kind words for hiken! by alex elgier and cecilia quinteros and manipulation by lauren sarah hayes!

kind words courtesy of louis pattison. the wire 399. may 2017.

It starts with a shouted “Hiken!”, and the Argentinian duo Elgier and Quinteros immediately let fly. He plays piano, she plays cello, and together they make more racket than most quartets, their chaotic improv conducted with a jerky energy that verges on the comedic. Explosive moments are balanced by subtler passages where the pair hunker down, working microscopically at their instruments with the surprising grace of a contortionist folding himself into a suitcase.

A different kind of trickery is at play on Edinburgh musician Lauren Sarah Hayes’s Manipulation. Her compositions are an exercise in unpredictability, the product of tiny circuit board ecologies that spit out malleable loops directed – albeit only in the most general sense – by outside input. Luckily, the sense of play extends to the finished product, its skittering melodies and clip-clopping rhythms suggesting a mischievous intelligence emerging from this web of wires.

pan y rosas release hiken! by alex elgier and cecilia quinteros!

alex elgier is a musician from argentina. pianist and composer, dedicated to contemporary and experimental music. he formed part of the trio, elgier-grinenco-sahlieh, and with them recorded the album veiled for the portuguese free improvisation label – creative sources. he was a founding member of la orquesta de improvisadores de buenoes aires, in which he directed as well as played piano and clarinet. he has also composed original music for various dance works. he maintains an online diary where he publishes all his electronic music productions.

cecilia quinteros is a self-taught, improvising cellist from buenos aires. since 2007 she has co-created many experimental music projects in argentina and worked with theatre, visual artists, contemporary and butoh dancers. in 2013 she was invited by the danish record labels ilk and barefoot records to perform several concerts at the copenhagen and aarhus jazz festivals. her current projects include ruido², YAS, rhabdoviridae, eriza, la corporación, and HAITI.

alex and cecilia improvised this (just under) thirty minute piece in august of 2016. buenos aires. cello. piano. action. free. with shouts.