Music review: Powerplant - Import/Export

Published on Monday 24 November 2008 19:41

**** INFORMATICS FORUM, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

PRESENTING electronic music in a user-friendly format is somewhat problematic given there is little or no visual element. However, Powerplant – an inspiring collaboration between percussionist Joby Burgess, sound designer Matthew Fairclough and visual artist Kathy Hinde – have addressed these challenges by giving electronic music a multimedia makeover.

For most of the concert, Burgess played the xylosynth, a cross between a xylophone and synthesiser, and something of a musical shape-shifter programmed to produce an infinite variety of sounds, from samples of exotic instruments to synthesised material and even the human voice. Graham Fitkin demonstrated the latter superbly in his new work Chain of Command, made up entirely of samples from speeches by George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld about Guantanamo, Iraq and Abu Ghraib. The layers of speech did produce music, at times quite sinister, as words and phrases emerged from the hypnotic whirlpool of soundbites.

Gabriel Prokofiev's premiere Import/Export also contained a powerful message underlined by his use of instruments: an oil drum, wooden pallet, plastic bag and Fanta bottles. From these Burgess produced an imaginative array of sound effects, though ultimately it would have been good to have less message and more music.

Other highlights were Javier Alvarez's Temazcal, with virtuoso maracas from Burgess, and Steve Reich's seminal Electric Counterpoint with the xylosynth programmed to play the guitar solo.