October & November Performance Actions.

I'm gearing up for a series of shows this month into next, all abroad. First, there's a talk & a solo performance in Riga, Latvia at the Skanu Mesz festival on the 11th followed closely by a solo concert at Nico Vascellari's Codalunga space/studio in Vittorio Veneto on the 12th. Mark Fell & I will be wood-shedding our duo project for a few days in & around Sheffield before debuting it at the Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival on the 15th. Wish us luck!

I'll be back in the states for a week T'ing C of Mimaroglu B from the 16th to the 23rd, but then Mark & I will both be in Berlin at the Volksbühne taking part in a great CTM-sponsored bill with Suzanne Ciani's new group Neotantrik w/ Andy Votel & the Demdike Stare guys on the 24th. I have a few days off in Berlin to record-shop & relax before the UK debut of the duo w/ Mark at Joshua Brooks in Manchester on the 30th. We're at Cafe OTO on Halloween, after which I'll be heading to Antwerp for a secret Ultra Eczema-related show there, followed by a solo concert at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, wherein I'll be using the IPEM's Synthi 100 to play a piece. Then its back in Cambridge on the 3rd for a bit of a break.

December is already shaping up, with solo & duo concerts with Mark in in Brazil; stay tuned!

First photo taken during the first trip; a typical apartment block in Riga, Latvia.

Fantastic selection of Eastern Bloc vinyl here @ LIRA - the only recordshop I hit during the first trip. Polskie Nagrania, Melodia, Electrecord, Hungaroton for days.

Okkyung Lee @ Skanu Mesz.

Schmück at Frankfurt airport. 

Incredible cloud formations flying over the Alps.

Landing, outside of Venice.

Venice by planewing - unfortunately as close as I got this trip.

Outside of the Commune di Vittorio Veneto are a series of impressively dark sculptures.

Cool bar in Vittorio; flyers for upcoming Kawabata & Corsano concerts.

This bird woke me up at the crack of dawn for 2 days straight.

Winding back through the Alp foothill wine regions after a lost luggage run back to the Venice airport.

The Alps start just at the edge of the "old" part of Vittorio.

Nico Vascellari's studio, converted into a makeshift venue / courtyard / bar.

Sopressa plate at Trattoria alla Cerva. They had an impressively vegetarian-friendly menu as well.

Sommelier at Trattoria alla Cerva.

Maitre D, Francesca, & Riccardo at Trattoria alla Cerva.

Once again, Trattoria alla Cerva from the piazza. Go to this place if you are ever in Vittorio, seriously.

Vittorio di Veneto Hardcore sign at Codalunga.

Squirrel sculpture in the courtyard at Codalunga.

Cheese shop in Vittorio, completely bonkers. Walked out of there with 2K of Piave & Montalvio for €20.

Classiest cheese shop owner as well...

Shortly after arriving in the UK, I had to make an emergency 7AM run to Cleethorpes...

Cleethorpes beach.

Cleethorpes Mighty Mouse.

Crumbling Cleethorpes attractions.

Fantasy World is a place; in Cleethorpes.

Yorkshire placenames really are the best placenames.

Rotherham in full bloom.

Meadowhall Grit.

Fell family feline.

24 hours after our first rehearsals, Mark & I arrived at this hillside Casino in Lausanne to play our first concert together.

View of Lake Geneva from the right side of the building.

Gordon Monahan "Speaker Swinging" soundcheck.

Garden behind the Casino; oddly reminiscent of "Last Year at Marienbad."

Lakeside Mark.

Morton Subotnick.

Artist laminates.

Gordon regaling Aaron Dilloway.

I came back to the US for a week, then headed straight to Berlin - here's the view from my upper-floor Park Inn Alexanderplatz room.

Mark spotted the old-growth vines on this Prenslauerberg squat.

Setting up at Volksbühne, one of the nicest rooms in Berlin.

Peculiar trees in Treptow en route to Rumpsti Pumpsti.

Nice reflection of the Radio Tower in Alex.

I had forgotten how exquisite some of the architecture is here.

Im der Mauerpark.

This hidden food courtyard im der Flohmarkt am Mauerpark was a real delight. 

One of the big cases at Schneidersbüro at Kotbusser Tor.

Il sonno Gigio.

Voklsbühne by day.

I always make time to go to Hard Wax on Paul-Lincke Ufer; one of the best shops in the world.

Reconnected with Torsten Pröfrock, aka "Various Artists" & T++ - one of the first people I met in Berlin when I came to play Podewil in 2000, and still one of my all-time favorite producers.

I flew to Manchester for a day off & stayed in the amazing Islington Mill for a night.

Islington Mill guest house.

Islington Mill cat, the Fellcat's doppelganger.

The Manchester Library is an amazing, perfectly round building, with a reading room in the second floor "Bell."

"Electronic Music" section at Manchester Library.

Possibly the greenest thing I've ever eaten; Pistachio syrup cake at Teacup on Thomas St.

Decamped late after the Manchester gig for Rotherham again. Mark has great taste in lighting.

Fabio taking a photo of our setup at Cafe Oto.

Had a really nice meal at Mangal with Mark, Harun Mirza, Richard Sides, and Thomas before the gig.

Thomas played a quad set on his Serge & a Max-MSP-based control setup - absolutely stellar.

Hanging outside with Rebecca after the gig.

Dalston on Halloween is an amazing place.

Thomas & Mark inspect the forthcoming Oto project space.

Train journey from London to Antwerp via Brussels.

Antwerp Centraalstation never ceases to amaze.

Fluwelen Koord!

Lieven, Eva, Ryan, and Tom at Het Bos.

Ryan's blastjacket.

Finally, I got to play this majestic beast as part of my set at the IPEM "All Connected" show at Ancienne Belgique.

Nixie tubes represent.

Shot of the voice-board of the Synthi 100.

Ditto, the other bank; no shortage of voices.

There was a great long talk on the IPEM's history along with playback of Goeyvaerts & Goethals pieces, plus documentary films.

They brought out some of the historical IPEM designs from the Museum of Musical Instruments.

Update: I've just arrived home; very successful, inspiring run of shows, much fun had all around. The four duos with Mark Fell showed some real promise for such a fledgeling collaboration & the handful of solo concerts were among the best I've played in years both musically & direction-wise. I'm in a good place right now. Above you'll find a selection of photos taken during October & early November in Riga, Vittorio de Veneto, Cleethorpes, Rotherham, Lausanne, Berlin, Manchester, London, Antwerp, Brussels, and points in between - mouseover for a bit of commentary on each & to "freeze" the slideshow.