Deaf Center is comprised of two musicians and old friends, Erik Skodvin (aka Svarte Greiner, and the man responsible for the Miasmah label) and Otto Totland (also of Nest).
[audio:Deaf Center – Time Spent.mp3]The duo grew up together in the coastal Norwegian town of Langesund, and while they have now gone their separate ways with Erik residing in Berlin, their musical compatibility is undeniable.
Deaf Center debuted in 2004 with the ‘Neon City’ EP for the Type label. The acclaim of this record prompted the duo to work hard on a full-length album, and in 2005 ‘Pale Ravine’ emerged, again on the Type label. This record is still considered the pinnacle of a certain subgenre of dark, cinematic music and was followed by a wave of artists influenced by its shadowy sound. The duo toured infrequently, but would occasionally appear for special shows with Totland on piano and Skodvin working with guitar, effects and laptop.
Deaf Center | White Lake
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=cdRUMqds5r8
Islaja is the recording alias of Merja Kokkonen, a musician and visual artist from Helsinki, currently based in Berlin. Her debut album Meritie (Fonal, 2004) gained praise in international music media such as The Wire, Dusted Magazine and WFMU. Islaja records her music at home using a rainbow of instruments to accompany her personal vocal delivery sang in Finnish.
She has already played numerous large festivals including Eurosonic, by:Larm, Sonar, Itsenäisyysyö at the B2 club in Moscow, Russia and All Tomorrows Parties 200 curated by Thurston Moore. Animal Collective invited Islaja to play a two week support tour with them in Europe.
Islaja | Rohkaisulaulu
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=eLns3M-uPc8
Simon is a Berlin based pianist from Australia – he trained as a classical pianist but is now primarily an experimental improvising pianist. This change in direction is due largely to the desire to be a more actively creative musician, as opposed to an interpretive one. Simon is attracted to art and music that allows the audience to more actively participate in its perception.
He is particularly interested in trying to replicate the mechanical and repetitive sounds that surround us. He is a member of PEDAL, a duo with pianist Chris Abrahams (of THE NECKS) – their first album was released in April 2008, through German label STAUBGOLD. Simons debut record “Chair” is due out on sonic pieces in the near future.
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Deaf Center / Islaja / Simon Phillips LIVE
Grunewaldkirche | Bismarckallee 28b |14193 Berlin
Friday, 02.09.2011 | 19:00 CET
Presented by http://www.sonicpieces.com & http://www.miasmah.com
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