American minimalist composer Phill Niblock has been active in multimedia endeavours since the mid-1960s. While often associated with American Minimal Music and its protagonists, such as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, Niblock has remained a maverick presence on the fringes of the avant-garde who has ventured further into profound reductionism than his contemporaries. This celebrated composer, who turned 80 last year, will present a selection of recent works that have not yet premiered in Berlin, both in a solo performance as well as in performances with various notable collaborators.

Performing together with Niblock will be the four-piece experimental brass ensemble Zinc & Copper Works, founded by microtonal tuba player Robin Hayward, who has collaborated with other notable pioneers such as Catherine Christer Hennix. A revolving cast of musicians, Zinc & Cooper works appears here with two of its core members, Hayward and Elena Margarita Kakaliago (french horn), to be joined by Hillary Jeffrey (microtonal trombone) and Paul Schwingenschlögl (microtonal trumpet). The ensemble stands out its use of distorted embouchure, experimental valve techniques, and the attachment of sensors to instrument valves in order to interact with computers, effectively transforming brass instruments into acoustic noise generators.

Phill Niblock also performs with New York drummer and installation New York artist Eli Keszler, a formidable creative force of the contemporary musical avant-garde and PAN label collaborator who combines jarringly rhythmic, propulsive solo drumming with electroacoustics and raw materialism to craft intensely physical and ferociously energetic works. An installation artist and performer, Keszler works with piano strings to create vibrating installations ranging in scale from an average gallery space to enormous outdoor structures spanning skyscrapers or bridges. Keszler has created a piano string installation specially designed for the HAU Hebbel am Ufer venue, which runs in installation form at the outset of the evening, only to be integrated into Keszler’s solo performance following his duet with Niblock.

Eli Keszler – L-Carrier from eli keszler on Vimeo.

Valerio Tricoli, an Italian instrumentalist and electronic musician long involved in musique concrète and free improv, and also part of PAN’s wide-ranging collaborators, will perform solo with tape machines and electronics, before being joined by Keszler for a rousing finale to end the night.