Tyondai Braxton

A don’t miss double bill of America’s most inventive musicians

Tyondai Braxton

http://www.tyondaibraxton.com/

Tyondai Braxton is an American composer and electronic musician. He has been writing and performing music under his own name and collaboratively, under various group titles, since the mid 1990’s. His music incorporates electronic and modern orchestral elements, ranging from solo pieces to large-scale symphonic works.

The former front man of experimental rock band Battles, Braxton has since focused on his own work, including his critically acclaimed album Central Market – which has been performed by world-renowned orchestras such as London Sinfonietta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

He has been commissioned to write pieces for ensembles such as The Bang on a Can All Stars, Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, and Brooklyn Rider. In 2012, Braxton collaborated with legendary composer Philip Glass – performing as a duo for the festival series All Tomorrow’s Parties, as well as remixing Glass’ work for the REWORK remix album.

In 2013, Braxton premiered HIVE - a multimedia piece that is part sound installation/part live performance - at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He has given subsequent HIVE performances at Sacrum Profanum Festival in Krakow, as part of the Nonesuch Records 50th Anniversary celebration at The Barbican in London, and at Sydney Opera House.

HIVE1 - Braxton’s first new album in six years - was released on May 12, 2015 on Nonesuch Records.

Dawn of Midi

http://www.dawnofmidi.com

Bio - Dawn of Midi is a Brooklyn-based acoustic ensemble made up of Aakaash Israni from India on double bass, Amino Belyamani from Morocco on piano and Qasim Naqvi from Pakistan on drums. Formed in 2007, the band name was happened upon after Naqvi casually uttered the phrase by chance as a non sequitur for the improvised music the trio was making at the time, they had no idea that years later they would make an album like Dysnomia that would make their name appear fateful.

Having met at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles in 2006, the trio found their original rapport through late night tennis matches on the campus court. The chemistry they founded there eventually led them back indoors to improvise together; something they did in total darkness to deprive themselves of all their senses except the crucial one – their hearing.

With Dysnomia, Dawn of Midi abandon improvisation in favour of composition, utilising sophisticated rhythmic structures from North and West African folk traditions to weave a sonic tapestry of trance-inducing grooves. From close up one may see only dots, but when stepping back an undulating image reveals itself.

“We wanted to make a record that sounded both musically futuristic and sonically vintage,” explains Israni, “and since the album never saw a proper international release, it is very exciting to see what might happen when more people are exposed to it. And to be aligned with Erased Tapes, whose enthusiasm for the music they release has done a lot for exposing unique instrumental and electronic music, makes it that much more interesting.”

Having supported Nils Frahm on his sold-out North American tour in 2014, Dawn of Midi will be joining their fellow label artist throughout Europe in spring 2015. Dysnomia will be released worldwide on June 1, 2015 through Erased Tapes – available on 2x LP, CD and Download.