Explore earsthetic

This winter Brighton Dome hosts earsthetic, a series of performances by electronic artists working in sound and vision. With performers from such far-flung locations as Japan, South Africa and, well, Bolton, earsthetic features a collection of artists unified behind a desire to experiment, break boundaries and ultimately find new ways with which to engage an audience. By way of preparation, here is a brief who’s who of all the acts due to perform.

Peaches

Our Corn Exchange opens its doors for a Peaches’ double bill. Beginning with a showing of her self-produced, autobiographical film Peaches Does Herself, we are then treated to a Q&A with the infamous electroclash star. Rounded off with a DJ/MC set, this proves a rare opportunity to see Peaches on her own terms and gain an insight into the sort of wild, unabashed music and performance that has become synonymous with the reputation of one of the most notorious electronic musicians of recent years.

#FascinatingFact Peaches was once invited to perform on Top of the Pops, yet her performance was subsequently deemed ‘too racy’ for Auntie Beeb, and she was subsequently edited out.

Ryoji Ikeda

Ryoji Ikeda once responded to an interviewer by arguing that ‘if I say something that is a kind of answer, the audience will be stuck in what I am saying’. Prioritising his integrity as a performer and allowing the audience to experience his creative output in a manner often prevented by a famously invasive music and arts media, Ikeda has made our job of piecing together this blog post a bit of a nightmare! Having honed his craft in Tokyo nightclubs, Ikeda soon expanded into visual arts, and his latest work promises a combination of the hypnotic soundtrack he is famous for and carefully crafted 3D visuals.

#FascinatingFact Although Ikeda attended the University of Tokyo, he has absolutely no idea what he graduated in. He maintains he only graduated at all by giving his tutor a bottle of Sake.

Mira Calix

Mira Calix is keen to prove that ‘art isn't just for arseholes’ - she's keen to sidestep assumptions that it can be pretentious and difficult. Calix promises a sensory experience that is at once accessible and inspiring, working with a range of sculpture and sound. Previous venues for her work have included Durham Cathedral and the Royal Festival Hall, and next month she takes to the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre for an intimate performance of her latest project; ‘The Sun is the Queen of Torches’.

#FascinatingFact  Mira Calix has been personally endorsed by a range of influential figures including Boris Johnson and Radiohead.

Planningtorock

With a long list of admirers including LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Hot Chip and The Knife, Planningtorock is the artistic output of Berlin-based, Bolton-bred Janine Rostron. The Quietus described Rostron as sounding like ‘Yoko Ono soundtracking Jon Waters’ Hairspray set in a Berlin Nightclub’, and her latest work takes a direct approach to tackling gender divisions, not simply through her lyrics but through the effects she uses on her vocals, blurring the lines between male and female vocals and sounds.

#FascinatingFact Rostron has labelled the distorted vocal techniques she often used as her harnessing her ‘inner tranny’.

Spirit of Gravity

A home-grown collective of experimental artists working in a variety of mediums, Brighton’s own Spirit of Gravity aim to create an environment in which anyone can experiment and create new sounds.

earsthetic – a new season of live interdisciplinary performance runs Tue 10 Dec - Sat 14 Dec.  Book now here  or call our Ticket Office on 01273 709709. 

By Alastair Cooper