Return of popular international new music festival

Alt.Music.3

ARTSPACE is very pleased to announce the return of its popular international new music festival, Alt.Music. Over the first two weeks of July the New Zealand public will once again be able to feast on performances from a diverse range of some of the world's leading experimental musicians and sound artists.

This year's festival promises to be the biggest yet with a bulging schedule of events treating audiences to consecutive evenings of performances, daytime lectures and workshops with a number of the participating artists with a vital flux of ideas and experience.

International artists confirmed so far include the meccano-robot-orchestra builder, Pierre Bastien (France); sonic extremist Francisco López (Spain); a multi-national trio of cutting-edge guitarists featuring Alan Licht (USA), Tetuzi Akiyama (Japan) and Oren Ambarchi (Australia); veteran free-sax player Kris Wanders (Netherlands/Australia) spooky soundscapist Lawrence English (Australia); pianist Anthony Pateras (Australia) and contrabass recordist Natasha Anderson (Australia).

Heading the local line-up will be an extremely rare North Island appearance from legendary noise-trio, The Dead C, who have just returned from headlining the Le Weekend Festival in Scotland. Also back in New Zealand and playing at Alt.Music.3 are Dean Roberts and Rosy Parlane, who have each spent several very successful years abroad working with international artists and labels. One of New Zealand's most respected researchers and performers of traditional Maori music and instruments, Richard Nunns, will be collaborating with other festival guests and many more performers from throughout New Zealand are also being scheduled to appear.

The Festival will open on Friday 2nd July 2004, with the final performance on the 12th July. Venues will include gallery spaces, club venues, pubs, sound studios and public spaces.

The 3rd ARTSPACE International Festival of Experimental Music has been curated in conjunction with the Audio Foundation, [www.audiofoundation.org.nz ] a newly established hub that provides an umbrella to some of New Zealand's leading sound artists and musicians. The experimental music community acknowledges Creative New Zealand as a key supporter of Alt.Music.

This focus on experimental music is not new for ARTSPACE, Auckland’s leading contemporary art gallery. Alt.Music aligns with ARTSPACE’s ‘Music for Stairwell’ project, while continuing a strong tradition of involvement in the sonic arts, with such projects as SoundWatch (1989, 1992, 1994) The Fourth Window (1995) Relay (1996-97) SoundCulture (1999) and past visits from Tony Conrad, Keiji Haino, Oval, Paul D Miller (DJ Spooky) and Otomo Yoshihide.

Programmes and posters are now available from ARTSPACE and around town.

Alt.Music.3 Schedule

FRI JULY 2

Ak Art Gallery Auditorium: Bruce Russell & Lawrence English lecture 12pm/Free

Kings Arms: *Dead C, Alan Licht (solo), Tetuzi Akiyama (solo), Lawrence English, *Dean Roberts, DJ Jon Bywater 9pm/$12

SAT JULY 3

AAG Auditorium: Anthony Pateras & Michael Morley lecture 12pm/Free

AAG Auditorium: Anthony Pateras, Oren Ambarchi, Natasha Anderson, *Richard Nunns 8pm/$8

SUN JULY 4

New Gallery: Richard Francis and Empirical 3pm/Free

Silo Theatre: Akiyama/Ambarchi/Licht, Kris Wanders, *Bruce Russell, *Infinitesimal 7pm/$8

MON JULY 5

Odeon Lounge: *Vitamin S ‘Guerrilla Night’ with visiting guests 8pm/$Donation

TUES JULY 6

Seventysix: *FWD with DJ Topnotch, DJ Cyg and more TBC 8pm/Free

THURS JULY 8

4:20 Bar: Artspace Dutch Film Show opening party w/ *Coco Solid, *James Duncan, *DJ Moodswing, *DJ Um 8pm/Free

FRIDAY JULY 9

AOTEA SQUARE: *10 Acre Bloc and Pumice 6pm/Free

SATURDAY JULY 10

Artspace: Pierre Bastien, *SC Cumuna, *Audible3 8pm/$8

SUNDAY JULY 11

SCAPA: Francisco Lopez, *Rosy Parlane, *Charlotte90, *Tim Coster 7pm/$12

MONDAY JULY 12

Odeon: *Vitamin S with visiting guests 8pm/$Donation

THROUGHOUT FESTIVAL

Verona: Festival club with Alt.Music.3 DJs after gigs.

* = local artists

Other collaborations between artists will inevitably happen

ARTSPACE receives major public funding from Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

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