Ryoji Ikeda

Mixtape #47 : Travelogue

Posted on July 3, 2018 by 5:4 in Mixtapes | Leave a comment

For my July mixtape, i’ve decided to take myself on an impromptu trip around mainland Europe. With the help of Google Maps, i’ve plotted a course that’s somewhat circuitous but which manages to take in most of the continent. Starting in Holland (I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper, Ryoji Ikeda), we move down through Belgium (Autechre) and France (Andrew Liles) to the coast of Portugal (John Oswald). Coming back through Spain (Fergus Kelly, SPC ECO) and detouring into France again (Karsten Pflum, Zbigniew Karkowski) brings us to Monaco (John Debney), followed by a more prolongued period in Italy (Susanne Sundfør, Yelle, John Williams). Then we head north through Switzerland (Johnny Williams) for a longer stay in Germany (The Noisettes, Cluster, Bath40, Marc Behrens), before heading south again, through the Czech Republic (White Sea), glancing off Italy one final time (Muséum) and then down to the southern reaches of Croatia (FURT plus) and Bosnia and Herzgovina (Francis Dhomont), ending up for a bit of R&R in Greece (Three Drives).

The journey through eastern and northern Europe initially takes us through Bulgaria (Brian Eno), Romania (The Noisettes) and Hungary (Alexandre Desplat), then we veer across to Austria (James Newton Howard) before heading north rapidly through Poland (Kate Havnevik, Joy Division) as far as Latvia (Markus Reuter). A brief jaunt in Russia follows (Cabaret Voltaire, Bersarin Quartett), whereupon we head for the Nordic countries via Estonia (Velvcsze), passing through Finland (Brothomstates) before travelling across the Baltic Sea (Somatic Responses) to Sweden (Lady & Bird), Denmark (Iain Armstrong, Scott Walker) and Norway (Isaiah Ceccarelli). The epilogue to the journey involves leaving the mainland, flying first to the Faroe Islands (Zinovia) and finally arriving in Iceland (J.Viewz).

At a mere two hours’ duration, the mix is one hell of a whistle-stop tour; here’s the tracklisting in full, together with links to obtain the music: Read more

Tags: Alexandre Desplat, Andrew Liles, Autechre, Bath40, Bersarin Quartett, Brian Eno, Brothomstates, Cabaret Voltaire, Cluster, Fergus Kelly, Francis Dhomont, FURT plus, I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper, Iain Armstrong, Isaiah Ceccarelli, J.Viewz, James Newton Howard, John Debney, John Oswald, John Williams, Johnny Williams, Joy Division, Karsten Pflum, Kate Havnevik, Lady & Bird, Marc Behrens, Markus Reuter, Muséum, Ryoji Ikeda, Scott Walker, Somatic Responses, SPC ECO, Susanne Sundfør, The Noisettes, Three Drives, Velvcsze, White Sea, Yelle, Zbigniew Karkowski, Zinovia

Mixtape #46 : Body

Posted on June 2, 2018 by 5:4 in Mixtapes | Leave a comment

For the new 5:4 mixtape, i’ve turned to that which is closest to us all: the human body. Not a particularly promising theme, you might think, but once i began digging through my music library the sheer quantity of body references quickly became overwhelming (take your pick whether that says something about music in general or my collection in particular). i’ve structured the mix in four sections, each begun with a track concerning the whole body: part one rises from the feet up to the waist and hips, part two moves up the arms from the fingertips to the shoulders and chest, then there’s an interlude focusing on the heart (the only part of the mix to delve inside the body), and finally part three ascends from the chin to the top of the head. Appropriately enough for a body-oriented mix, it’s a little tongue-in-cheek from time to time, and because of what i wanted to include i’ve relaxed my usual rule of only featuring an artist once.

The range of music encountered on the journey is as broad as you’ve come to expect from these mixes, encompassing electronica and dance (Above & Beyond, Goldfrapp, Art Of Noise, Sunken Foal, Freezepop, Peaches, Venetian Snares, Depeche Mode, Erotic Market, Ryoji Ikeda, Bloodgroup, Gazelle Twin, Prurient, Body Sculptures, Man Without Country, Purity Ring, The Flashbulb, Björk, Kate Wax), film and TV scores (John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Cliff Martinez, Joseph Trapanese, Aria Prayogi & Fajar Yuskemal, tomandandy, Jay Chattaway, Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch, Howard Shore, Jim Williams, Jed Kurzel, James Newton Howard, Mica Levi, Jerry Goldsmith), light music (Paddy Kingsland, Bass Communion, Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, The Real Tuesday Weld), pop of various chamber, rock, lyrical and plastic hues (Belle and Sebastian, Transvision Vamp, Chromatics, Björk, Anna Madsen, OY, Lene Alexandra, Chvrches, Goldfrapp, Sleep Party People, Kate Havnevik, Braids, CocoRosie), ambient (Venetian Snares, Chubby Wolf, Nordvargr, Not, Pinkcourtesyphone, David Wenngren & Christopher Bissonnette, Moss Covered Technology), leftfield and experimental (Frank Zappa, Squarepusher, Waldron, Stapleton, Sigmarsson, Haynes & Faulhaber, Grutronic, irr. app. (ext.)), and electronic (Aranos, Andrew Liles, Pauline Oliveros, Hecq, The Hafler Trio, The Caretaker, John Zorn, Indignant Senility, Daniel W J Mackenzie).

Four hours of bodily bits and bobs; here’s the tracklisting in full, including links to get hold of the music. Once again, the mix can be downloaded or streamed via MixCloud. Read more

Tags: Above & Beyond, Andrew Liles, Angelo Badalamenti, Anna Madsen, Aranos, Aria Prayogi, Art Of Noise, Bass Communion, Belle and Sebastian, Björk, Bloodgroup, Body Sculptures, Braids, Christopher Bissonnette, Chromatics, Chubby Wolf, Chvrches, Cliff Martinez, CocoRosie, Daniel W J Mackenzie, David Lynch, David Wenngren, Depeche Mode, Erotic Market, Fajar Yuskemal, Frank Zappa, Freezepop, Gazelle Twin, Goldfrapp, Grutronic, Hecq, Howard Shore, Indignant Senility, irr. app. (ext.), James Newton Howard, Jay Chattaway, Jed Kurzel, Jerry Goldsmith, Jim Haynes, Jim Williams, John Williams, John Zorn, Joseph Trapanese, Kate Havnevik, Kate Wax, Lene Alexandra, M. S. Waldron, Man Without Country, Mica Levi, Moss Covered Technology, Nordvargr, Not, OY, Paddy Kingsland, Pauline Oliveros, Peaches, Pinkcourtesyphone, Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, Prurient, Purity Ring, R. K. Faulhaber, Ryoji Ikeda, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Sleep Party People, Squarepusher, Steven Stapleton, Sunken Foal, The Caretaker, The Flashbulb, The Hafler Trio, The Real Tuesday Weld, tomandandy, Transvision Vamp, Venetian Snares

Mixtape #40 : Miniatures

Posted on October 1, 2017 by 5:4 in Mixtapes | 1 Comment

Even more than is usually the case, the new 5:4 Mixtape is a pure stream of consciousness. i’ve returned to a theme i explored in one of the earliest mixtapes, miniatures, once again setting myself a limit of music lasting under two minutes. With a shortlist of 100+ tracks (each one a personal favourite), i then simply followed my nose, treating them as puzzle pieces for a newly-created jigsaw, or perhaps more accurately as tessera for an eccentric aural mosaic. As usual, they embrace a mixture of new and old, and stylistically it’s all over the place, though its narrative was entirely suggested by the material, sometimes dovetailing or morphing, elsewhere successive tracks acting as rude non sequiturs. Along the way you’ll encounter abrasion (Alejandro Jodorowsky, Naked City, Benjamin Wallfisch (whose IT soundtrack is gleefully insane), aTelecine), playfulness (Syd Dale, Andrew Liles, Camille), moody atmospheres (Laura Sheeran, Supersilent, Vangelis, Olga Neuwirth, Beacon, Gareth Davis & Machinefabriek, Alva Noto, Ben Lukas Boysen), edgy lyricism (Zola Jesus, Elsiane, Gazelle Twin, Clark, Jenny Hval), convoluted beats (Don Davis, Zavoloka & AGF, The Flashbulb, Derek K Jeppsen, Shad[]wb[]x, Ryoji Ikeda), drama of various hues (James Newton Howard, Peter Ablinger, Veli-Matti Puumala, Claude Vivier), dreamy ambient (Bad Loop, The Real Tuesday Weld, Cliff Martinez, Get Well Soon, Monty Adkins, Aphex Twin), rich tonal yum (Marcel Dupré, Carpenters, Cyrillus Kreek, Tõnu Kõrvits) and various other electronic, experimental or otherwise unconventional amuse-bouches (Francis Dhomont, Frank Zappa, Nicolas Obouhow, Andrew Lloyd Webber (yes, really), Sophie, Steve Levine, John Zorn, Kenneth Kirschner). And all of this in just one hour.

48 tiny tracks ranging in duration from 1’59” to a mere 26 seconds. Here’s the tracklisting in full, together with links to obtain the music. As ever, the mix can be downloaded or streamed via MixCloud. Read more

Tags: AGF, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Alva Noto, Andrew Liles, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Aphex Twin, aTelecine, Bad Loop, Beacon, Ben Lukas Boysen, Benjamin Wallfisch, Camille, Carpenters, Clark, Claude Vivier, Cliff Martinez, Cyrillus Kreek, Derek K Jeppsen, Don Davis, Elsiane, Francis Dhomont, Frank Zappa, Gareth Davis, Gazelle Twin, Get Well Soon, James Newton Howard, Jenny Hval, John Zorn, Kenneth Kirschner, Laura Sheeran, Machinefabriek, Marcel Dupré, Monty Adkins, Naked City, Nicolas Obouhow, Olga Neuwirth, Peter Ablinger, Ryoji Ikeda, Shad[]wb[]x, Sophie, Steve Levine, Supersilent, Syd Dale, The Flashbulb, The Real Tuesday Weld, Tõnu Kõrvits, Vangelis, Veli-Matti Puumala, Zavoloka, Zola Jesus

Mixtape #30 : Prime Numbers

Posted on July 1, 2014 by 5:4 in Mixtapes | Leave a comment

For the new 5:4 mixtape, i’m not so much exploring a theme as a conceit. Mathematics has been a recurring feature of both my compositional and recreational activities lately, so for this new mixtape i’ve compiled a selection of music the titles of which incorporate the first 21 prime numbers. It was, i should say, quite a challenge, but the result is, i think, a highly stimulating mixture of exquisite non-sequiturs and unexpected aural connections. The mix is in part characterised by the presence of line, from a host of oblique angles, including jazz (Tartar Lamb II), avant-garde (John Zorn), math rock (Three Trapped Tigers), neo-Wendy Carlos retrosynthtronics (Laibach), indeterminacy (Kenneth Kirschner), counterpoint in extremis (Conlon Nancarrow), bassline-driven electronica (Last Step), post-romantic ecclesiastical dreaminess (Marcel Dupré) and lo-fi intimacy (Kid Koala). Elsewhere texture predominates, either with a harmonic underpinning (Ochre, Celer, Nine Inch Nails (but only just), Dick Mills, V/Vm) or from a percussive/glitch/noise perspective (At Jennie Richie, Ryoji Ikeda, Paul D. Miller, Bass Communion, @c). Read more

Tags: At Jennie Richie, BC:[LULL], Celer, Conlon Nancarrow, Dick Mills, Grúpat, Jennifer Walshe, John Zorn, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kenneth Kirschner, Kid Koala, Laibach, Last Step, Marcel Dupré, Nine Inch Nails, Ochre, Paul D. Miller, Ryoji Ikeda, Tartar Lamb II, Three Trapped Tigers, V/Vm

Mixtape #29 : Best Albums of 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 by 5:4 in Best of the Year, Mixtapes | 2 Comments

A very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!

i want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s followed 5:4 in the last year, and especially to those of you who’ve posted comments and tweets in response. There are lots of exciting things planned for 2014, so watch this space.

In the meantime, continuing the 5:4 annual tradition, here’s the new mixtape, celebrating the music in my Best Albums of the Year list. A little something from each album, seamlessly stitched together and lasting a little under 3 hours. Enjoy!—and if you do enjoy what you hear, links to purchase the music can be found on the previous two days’ articles.

Here’s the tracklisting in full:

Tags: Aidan Baker, Andrew Liles, Autechre, Ben Lukas Boysen, Bloodgroup, Blue Hawaii, Chiyoko Szlavnics, Chubby Wolf, Chvrches, Cliff Martinez, CocoRosie, Emmy Rossum, Flat Earth Society, How To Destroy Angels, iamamiwhoami, Igor Stravinsky, irr. app. (ext.), Jakob Ullmann, James Newton Howard, Kenneth Kirschner, Liza Lim, Main, Marsheaux, Michael Finnissy, Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Nine Inch Nails, Paul Jebanasam, Philippe Petit, Rashad Becker, Roly Porter, Ryoji Ikeda, Secret Chiefs 3, Shane Carruth, Stephan Mathieu, The Knife, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, These New Puritans, Tomas Phillips, Ulver, Xopher Davidson, Zbigniew Karkowski

Best Albums of 2013 (Part 2)

Posted on December 31, 2013 by 5:4 in Best of the Year | 5 Comments

* Please note this list has how been superseded by the one on the Best Albums of the Years page *

Bringing 2013 to an end, here’s the final part of the best albums of the year. Go on, give your ears a treat, they deserve it. Read more

Tags: Aidan Baker, Autechre, Black Swan, Bloodgroup, How To Destroy Angels, iamamiwhoami, Igor Stravinsky, irr. app. (ext.), Jakob Ullmann, Liza Lim, Main, Michael Finnissy, Paul Jebanasam, Philippe Petit, Ryoji Ikeda, Secret Chiefs 3, Stephan Mathieu, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, These New Puritans, Troum, Xopher Davidson, Zbigniew Karkowski

Interrobang – works by Ryoji Ikeda, Simon Cummings/Charles Tournemire and Steve Peters

Posted on May 4, 2010 by 5:4 in Concerts, Premières | Leave a comment

Regular readers of 5:4 will know of my interest in the music of both Ryoji Ikeda and Steve Peters. Later this week i have the privilege of directing works by both of these composers, at the next concert given by my ensemble, Interrobang.

In the first half, we’ll be presenting the UK première of Ryoji Ikeda‘s gorgeous Op. 1, one of his only works for instrumental forces (alongside Op. 2 and Op. 3, also for strings). Op. 1 has been played by Ensemble Modern, but doesn’t seem to have been taken up by other groups, which seems strange considering how lovely it is. Also in the first half will be the first performance of my own L’Ensemble Mystique (Book One), a suite of arrangements of music by Charles Tournemire, for chamber orchestra. Tournemire’s music is all based on plainsong, and the original chants will also be sung at the concert, putting my arrangements into context. The second half is entirely given over to the UK première of Steve Peters‘ The Webster Cycles, the CD of which came almost top in my Best EPs of 2008. It’s a mesmerising piece that takes words from the Webster Dictionary and turns them into abstract melodic fragments, which overlap each other in aleatoric fashion.

The concert takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday 6 May, in the Recital Hall of Birmingham Conservatoire. There will also be a repeat performance of The Webster Cycles the following day at St Martin’s in the Bullring, starting at 12.30pm. It would be great to see any readers of 5:4 at these concerts—do make yourselves known if you’re there!

Tags: Charles Tournemire, Interrobang, Ryoji Ikeda, Simon Cummings, Steve Peters

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