Saramago Present Alan Courtis + Special Guests

Internationally-respected experimental Argentine musician Alan Courtis delivers a sharp live set blending sound-art, electro-acoustic, drone and noise music, which utilises both traditional and self-built instruments alongside field recordings, manipulated tapes and prepared sounds.

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Alan Courtis (aka Anla Courtis) was born in Buenos Aires in 1972. He has been working in the field of sound-art, electro-acoustic music, drone, noise, improvisation and composition. His written music has been played by ensembles from England, Thailand, Switzerland, Wales, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, United States and South America; he was commissioned by Phoenix Basel Ensemble (Switzerland), Český Rozhlas (Czech Republic) and was artist in residence at EMS (Stockholm), GRM (Paris), Cafe Oto (London), USF (Bergen), etc. He has more than 300 solo releases and collaborations on labels like: Mego, P.S.F., Pogus, SubRosa, RRR, Blossoming Noise, No-Fi, Antifrost, Tonschacht, 267Lattajjaa, Quasipop, Alt.Vinyl, Riot Season, Kning Disk, Beta-Lactam, Prele, Matching Head, 8MM, Public Eyesore, Musica Genera, Porter, Smittekilde, Sedimental, Mikroton, MIE, Monotype, etc. His music has been broadcasted at radios like: BBC (UK), WFMU (USA), SBS (Australia), Resonance-FM (UK), CJSF (Canada), WDR (Germany), Sveriges Radio (Sweden), Radio France, NRK (Norway), RTVE (Spain), WNUR (USA), Radio Nacional (Argentina), etc. Courtis has toured extensively in Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Europe, USA, Australia, NZ & Latin America and has collaborated with musicians like: Keiji Haino, Merzbow, Lee Ranaldo, Nihilist Spasm Band, Jim O’Rourke, Pauline Oliveros, Phill Niblock, Yoshimi, BJ Nilsen, Otomo Yoshihide, Stilluppsteypa. RLW, Zbigniew Karkowski, Eddie Prevost, L.A.F.M.S., Makoto Kawabata, KK Null, Daniel Menche, Mats Gustafsson, Rick Bishop, Toshimaru Nakamura, Thomas Dimuzio, Rudolf Eb.Er, Kouhei, Seiichi Yamamoto, Tetuzi Akiyama, Lasse Marhaug, Rapoon, Uton, Birchville Cat Motel, The New Blockaders, Kaffe Mathews, Jaap Blonk, Gert-Jan Prins, Jazkamer, C.Spencer Yeh, Okyung Lee & Kemialliset Ystavat. His music always has strong experimental sense and usually based on high-skilled techniques of prepared sound, tape manipulations, processing of field recordings, live electronics, objects, cymbals, synthesizers, computer tools, playing traditional (both acoustic and electric) instruments as well as self-built, strange and unusual instruments (eg. unstringed guitar). Courtis has composed music for films and has also been coordinating music workshops in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, China & Japan.

Quotes about Courtis:

“…one of the most active musical minds around” - The Wire (UK)

“Courtis has produced brillant work with the relative primitive tools at his disposal” - The Wire (UK)

“ A composer with an insatiable thirst for experimentation and different forms of expression” - Tokafi (Germany)

“A true mastermind of noisescapes and sonic abstractions” - IEM Magazine (Russia)

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/15472388" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/15472388">Alan Courtis en la terraza</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/enlaterraza">en la terraza</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>