Hello
Another exceptionally busy month at Scanner HQ it seems, where sometimes I feel like a machine pumping out material at an often-alarming rate. There’s certainly no consideration of retiring at any point soon!
The Allen Ginsberg at 100 evening at the South Bank Centre in July was a magnificent success. The line-up and performances were impressive, and the curatorial approach inspiring. It began with Marl Leipacher leading a jazz rendition of ‘Howl,’ all delivered from memory which was astonishing to witness, via Gina Birch’s punkish delivery, and Youth of Killing Joke and Mo’Wax’s James Lavelle grungy collaboration with Alex Perry.
Elegy for Neal Cassady
I presented my ‘Elegy for Neal Cassady’ in a dreamy hypnotic mantra of repetition accompanied by the hallucinogenic visuals of Antonio Pagano, which apparently brought tears to the eyes of Beat legend Barry Miles and afterwards Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth generously praised my performance as his personal highlight of the evening. That meant the world to me!
The night closed with everyone on stage, singing William Blake’s Nurses Song led by Steven Taylor, playing Allen’s original harmonium. There is talking of performing this in the USA and Mexico too which would be amazing if that could happen.
I’m super excited to find the second in my new series of interviews in the latest issue of Sound on Sound, this time featuring musician, software developer, engineer and audiovisual artist Robert Henke.
Robert Henke in Sound on Sound
Few figures have shaped the landscape of electronic music technology as profoundly as him. Equally at home designing and building software instruments and creating immersive audiovisual performances, Henke has spent more than three decades exploring the creative possibilities that emerge when engineering and artistic curiosity collide.
Best known as the co-founder of the influential electronic music project Monolake and one of the key figures that led to the birth of Ableton Live, Henke has not only redefined the sound of contemporary electronic music but, more significantly, how it is made and performed.
With the reissue of his seminal album Interstate (1999) it was a chance to explore the evolving relationship between technology and creativity, the philosophy behind instrument design, and how a lifelong obsession with sound continues to inspire him towards new artistic directions.
Shadowlands Festival UK
The Shadowlands festival was recently announced and I’m super excited about this. It’s a brand-new boutique international music festival that will take place across four days at the beginning of July 2027 at Gulbenkian Arts Centre in the historic city of Canterbury in south-east England.
Focusing on alternative, electronic, avant-garde and experimental artists, names already confirmed to perform include Foetus, Lustmord, Test Dept, Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan, Regis (feat. Liam Andrews), Clock DVA, The Wolfgang Press, Githead, hackedepicciotto, People Like Us, Portion Control, :Zoviet*France and many more. Further acts will be announced in August.
And I’m delighted that my band, Githead, will be playing for the first time in many, many years. Githead features Colin Newman (Wire), Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) and Max Franken (Minimal Compact) and we are hoping that this will not be a one-off date and are already in conversation regarding futures shows.
Word Up! And more pop songs
My playful cover of Cameo’s classic pop tune Word Up! is now available on all streaming services for your amusement and pleasure. It was originally recorded for WFMU Radio in Jersey City, New Jersey in February 2026. I was invited by the DJ Daniel Blumin to choose a song from 1986 and have always loved this pop song from Cameo. I play all the instruments, sing and I play a ridiculous guitar solo, twice. Listen to it here on Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and YouTube
Out now is my intensely rhythmic remix for Hildá Länsman and Tuomas Norvio. Hildá Länsman is a joik singer and songwriter hailing from Ohcejohka, now based in Guovdageaidnu. Immersed in the ancient traditions of reindeer husbandry, artistic handicraft (duodji), and joik (luohti) from a young age, Hildá seamlessly blends her rich cultural heritage with contemporary music and visual arts.
My remix, alongside Crayon Eater, Niilas, OTAVA, Ransel, and AIM (Point of View) appears on all streaming sites. The Dajan Remixed album is out now and can be found on Tidal, Spotify and other places.
Improvisation in Athens, Greece
In February 2006 I performed at in Athens, Greece in the amazing Underflow record shop in Athens, Greece. Invited by the Krell Society it was an improvised set of modular synthesis which you can enjoy here. The full live set is exclusively available to Fans on Bandcamp too, and it’s never too late to join up.
EarSpace Ep 38 on Slack City Radio
EarSpace ep.38 hit the airwaves again on Slack City Radio, featuring my selection of electronic music from the past, present and future. This time we get cinematic with Ital Tek and Amon Tobin, hit the dance floor with Blue Hour and Charles A.D. and chill out to Ran Slavin and Anthony Rother. Plus Cinna Peyghamy, Max Cooper, Beatriz Ferreyra, AM/PM, Anastasia Kristensen, SND, and many more.
What’s to Come…
Thanks to everyone for your support of my new EP, The Prophet, which was recently released (for free) on Bandcamp and all streaming services. I was invited by the software company who developed the synth, GForce, to answer some questions about the release, which you can read here.
The rest of this year is looking exceptionally busy too. I’m currently working in the studio preparing for this forthcoming event, celebrating American writer William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), which will take place at London’s Horse Hospital.
Dates have been confirmed for my new sound installation at Macro Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome Italy this year. I’ll be performing live there in October. More on this once all the details are publicly available.
I’m performing more shows with Klang Systematiek later this year too, with performances in Stockholm, Munich and Prague. And the year will close with a unique event in Brussels celebrating the label Sub Rosa, where I’ll be reuniting on stage with my old sonic pal David Shea.
Artwork has been approved for my forthcoming limited 7” lathe-cut single, copies of my new album with Ian Boddy are arriving this week, as well as boxes of double vinyl of my Turin museum soundtrack. And yes, more to follow soon.
Thanks for your support
Warmest wishes
Professor Scanner
LISTEN
John Tilbury: At Home (Another Timbre)
Bot1500: The Black Sea (Short Span)
Tarkovsky Soundtracks (Cold Spring)
FSOL: Mind Maps 7 (Touched Music)
READ
The Penguin Book of Existentialist Philosophy (Penguin)
Mandy El-Sayegh: Superimposition (Walther Konig)
Anish Kapoor (Hayward)
David Szalay: Flesh (Vintage)
WATCH
The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan
The Drama: Kristoffer Borgli
Alpha: Julia Ducournau
Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen: Julian Radlmaier
