"One of the most darkly enthralling instrumental records of the year." (The Quietus)

Everything began with silence. Even music. So too by Barn Owl. This duo from San Francisco - Evan Caminiti (guitar and vocals) and Jon Porras (guitar, drum, …) - understands perfectly how to have desolate silence end up in delicious drones. Once landed in that zone, Barn Owl finds itself in the dark musical forest of Earth and Sunn 0))). With their latest album 'Lost In The Glare', monthly The Wire placed Barn Owl between legendary American finger pickin' guitarist John Fahey and the Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath who even taught minimalists like Terry Riley and La Monte Young and thus also influenced them. While we're digging further anyway: dive right into related Barn Owl-projects like Elm and Higuma too, the projects of Jon Porras and Evan Caminiti respectively.

Blanck Mass (uk)
Blanck Mass is ½ of the noise duo Fuck Buttons, from Bristol. Mogwai is a fan, as proven by the untitled debut that was released via their very own Rock Action label. Humo too, as (by means of a *** review) they've spent no less than a page of praise on Benjamin John Power's solo project. His work is – according to Power himself – the musical equivalent of ‘cerebral hypoxia, just call it the euphoric feeling that comes about when the flow of oxygen to the brain gets cut off. Best described musically as the intersection where noise, ambient and glitch embrace one another. Thus, to be situated between the stylized digital noise of the likes of Tim Hecker and Fennesz. May we also add Brian Eno and Emeralds to the list too?
After the AB was first to present Fuck Buttons to Belgium (in ‘08), we continue along that line and now also present the Belgian stage debut of Blanck Mass.

8:00 pm Ensemble Economique (us)
Ensemble Economique - is the alter-ego of Californian resident Brian Pyle. Together with mate Merrick McKinlay, Pyle is also a part of the experimental union Starving Weirdos. His recordings are embraced by labels like Digitalis and Not Not Fun. Musically, he often makes use of ‘distorted guitars’ and ‘miniature percussion’, which Pyle has result in dissonant harmony.

Barn Owl - Turiya from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Barn Owl - Light from the Mesa from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.