Jim Kaiser is a sound manipulator actively based in the San Francisco Bay area experimental music scene, in particular associated with a subset often referred to as the Miserablists. His solo work under the "Petit Mal" name has been ongoing since 1995, and he is a regular member of the Thomas Carnacki ensemble as well as the French Radio Trio with members of MX-80 and Sutekh Hexen. Distressed contact microphones, glass, metals, water, shortwave radio, reel tapes and field recordings are frequent elements of his compositions and performances, which are characterized by a sense of distant melodic undertones flecked with sporadic outbursts from failing equipment that become incorporated into the pieces. Elements of drone, Musique Concrète and film score are easily identifiable components in his group and solo work.
Kaiser is a curator and promoter for experimental music performances in the SF Bay area, and also runs the 3-inch CD label Petit Mal Music which is an outlet for like-minded musicians and sound artists from the Northern California area and beyond. More information as well as audio
samples and full live recording documentations can be found at the label's website.
Rdeča Raketa (Red Rocket) is the duo of Maja Osojnik and Matija Schellander, both internationally active musicians and composers based in Vienna. Having both worked with abstract improvisation, contemporary classical compositions and with backgrounds in various other musical genres, Rdeča Raketas main topic is electroacoustic improvisation and Klangfarbenmelodie.
In the last years they released the tape Old Girl Old Boy on Mosz Records, composed a piece for the vocal ensemble Hortus Musicus as well as new music for silent movies (comissioned by the Filmarchiv Austria) and performed in Austria, Slovenia, Germany, South Korea and Serbia.
Wir werden (We will) is the second release of the viennese duo and consists of two carefully composed pieces each spanning one side of the vinyl album, organically blending various electronic sound sources and field recordings with acoustic instruments like paetzold recorder, double bass and piano. Opened and closed by spoken word lyrics, Wir werden deals with the past repeating, movements and their absence in front of systems appearing to be crumbling, relationships between people and their inner fears.
