Mondo Bizarre Magazine

words:Telma Mota (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota

Last Saturday the second anniversary of Sonoscopy took place in Porto in its new home, now more spacious and pleasant, located at Rua Silva Porto. This association, which since the 1990s has been committed to boosting collective spaces and creating and presenting concerts, dedicated this anniversary event to experimental and improvised music for which interesting names in the field were invited.

The event started with Andrew Levine, currently residing in Hamburg. Levine presented an improvised set for a room still half filled, based on a curious set of instruments ranging from the theremin, one of the first electronic instruments completely controlled by dancing hands, a cracklebox, generating unusual sounds from 6 metallic buttons and a modular synthesizer, rich in producing inspiring tingles. Arlt, a pleasant surprise composed by Canadian Eloise Decazes and Frenchman Florian Caschera (known as Sing Sing) followed who presenting their most recent album Turnetable.This record challenges the romantic “French song” with experimental notes, almost circus-like sounds and pre-recorded folk musical pieces on nostalgic cassettes. Singing sweetly and captivatingly, the duo rocked the already crowded room with their charm and talent. They started the show with the melancholic 2012 song Tu m´as encore crevé un cheval and ended with two older themes Soleil enculé and the emotional De haut em bas. In between, the melodies of the new album following one another, enthusiastically accompanied on the guitar by Sing Sing and sprinkled with the noise of concertinas, the playing of plastic keyboards and the hum of other common objects that Eloise mixes so well with her naif voice.Arlt delighted the audience that aplauded and prolonged the moment with pleasure.

This was followed by a break for dinner kindly offered by the organization as an integral part of the Sonoscopic experience.

After this moment of tranquility and conviviality, thunder struck Marcia Bassett, a New Yorker who is a reference in the underground world presented a black collage, dense and rich in improvised sounds, accompanied by the Swiss Ursula Scherrer on the projections, created from fabric textures and leaves captured by a camera. Nestled on the floor, they enveloped people in an electronic sound whirlwind of influences, noise, drone and many more nameless odors. From an impressive modular synthesizer with fingerboard and pieces of nature, Marcia offered a total immersive experience full of restlessness.

Closing the anniversary Frantz Loriot (violin), Marina Tantanozi (flutes) and Philipp Eden (piano and objects) trio performed a free and elegant improvisation. The piano, full of soft murmurs and intense awakenings, accompanied by the flute where vigorous blows and full-bodied sound blows followed one another, all involved by a disturbing violin, now in tune, now intentionally irritated with reality. They massaged and scratched the instruments with affection and excitement in a conversation rich in phrases full of content.

A different day went by, calm and musically exciting, in a pleasantly homely and welcoming space.

A Double Solo of Songs and (double) Bass

words & photos: Raquel Pinheiro

To celebrate the 49th anniversary of 25 de Abril Aveiro’s section of Associação José Afonso (AJA) organized an intimate late afternoon concerto with singer-songwriter-double bassist Miguel Callaz.

I was unfamiliar with both Miguel Callaz and Banda Amizade a local cultural association and philharmonic band that dates at least from 1834. All I knew from have taken a look at and AJ’s advert was that it was going to be a double bass concert. The double bass being the electric bass older, acoustic brother the event was right up my alley. Nothing like venturing into the unknown to be pleasantly surprised in every way.

Double bass, like electric bass is not played, but felt. Many people play one or both, few feel it. Miguel Callaz feels it, lives it, breathes it. As he says “this instrument that, to me, has no beginning or ending.” Solo double bass can be thought as a boring, extremely academic performance without margin for emotions, for the soul filling human touch. Nothing of the sort was gifted to us.

Miguel Callaz presented a mix of his second solo album Contra: Contemporânea Tradição (Contra: Contemporary Tradition) of revised and transposed to double bass and voice as well as to a more modern language traditional songs from Beira Baixa and Trás-os-Montes, and a few, hand chosen songs from Portuguese singer-songwriters matching the occasion.

Traditional songs originally for voice or voice and adufe (a quadrangular or rectangular traditional Portuguese percussion instrument of Moorish origin) like Moda de São João, Senhora do Almortão, Moda de Ceifa, O Bento Airoso and others remaining easily recognizable, transmute and change with the beautiful artistry of Miguel’s playing and singing bringing them us in a new manner that retains their essence. The words, as is often, if not always, the case in traditional and folk songs, are of utmost importance “the hidden truths contained within traditional songs”. They are also timeless even if the stories told are from a mostly gone rural or manual labour world.

The singer-sonwriters chosen were José Afonso, born in Aveiro in 1929, whose song Grandola Vila Morena (not part of the concert reportoire) was one of the signals of the military coup of April’s 24th/25th 1974 that lead to the end of the dictatorship, a symbol the resistence, fight for freedom, usage of our traditional song books – he too sang Senhora do Almortão -, and one of our greatest artists; Sérgio Godinho /Que Força é Essa), José Mário Branco (Inquietação) with the double bass and the voice translating the restleness (inquietação), Fausto (Foi por Ela), Adriano Correia de Oliveira (Canção com Lágrimas). To tie the performance song half José Music (music) and traditional (lyrics) Tu Gitana – a XVI century song part of Elvas song book – that will be part of Miguel Callaz’s new album.

I saved the bass playing in itself for latter. Because, last is not least. And, in this particular case, truly not least. Without getting too tech bass geek, there is a uniqueness, a singularity, in Miguel’s playing. Drawing from jazz, masterly, but not eletistiscally, diving deep into our folklore to bring its rhythms, its flow to a way of multiusing the double bass. It is a marvel to look at Miguel’s hands as they finger, and pluck, and tap the body of the double bass and when the fingers pluck above the fingering hand down the fingerboard right there, close, close to the terminus of the fingerboard (on a bass/double bass finger or fretboard down is up and up is down).

However, after Miguel’s concert, the very end was a surprise by Banda Amizade’s band that came marching in and played a handful of upbeat tunes. What a lovely late afternoon!

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Paulo Carmona

I didn’t even took a flowers bouquet! Damn it!

How could I know I was on my way to a celebration? Neither I nor the others who were there could. No one knew that they were going to a reunion party with an old friend that not seen for a long time.

Well fellows, that is how Jay Jay Johanson sees it. He is probably one of the warmest and most tender solo artists I have ever seen. He celebrates the end of each song with effusive gestures of thanks and love for others.

The set started with Why Wait Until Tomorrow; So Tell the Girls That I’m back in Town and There’s no Easy Way to Say Goodbye revealing all its happy, nostalgic and contemplative melancholy. Closed in on himself and leaning on the microphone’s tripod from where he enjoys picking up the songs, he walks around the stage, gently, with a slight smile stamped on his face. He plays with his voice, oscillating between dark low tones and midium highs filled with melodies and harmonies.

From trip-hop to electroclash through synth-pop, wiith melodic jazz breezes everywhere, I found myself having sensations only bossa nova can give. Perhaps it was the beautiful cadence of Erik’s keyboard sounds, with Jay Jay Johanson’s smooth, nostalgic vocals that make this magic. I don’t know, but it was the feeling I was left with.

The heat in the CCOP room is such that Jay spares no effort and several times fetches water to offer and cool the audiencec A very elegant and nice gentleman, that’s what he is.

She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore gets a big ovation. But not the biggest of all. Meanwhile he introduces Erik saying he was once his dance teacher, if you can believe it. Met, of course, with laughter and squeals and happy hooting. The biggest ovation came from Heard Somebody Whistle.

After a short encore Jay Jay returns with a glass of white wine on his hand and makes magic with his voice by singing acappella, just leaning on himself. Brilliant! Someone beside me comments on the fact and lets it out in an emotional tone, that said gentleman has the best of voices.

The concert ends with Jay Jay Johanson greeting everyone who’s there in front of the stage and immediately dives into the middle of the audience and get lost in hugs, kisses and photos. Interestingly, to accompany this session, Frankie’s My Way is heard interpreted by Sid Vicious, the legendary bassist of the Sex Pistols, and soon after, Elvis Presley’s In the Ghetto. I don’t think anyone would be waiting for it. Not even me! Superfun!

A seguir a um curto encore, volta de copo de vinho branco na mão e faz magia com a voz ao cantar à capela, apenas apoiado em si mesmo. Brilhante! Alguém ao meu lado comenta o facto e deixa sair em tom emocionado, que aquele senhor tem a melhor das vozes.

O concerto termina com Jay Jay Johanson a cumprimentar toda a gente que está logo ali, na frente do palco, para logo a seguir mergulhar no meio da audiência e perder-se entre abraço, beijos e fotos. Curiosamente, a acompanhar esta sessão, ouve-se o My Way do Frankie interpretada por Sid Vicious, o lendário baixista dos Sex Pistols, e logo após, In the Ghetto do Elvis Presley. Acho que ninguém estaria à espera. Nem mesmo eu! Super fun.

A Space-Time Odyssey

words & photos: Marcos Leal; editing; Raquel Pinheiro

Last Wednesday night the Suggia room at Casa da Música served as a spaceship for the German trio Tangerine Dream, so that the audience in Porto could embark on a sidereal journey on their unique visit to our country held within the scope of Musica & Revolução (Music & Revolution) 2023 cycle.

The trio that currently performs under the name Tangerine Dream is composed of Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane and Paul Frick that were not even born at the time of the band’s formation which highlights the transformative and evolutionary component of a project founded by Edgar Froese in 1967, which remained a member over the years until his death in 2015 and of which Thorsten Quaeschning was the “chosen successor”.

The audience at Sala Suggia highlighted the timelessness and transversality of a project that has been with us for several decades. Grandparents and grandchildren could be seen in the audience, people who grew old with the music of the electronic pioneers and people who came to discover its origins and evolution.

The trio entered the stage a few minutes after 21:30 under a round of applause, taking their places on the machines. Thorsten in the center, on a level above the stage, like the commander of a Star Trek, greeted the audience with a timid voice recording in Portuguese, immediately starting the musical journey that would last for more than two hours, to the sound of syncopated and pulsating melodies from Stratosfear, a theme from 1976. From then on, time came and went not following any temporal order. The screen behind the band served as a window into the world and imaginary of Tangerine Dream and giving context to each theme played by them, with images reminiscent of graphics from video games to sci-fi cinema, also referring the work done for cinematographic soundtracks. As an example Betrayal a theme of the 1977 film Sorcerer.

The journey had several stops and sound and visual landscapes with themes such as Tangram (set 1), Raum, Love On A Real Traim, Los Santos City Map, Continuum, Portico, among others from the vast repertoire. From the oldest and most recent work which the current line-up manages to approach in a very coherent way, bringing the oldest themes closer to the most recent edited work that results from archival work from samples left by the former founder Edgar Froese.

Despite the long concert, the audience asked for an encore with a standing ovation. The band followed with a long one theme, some people ended up leaving early, considering Thursday was a workday.

An the end, Thorsten introduced the remaining members greeted with with applause by the audience and a promise of a return soon, after a few good years without visiting the city.

Already heading for the stage exit, Thorsten steps back to ask for a final round of applause for the late founder of Tangerine Dream.

The show reached the end with the satisfied feeling of the audience having witnessed history.

words: Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Telma Mota

Tim Hecker (b.1974, Vancouver, Canada) is a reference in the electronic music world. A sculptor of environments his discography is an experimental journey that providing unusual itineraries, tinged with evocations and spirituality.

The performance at gnration in Braga was the pretext for the presentation of his latest record No Highs (April, 2023). With a sober presence on stage shrouded in a constant haze inviting immersive states, Tim Hecker offered an endless dive into the minimal universe. We were dragged into a resounding, ascetic, almost shamanic waterway, against which it would not be worth fighting.

We allowed ourselves be led on an oceanic journey through territories without words, in which we swim inside ourselves, led by layers of sound that merge, blend and generate new landscapes, in a lycergic, hypnotic and involving continuum.

texto: Neno Costa; fotos: Telma Mota

Tim Hecker (n.1974, Vancouver, Canadá) é uma referência no mundo da música electrónica. Escultor de ambientes, a sua discografia é uma viagem experimental, proporcionando roteiros insólitos, tingidos de evocações e espiritualidade.

A atuação no gnration, em Braga, foi pretexto para a apresentação do seu último trabalho, No Highs (Abril, 2023). Com uma presença sóbria em palco envolta numa constante neblina convidativa a estados imersivos, Tim Hecker ofereceu um mergulho infindável no universo minimal. Fomos arrastados para um agueiro sonoro, ascético, quase xamânico, contra o qual não valeria a pena lutar.

Deixamos-nos conduzir numa viagem oceânica por territórios sem palavras, em que nadamos para dentro de nós mesmos, conduzidos por camadas sonoras que se vão fundindo, mesclando e gerando novas paisagens, num continuum licérgico, hipnótico e envolvente.