Phill Niblock

Phill Niblock is a sixty-something New York based minimalist composer and multi-media musician and director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation born in the flames of 1968's barricade hopping. He has been a maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde ever since. In the history books Niblock is the forgotten Minimalist. That's as maybe: no one ever said the history books were infallible anyway. His influence has had more impact on younger composers such as Susan Stenger, Lois V Vierk, David First, and Glenn Branca. He's even worked with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo on "Guitar two, for four" which is actually for five guitarists. This is Minimalism in the classic sense of the word, if that makes sense. Niblock constructs big 24-track digitally-processed monolithic microtonal drones. The result is sound without melody or rhythm. Movement is slow, geologically slow. Changes are almost imperceptible, and his music has a tendency of creeping up on you. The vocal pieces are like some of Ligeti's choral works, but a little more phased. And this isn't choral work. "A Y U (as yet untitled)" is sampled from just one voice, the baritone Thomas Buckner. The results are pitch shifted and processed intense drones, one live and one studio edited. Unlike Ligeti, this isn't just for voice or hurdy gurdy. Like Stockhausen's electronic pieces, Musique Concrete, or even Fripp and Eno's No Pussyfooting, the role of the producer/composer in "Hurdy Hurry" and "A Y U" is just as important as the role of the performer. He says: "What I am doing with my music is to produce something without rhythm or melody, by using many microtones that cause movements very, very slowly." The stills in the booklet are from slides taken in China, while Niblock was making films which are painstaking studies of manual labour, giving a poetic dignity to sheer gruelling slog of fishermen at work, rice-planters, log-splitters, water-hole dredgers and other back-breaking toilers. Since 1968 Phill has also put on over 1000 concerts in his loft space, including Ryoji Ikeda, Zbigniew Karkowski, Jim O'Rourke.

TUESDAY 10th JUNE 2003
BBC RADIO 4 1330HRS
PHILL NIBLOCK ON "OUT OF TUNE", a programme on microtonal music and different systems of musical organisation

Phill writes:

I have a two concerts this month, January, featuring four new works that I made in Paris at CCMIX in the Spring of 2001. The four musicians for whom I made the pieces will be present and playing in both concerts. They are Reinhold Friedl, piano, Berlin; Ulrich Krieger, baritone saxophone, Berlin; Carol Robinson, clarinets, Paris; and Kasper Toeplitz, electric bass, Paris. The concerts are at ZKM in Karlsruhe on January 28 and MAMCS in Strasbourg on Jan 30.

In concert I frequently show films from a series that I made over a 20 year span, generally titled "Looking at the Movement of People Working". At ZKM and MAMCS, there will be the release events for a new DVD of some four hours of these films and music on the Australian record label, Extreme.

This is the content:

Film (side one): 1. Peru; 2. Mexico; 3. Mexico; 4. Mexico (total time 1:36)
Music: 1. "Every Tune", Daniel Goode, clarinet (22:48); 2. "Summing III", David Gibson, cello (32); 3. "Four Arthurs", Arthur Stidfole, bassoon (22:28); 4. "E for Gibson", David Gibson, cello (20)

Film (side two): 5. Hong Kong; 6. Hungary (total time 2:02)
Music: 5. "Cello & Bassoon", David Gibson, cello and Arthur Stidfole, bassoon (25:05); 6. "A Mix of Cello & Bassoon and Contrabassoon & Contrabass" (25:05 minutes), Arthur Stidfole, bassoon and contrabassoon and David Gibson, cello and contrabass; 7. "A Third Trombone", Jon English, trombone (22 minutes); 8. "According to Guy, version III", Guy Klucevsek, accordion (22:00); 9. "Not Untitled, Knot Untied - Old", Relache Ensemble of Philadelphia (22:00)

The Extreme DVD should be available by February 1

Pre-Babel-On with Guitar Too for 4
Katherine Liberovskaya / Phill Niblock
Saturday, March 1st, 2003
6pm-midnight
Live performances at 8pm and 10pm
Diapason Gallery
1026 Sixth Avenue #201 NYC
(212) 719-4393
<www.diapasongallery.com>
This presentation will juxtapose / create a dialogue between a first
version
of the intermedia / audio-video installation-in-progress Babel-On by
Katherine Liberovskaya and Phill Niblock and the music composition Guitar
Too for Four by Phill Niblock in a performance situation involving live
musicians.
Babel-On
A first collaboration between New York intermedia artist/composer Phill
Niblock and Montreal video/multimedia artist Katherine Liberovskaya,
Babel-On is a sound-based audio-video work-in-progress exploring the
melodic
and rhythmical dimensions of human spoken language, of different languages
of different peoples and nationalities. This sound and four projection
digital video piece with sync sound focuses on languages as musical
instruments of communication and concentrates on the sound of human verbal
expression rather than on its meaning. With its moving images of faces of a
multitude of people of numerous nationalities and races speaking in their
respective languages about these very languages, and its language-based
sound piece, it composes a polyphonic chorus of voices and idioms in
continuous interplay, correspondence and/or conflict, suggesting various
relationships between diverse geo-political regions, cultural traditions
and
civilizations. Babel-On is meant to create a very physical, living
audio-video flow of variations of associations and dissociations, of
different tensions, between image and sound, speech and music, words and
significations, intention and chance, a constant flux of unstable,
slipping,
shifting meanings and perceptions. It is an experiential piece that evokes
the non-verbal possibilities of vocal communication.
- Sync-sound video: Katherine Liberovskaya
- Sound piece: Phill Niblock
Guitar Too, For Four by Phill Niblock
Phill Niblock, computer/sampler and live guitarists at Diapason, play with
the two recordings which consist of guitar samples by Rafael Toral, Robert
Poss, Susan Stenger, David First; guitarists adding live parts to one
recorded version - Rafael Toral; to the other version - Kevin Drumm, Lee
Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Robert Poss, Alan Licht. The two versions of this
piece were released in October 2002 on the Moikai label of Chicago,
produced
by Jim O'Rourke.
Composer's notes: As usual, I have little to say. Perhaps that you should
play the music VERY loud. If the neighbors don't complain before the piece
ends, it's probably not loud enough. The ones that live a mile down the
road, that is. As with many of my pieces, I decide on some notes to use,
with a chosen instrument and with a musician or musicians, and go to a
studio to record some repetitions of those notes. That done, I edit the
notes (into samples, in recent years), and construct a score for
multi-track
something (well, it used to be tape). In this case, it was 24 tracks, mixed
to stereo, pretty thick. Nice samples, great musicians.
Katherine Liberovskaya is a Montreal-born multidisciplinary artist who has
been working predominantly in experimental video and multimedia since the
late eighties. Over the years, she has produced numerous single-channel
videos and several installation works some of which have earned awards and
mentions in Europe and North America. Her works have been presented at
various artistic events around the world and are included in the video art
collections of The National Art Gallery of Canada and The Art Bank of The
Canada Council as well as in several private collections. She has held
numerous grants and arts awards in Canada and in France where she completed
her art education. She is currently based in Montreal where, in addition to
her artistic practice, she has been teaching television production at the
university level and pursuing doctoral studies in communication, culture
and
art . Her articles have been published in ESSE-Arts + Opinions, la Revue
Electronique du CIAC and the Canadian Journal of Communication. Moreover,
she is involved in the programming and organization of diverse media art
events, notably with Studio XX, a Montreal cyberfeminist resource and
presentation center dedicated to women media/on-line art founded in 1995
(<http://www.studioxx.org/>), of which she was president from 1999 to 2003.
She is currently on the board of directors of the Independent Film and
Video
Alliance of Canada.
<liberovskaya@compuserve.com>
Phill Niblock is an intermedia artist using music, film, photography, video
and computers.
He makes thick, loud drones of music, filled with microtones of
instrumental
timbres which generate many other tones in the performance space.
Simultaneously, he presents films / videos which look at the movement of
people working, or computer driven black and white abstract images floating
through time. He was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has
been
making music and intermedia performances which have been shown at numerous
venues around the world. Since 1985, he has been the director of the
Experimental Intermedia Foundation in New York
(<http://www.experimentalintermedia.org/>) where he has been an
artist/member since 1968. He is the producer of Music and Intermedia
presentations at EI since 1973 (about 1000 performances) and the curator of
EI's XI Records label. In 1993 was formed an Experimental Intermedia
organization in Gent, Belgium - EI v.z.w. Gent - to support the
artist-in-residence house and installations there. Phill Niblock's music is
available on the XI, Moikai and Touch labels. A DVD of films and music is
available on the Extreme label.
<pniblock@compuserve.com>
Katherine Liberovskaya wishes to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres
du Quebec for its financial support.

His latest release on Touch is out...for more information, click here

2001 CV

Phill Niblock activities / events during the year 2001 Jan 19, New York - Cable Access, Channel 56, 11pm; Phill Niblock television program of music and video; players on camera: Alan Licht, David First, Roger Kleier, guitar; Phill Niblock, computer/sampler; host and interviewer Phoebe Legere, produced by Roulette Intermedium Jan 22, Brussels - PN concert at Kaaistudiotheater, produced by "audio-incident"; Stevie Wishart, hurdy gurdy; Jim Denley, flute; Guy De Bievre, guitar Feb 5, Edinburgh - PN Concert at Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh College of Art, co-sponsored by Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Gardens; Thomas Buckner, voice; Matt Rogalsky and Robert P. Lee, guitars (Lee on electric violin) Feb 8, London - PN set as part of an Ash International and Touch event - Sprawl, at the Global Cafe, with artists Heitor, Hazard (of Stockholm), S.E.T.I; produced by Mike Harding and Jon Wozencroft, with Iris Garrelfs of Sprawl / Bit tonic Mar 24 & 25, Quincerot, Burgogne, France - PN installation, C.R.A.N.E. festival (Via#7) Mar 30, Paris - PN concert /installation at Via#7, Studio Multitude; Ulrich Krieger, saxophone and didjeridu; Guy de Bievre, guitar Apr 2, Paris - PN recording at CCMIX/ UPIC with Ulrich Krieger, baritone saxophone, Stefano Bassanese, engineer; Gerard Pape, director Apr 3, Paris - PN recording with Carol Robinson, clarinets Apr 9, Paris - PN recording with Kasper Toeplitz, electric bass and Reinhold Friedl, piano Apr 25, Paris - CCMIX, recorded live parts with Robinson & Toeplitz, edited and mixed Toeplitz / Yam almost May Apr 14, Grenoble, France - PN concert at "Le 102" club, with Dean Roberts, a set for each, Dean played guitar on G2,44; PN played a test for a new piano piece, done the afternoon before May 18, Chicago - PN lecture / demo at Northwestern University Music Department, with Amnon Wolman May 19, Chicago - PN concert produced by Lampo at the Renaissance Society, University of Chicago; with Thomas Buckner, voice; Fred Lonberg-Holm, cello; Niki Mitchell, flute; PN, computer May 21, Pittsburgh - PN concert at the Mattress Factory; Thomas Buckner, voice and Don Metz, guitar; PN, computer May 23, Buffalo - PN Concert at Burchfield Penney Art Gallery, NY State College at Buffalo; Thomas Buckner, voice and Don Metz, guitar; PN computer May 31, London - PN concert of music and video, at Soundings - New Music at the Cochrane Theatre; Hurdy Hurry and 3 to 7 -196, with Anton Lukoszevieze, cello Jun 2, Lisbon - PN concert, The INTERMEDIA MEETINGS: Lugar Comum, Fabrica de Povora, Barcarena, playing 3 to 7-196 (1974) and Sweet Potato, Yam almost May, Pan Fried Jun 3, Lisbon - PN concert, same place; with the guitarists Oren Ambarchi, Margarida Garcia, Manuel Mota June 14, New York - PN concert "Music at the Anchorage", Presented by Creative Time in the base of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side; with Thomas Buckner, voice; and [the Guitar Army] - Alan Licht, Robert Poss, Michael Schumacher, Richard Lainhart, David First, and David Watson Jun 30, Berlin - PN concert at Parochialekirche in the Format 5 festival; Ulrich Krieger, didjeridu & tenor sax Jul 4, Berlin - opening of PN installation - "Light / Sound Patterns - Video-Sound-Installation" at Singuhr Gallery, Parochialkirche (exhibition July 4 - 15) in the festival Format 5 Jul 21, Mexico City - PN concert at the Museum Ex-Teresa Arte Actual - Sound Art Festival Jul 24, Brussels - PN concert at Les Bains Collective with the ensemble Q 02; with video collaboration by Els van Riel Jul 29, Paris - PN performance at Placard #4 / Buro - 12 headphones from 4 to 5am, a 72 hour non-stop festival of one hour events broadcast to two sets of 12 headphones Jul 31, Paris - PN performance at Batofar, club/boat on the Seine River, as part of Buro / Placard#4 end of festival Aug11, Schrattenberg (Austria) - PN performance in Hotel Pupik 01 festival, Schwarzenberg'schen Meierei Schrattenberg Aug19, Cimelice CZ - PN plays Hurdy Hurry for demo at Cimilece, the artist residency location for the Foundation and Center for Contempoary Arts, Prague, at a meeting of the Cimelice resident artists and artists of the residency program of CESTA in Tabor, CZ Aug 21, Pilzen, CZ - PN performance at "Moving Station Festival" in an old train station in Pilzen Aug 22, Prague - PN installation of SP 12,5,6 and Five More String Quartets (parts of 12 & 5 were photographed in Prague) and a concert at Foundation and Center for Contemporary Arts, Prague, curated by Milos Vojtechovsky Aug 30, Ostrava, CZ - PN orchestra piece, "Disseminate", played by Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (Ostrava, Czech Republic), conducted by Petr Kotik; and a morning presentation/ concert by PN, with music and computer images and video, Tom Buckner voice, in the festival Ostrava New Music Days Sept 3, Cork - PN concert at the Vision Center, sponsored by the Triskel Art Center, Cork Sept 7, Waterschei (Genk), Belgium - "IM, on very special, brief occasions" a festival of exhibitions and performances sponsored by EI, Gent; FLACC, Genk; Voorkamer, Lier; in an abandoned coalmine building; many concerts and exhibitions Sept 8, Waterschei - "IM", PN concert of films and music, with Stevie Wishart, Hurdy Gurdy; and Guy De Bievre, guitar Sept 9 - "IM", continued exhibitions, PN shows the film "The Magic Sun" , with the Sun Ra Arkestra Sept 22, Hamburg - PN concert at the Rote Flora, 4 hours, with guitarists: Peter Imig, Robert Engelbrecht, Fung Li, Markus Lipka Sept 27, Frankfurt - PN concert at Pol Festival, Mousonturm, recorded by Hessicher Rundfunk Sept 28, Coimbra, Portugal - PN concert (3 hours), "Festival International de Musica Experimental de Coimbra" produced by Camara Municipal de Coimbra Sept 30, Coimbra - PN concert/lecture/demo - Giancarlo Schiaffini, trombone, and the film "The Magic Sun" , with the Sun Ra Arkestra Oct 13, Paris - PN concert at ADAC, sponsored by CCMIX, premieres of two pieces - "Sweet Potato", Carol Robinson, clarinets; and "Yam almost May", Kasper Toeplitz, electric bass; and G2,44 played by Guy De Bievre and Kasper Toeplitz, guitars Oct 14, London - PN concert at the Barbican Center, London, "Cinema Auricular" series, curated by Mark Webber; with guitarists Mark Webber, Matt Rogalsky, Robert P. Lee, Jem Finer Oct 18, Montreal - PN concert at FCNM (International Festival New Cinema New Media) as part of the "Touch" night at the Media Lounge; Rafael Toral, guitar; also sets by Hazard and Toral, and visuals by Jon Wozencroft Nov 1, New York - PN concert, with Thomas Buckner, voice and David First, guitar, as part of "From the Ashes" at C.U.A.N.D.O. 9 Second Avenue Nov 9, New York - PN live, at WKCR, 9pm - the Columbia University radio station Nov 23, New York - PN on Roulette TV, Channel 56, 11pm (repeat of January 19 show) Dec 3, Brooklyn - Lecture / demo at Brooklyn College Electronic Music Studios, Music Department, with Douglas Cohen Dec 21, New York - PN in the Twelfth Annual Festival with no fancy name, Part One (or A), six hours of music and film/video, at Experimental Intermedia Other things: Article on Phill Niblock in "The Wire" Magazine, London, written by Rahma Khazam, photos by Kareem Black, March issue Touch #49, a CD of music by Phill Niblock, with "Hurdy Hurry" for hurdy gurdy, samples by Jim O'Rourke; and "A Y U" for voice, Thomas Buckner, baritone; www.touch.demon.co.uk; published in March Realization of a 45 second piece for the "Ringtones" collective project for a "Touch" CD, in collaboration with Guy de Bievre PN Remix of a piece by Oren Ambarchi from a recent "Touch" CD, for a remix collection of his work