Everyone knows that using a turntable is common place practice in Hip-Hop. One particularly sporty form of record scratching called „Turntablism“ sprung out of the culture surrounding DJ battles.
In the context of experimental electronic music, the term „Turntablism“ has a different, more open, meaning. In this field of music the record player has, from the very beginning, played an immensely important role as an instrument and sound-generator.
The International Turntable Orchestra / Akademie der Künste / Hanseatenweg 10 / 10557 Berlin
Whether at the beginnings of Musique Concrete, in the works of John Cage, Milan Knizak or Nam June Paik’s Fluxus concerts. From the down town New York scene based around Christian Marclay and David Shea to representatives of so called „Plunderphonics“, and of course, also in hip-hop, techno and electronica.
Every musical style has developed Turntablism for its own technique and sounds, and most Turntablists each have their own unique way of playing. So while Musique Concrete focussed mainly on distorting found sounds, many of the Fluxus artists started to disassemble the appliances themselves. Likewise, records were cut up and then put back together again in new ways. And scratching and mixing arose out of hip-hop and techno. In Plunderphonics it was all about using countless many musical references, of the most varying origins, in fast succession. For numerous artists from the electronica scene on the other hand, it seems the turn-table as an instrument was best suited to ponderous looping and layering. Often a roll of adhesive tape, a hammer fixed to the arm of the turn-table or stickers sufficed to make the needle jump. And for reductionists, the body of the record player itself became the instrument, which would then be played using diverse objects and materials.
As part of the T.I.T.O. event, 14 of todays most interesting practicing Turntablists will present their individual artistic approaches. Indeed this is the first Turntable Festival of its kind as most of the artists who have been invited count as leaders, or even founders of their respective styles within Turntablism. Each one of them is busy fathoming the limits of possibilities for using the record player as an instrument. In a densely packed four day program all participants will be presented in various ensembles – from solo appearances to previously established duo-formations and even as an orchestra. Everyone taking part will bring with them special concepts and compositions, which will be developed during the festival and presented on stage. Publicly open rehearsals and Jan Zimmermann’s vinyl cutting service round off the program.
Participants:
Claus Van Bebber (Kalkar)
Busratch (Kyoto)
Maria Chavez (Brooklyn)
dieb13 (Vienna)
Wolfgang Fuchs (Linz)
Philip Jeck (Manchester)
Joke Lanz (Zuerich/Berlin)
eRikm (Marseille)
Martin Ng (Sydney)
Arnaud Riviere (Paris)
Marina Rosenfeld (New York)
Ignaz Schick (Berlin)
Martin Tetreault (Montreal)
+ Jan Zimmermann & Flo Kaufmann (vinyl cutting service)
