Hello
I’ve just safely returned from Amsterdam, where I was attending the Savvy Awards Ceremony to collect an award.
Winning a Savvy Award in Amsterdam
I was 12 years old the last time I stood in front of a crowd to accept an award, and at that time it was to receive a Mars chocolate bar as an award for playing the piano on the pier at Hastings in the UK. Quite some years later, I feel equally delighted to receive an accolade, on a somewhat grander scale.
The Savvy Awards are the world’s only award for innovation and creativity across all disciplines, categories and industries, because, as they rightly say, innovation comes in all shapes and forms. The day began with a private tour of NXT Museum, followed by an award dinner at Restaurant Hotel De Goudfazant, an incredible industrial space just across the river.
Sharing this experience with many inspirational figures was an absolute joy, and I was especially touched to discover that I had been nominated by Dutch artist, designer and curator Erik Kessels, who is the co-founder and creative partner of Kesselskramer. Erik is an artist I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for and am an avid collector of his publications, each of which offers up a unique vision of the world around us.
As for my award? Well, rather grander than a chocolate bar this time round – I received a framed personalised certificate and a unique framed artwork too. Adding to the joy, I also met and made a lot more new friends which is possibly the greatest reward of all. Thank you to everyone for your support, and especially to some of you guys for many years of your fine attention!
Reuniting with Fennesz in London
Last month I was honoured to play a live show with my old friend, Austrian musician Christian Fennesz, at St James’s Church in Piccadilly. When I realised that we’ve been friends for thirty years now, Christian amusingly responded that we were now the ‘old men of new electronica’!’
The night itself was an incredible success. With a capacity sold-out audience of over 600 people, we both had an opportunity to share our work in the most elegant of spaces. Designed by Christopher Wren, the church itself was completed and consecrated in 1684.
Personally, it was an incredible experience to perform my music in this beautiful Baroque space, with intricate marble carvings and striking stained-glass windows, and to hear my sound reverberating around such a massive space was phenomenal. I performed a mix of some familiar pieces from Fibolae and The Homeland of Electricity, and a whole set of new unreleased music.
Lady Remix
I recently remixed new music from British artist and producer Joy Stacey, which features the amazing Anice Ossoulian on vocals, and I’m so proud of it. The original is a really robust pop song, but given an opportunity to completely rework it, I reframed it into this densely cinematic piece, that builds into an intense rhythmic climax.
You can listen to it on all streaming services, from Spotify to Apple Music, Deezer to Tidal. Make your choice, but here it is for free on YouTube for anyone of you, like myself, who doesn’t use any streaming services. Listen to Lady here.
As for live shows, there is a curious one coming up in London in early June where I’ll be testing out and exploring a new computer software and talking about how I make my music. More on that once confirmation comes in.
On Stage News
I will be in Lisbon Portugal in June and then Milan in December, for my first shows there in many, many years. In the absence of other live shows, I’m pleased to see that my live set recording at Machina Bristronica in the UK back in 2023 is now back online.
This was a rare occasion where I was also happy with a live performance, as I’m usually a little ambivalent about how they go! Watch it back in full here.
The Making of Contrary Motion
Copies of Contrary Motion with Nurse with Wound have been continuing to fly out of the door, so thanks to everyone for your support. Steven Stapleton of NWW and I are already in conversation regarding another recording which would be marvellous fun!
In fact, I’ve had quite a few people ask me questions about the making of the album, so thought it would be interest to write an extended blog post about how it all came together. You can read the full article here and admire some photographs of the truly quirky instruments I used in the creation of it, including the Ellitone Farm Detective Ultrarollz and the SqrtSigil exFriend & EQ. Read it in full here.
There are also several other solo albums of mine to come out this year, including one which uses only the sound of the steel staircase at home and no other sound sources. A guaranteed Christmas Number One, I think!
For Violin and Electronics – Volume II
Pre-orders are now available for For Violin and Electronics – Volume II by Darragh Morgan, which features collaborations between such wonderful figures as the late Mira Calix, Andrew Poppy and Irene Buckley. I also present an original work ‘A Cantegral Segment’ which is a very fragile piece of music. Pick it up here.
EarSpace 22 on a Sonic Journey
EarSpace Episode 22 was broadcast on Slack City Radio at the end of April, and once again it was a trip into the past, present and future of electronic music. This time we took a sonic trip from Germany to Australia, to Italy and the USA, with music from Conrad Schnitzler, Penelope Trappes, Leo Anibaldi, Natasha Barrett, Chris and Cosey and Ralf & Florian.
You can also hear post rock electronica from Stephen Vitiello and Seefeel, plus more new music from Brian Eno, Taylor Deupree & The Humble Bee, Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan and Sandwell District. And, of course, much more! Tune in here.
Back to Dante Country
I’m off to Italy this week to return to Malagola, a unique place founded in Ravenna in October 2021 by Ermanna Montanari and Enrico Pitozzi. This will be my third return visit, having directed a course on exploring and expanding the human voice in theatre, dance and music for the past two years.
This time, I’m presenting an intense series of workshops on sound design in the performing artists, sharing my experience and knowledge and encouraging new voices to emerge. This is always such a rewarding and joyful experience and a great way to make new friends too! And Ravenna is such a stunning city.
So, having lost weight being sick recently I’ll be clearly immediately putting it back on once the Italian food hits my taste buds!
More adventures next month. As always, thanks for reading.
Warmest wishes
Professor Scanner
::: listen :::
Seefeel: Quique (Too Pure)
Field Lines Cartographer: Solar Maximum (Woodford Halse)
Robert Fripp & Andy Summers: The Complete Recordings (Panegyric)
David Jackman: Scilence (Die Stadt)
::: read :::
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo (RA)
Andy Sharp: The Astral Geographic (Watkins)
Holly Herndon/Mat Dryhurst: All Media is Training Data (Serpentine)
Lawrence English/Robert Novak: Energy Fields (Set Margins)
::: watch :::
Opus: Mark Anthony Green
Warfare: Alex Garland/Ray Mendoza
Drop: Christopher Landon
One to One John & Yoko: Kevin Macdonald/Sam Rice-Edwards
