improvisation ensemble, creating spontaneous soundscapes and beats. The band is made up of electronics, sax + collaborators.

Some Some Unicorn

Some Some Unicorn has evolved from an online collaborative project into a free flowing collective of improvising musicians, poets and artists who value shared experience and community.

The Drone Ensemble

The Drone Ensemble are an experimental sound group that design, make and combine installation and performance on unique sound instruments. The simple form of a drone ignites a capacity for a sound­scape that, during performance, allows freedom from rigid harmonic and rhythmic progression. 

Unfortunately I wont be able to play as I am at work, but if Monday's rehearsals are anything to go by, it is set to be a great night, so go along and enjoy!

Drone Ensemble at The Occasion Collective, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, 29th July 2016

Here's a video of the Drone Ensemble playing at The Occasion Collective, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle on Friday 29th July 2016




https://youtu.be/h_AfELaE7OY

Drone Ensemble at UnEARTH

Last night the Drone Ensemble played as part of TOC's UnEARTH event at Alphabetti Theatre.

"UnEarth at Alphabetti Theatre will showcase some of Newcastle's most interesting experimental and electronic musicians. From artists pushing the boundaries of live coding, improvisation and a number of creators building their own instruments, UnEarth is sure to be a highlight of the summer. Expect to experience the power of the acoustic drone and get your grove on to some seriously dancey vibes."

Performers included Mr Blazey, Jamie Cook, Ben Jeans Houghton, The Drone Ensemble, Phil Begg, Shelly Knotts and co￥ﾡpt aka Sean Cotterill.

Mr Blazey kicked off with his Kalimbo Project:

"[This project] is an attempt to apply collage techniques to every level of a musical performance; a thumb-piano ‘collaged’ together from everyday objects (lunch box, cupboard door handles, bike spokes etc.) contains motion and touch sensors which control effects while triggering, layering and juxtaposing fragments of samples and found-sounds through simple gestures. Expect exploratory shifting layers of ambient drones sprinkled with sloppy beats."

Check out the demo here:

mrblazey.tumblr.com

The Drone Ensemble were next up. We began with one of the friction drums, then gradually added another friction drum, followed by another. 

 

Edwin then introduced the large hurdy gurdy and after a while Ben shifted from playing the friction drum to playing the pipe gurdy. Later, I left my friction drum and took over from Edwin on the hurdy gurdy as he moved onto the percussion, shortly followed by Bex. 

Ben moved back to the friction drum for the remainder of the set. Bex and Edwin gradually faded out the percussion, and Edwin joined me on the hurdy gurdy, pressing on the strings to alter the sound produced. We ended the set by gradually fading out the hurdy gurdy.

We were pleased with how the performance was received, and felt it suited being played in such a venue. Unlike some other places where we have played, at the Alphabetti theatre each of the performers could hear the sound of the instrument they were playing. Hopefully the recording (which will go on the Drone Ensemble soundcloud soon) will sound as good.

Ben Jeans Houghton followed our set. creating layered loops with a multitude of instruments and his voice. Awesome!

For more information about Ben's work visit

http://www.benjeanshoughton.co.uk/

Next Drone Ensemble performance - UnEARTH at Alphabetti Theatre on Friday 29th July, 7-11pm

The Drone Ensemble are delighted to have been invited by (The Occasion Collective - TOC) to perform at UnEARTH, an evening of experimental and electronic music at Alphabetti Theatre on Friday 29th July.



"UnEarth will showcase some of Newcastle's most interesting experimental and electronic musicians. From artists pushing the boundaries of live coding, improvisation and a number of creators building their own instruments, UnEarth is sure to be a highlight of the summer. Expect to experience the power of the acoustic drone and get your grove on to some seriously dancey vibes."



For more information please visit

https://www.facebook.com/events/1256973927675640/

We are not yet sure what the setup will be, nor the duration of our set, but as we will have a limited number of drone performers (folk are on holiday) we are thinking of keeping it relatively simple, with a much smaller range of instruments. We met up to prepare the instruments and have a rehearsal. It was sounding great!