Friday, May 16, 2008

Matt Stokes: "Manic Organic" Brighton Festival, Brighton, UK


Brighton Festival - Manic Organic - Thursday 15th May 2008
The Necks, Robert Lippok, Matt Stokes Sacred Selections, performed and transcribed by Paul Ayres and William Whitehead. £10, £15.

Exclusive to Brighton Festival

In its heyday Brighton Dome's hand-built 1936 pipe organ was the centrepiece of the world's longest running seaside concert series. Seventy years on Brighton Festival puts a subversive new spin on the 'organ extravaganza' in a 21st century renegade recital.

First to put its 3,000 pipes through their paces (with Italian harpist Beatrice Martini) is Robert Lippok, a seminal figure on Berlin's ambient electronica scene and founder of German post-rock outfit To Rococo Rot. In hot pursuit are Australia's The Necks, arguably the most exploratory and riveting avant-improv trio on the planet, tonight trading piano for pipe organ for their freeform sonic adventures.

Mixing up the medicine throughout in a series of mind-bending organ excursions is Sacred Selections, a brave music venture curated by Beck's Futures prize-winner Matt Stokes. Here, the high-octane break beats of rave-era Happy Hardcore and publicly selected tracks from Brighton's recent musical output are transcribed and performed live by renowned concert organists Paul Ayres and William Whitehead.

Pull out all the stops - its time to get Manic Organic!