Tom's Place
3111 Deakin Street Berkeley
Click for Venue page

A secret gathering for people in the know, an all-electronic quartet featuring David Toop with Tom Djll, Wobbly and Gino Robair. Openeing: Madalyn Merkey, solo electronics.

Visiting British composer, musician, writer and curator David Toop says: "There is definitely work now that doesn't fit into any of the institutionalized contexts. So maybe it fits best on youtube or in just small gatherings of people that are almost secret. And I quite like that. I like the fact that one is definitely a group of people in the know but on the other hand the other aspect of it is access can be completely random."

Toop has released many records, including nine solo albums, the first of which, New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments, was released on Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975. (I get the impression he likes to downplay it, but he was also a member of Flying Lizards in the 1970s and '80s.)

He has written five books on sound theory and history; Rap Attack, Ocean of Sound, Exotica, Haunted Weather and Sinister Resonance, and is currently working on 'Into the Maelstrom', a two-volume book on free improvisation.

Tonight he will be improvising on just about anything that comes to hand with Bay Area electronic artists Tom Djll, Wobbly (Jon Leidecker) and Gino Robair. Video interview with gorgeous performance excerpts here: https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/article/conversation-david-toop

Madalyn Merkey creates sound events with simple sonic material -- voice, sine waves, and pulses -- to generate lush synthetic environments with the aid of acoustic readings from microphones and sensors. She is the English translator of the Italian music text Due scuole di musica elettronica in Italia (Die Schachtel, 2016), written by composer Enore Zaffiri and published in Milan originally by Silva Editore in 1968. There's an interesting interview with her here: https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/madalyn-merkey-on-sound-as-material/

Tom's Place
3111 Deakin Street, Berkeley CA
Directions: http://4-33.com/directions.html
Information: http://4-33.com/toms-place/index.html

Admission: donation. All proceeds go directly to the musicians.
Doors open at 7:00. Wheelchair accessible.

Cost: Free, donations accepted.

Audio samples in which musicians at this event play:

Videos featuring musicians playing at this event