Irtijal 2017
Day 1 – Detailed Program
Wednesday April 5th, 2017
at Metro Al Madina, Hamra – 8.30 pm
Michel Doneda & Lê Quan Ninh (fr)
Michel Doneda soprano saxophone
Lê Quan Ninh percussion
Over the years, Michel Doneda has developed one of the most extensive musical vocabularies in free improvisation. A specialist of the soprano saxophone, he has gradually moved from left-field jazz to the fringes of free improv ever since he began to lead his own sessions in the early ‘80s. His playing can be at turns lyrical, playful or raucous, and can switch from the liveliness of street melodies to circular breathing, microscopic sounds or shrieking outbursts. His most frequent recording and performing partners over the years have included singer Beñat Achiary, percussionist Lê Quan Ninh, hurdy-gurdy player Dominique Regef and bassist Barre Phillips.
Lê Quan Ninh is a classically trained percussionist who works across different media and genres. Following studies at the Versailles Conservatory, where he became a specialist in the music of the 20th century’s great composers, such as Stravinsky, Xennakis, Bartok, and Messiaen, he developed a strong interest in improvisation which led him to collaborate with musicians commonly associated with free jazz, such as composer Butch Morris, bassist Peter Kowald and drummer Paul Lovens. Lê Quan Ninh has also collaborated with dancers, filmmakers, poets, and video and performance artists.
Rabih Beaini & Sofia Jernberg (lb/sw)
Sofia Jernberg voice
Rabih Beaini voice, electronics
First they met at The Laundry in London, on 26 September 2014, and said: “Hi”. Then they met at NK in Berlin on the 11 November 2014 and said: “Hi”. Rabih composed a piece, “For the right red hand”, involving many musicians and premiered at CTM Festival in Berlin on 30 November 2016. Together with everybody they performed that piece. It was a lot of fun! After that they met at Borderline Festival in Athens on 8 April 2016 and said: “Hello”. Then they met at Pop16 festival in Berlin on 30 April 2016 and said: “Hello again, hi, hi”. Later on they met at Alarm Festival in Berlin on the 29 July 2016 and said: “Maybe we can play together?”. Subsequently in Berlin again, on 14 October 2016 at Rabih’s Morphine festival at Berghain, they said: “Yeah let’s try to play together!”
Fadi Tabbal & radiokvm (lb)
Fadi Tabbal electric guitar
Sary Moussa electronics
Lebanese musician, producer and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal’s work consists of guitar pieces ranging from stripped acoustics to ambient and shoegazing-inspired treatments. Often referred to as “the hardest-working man in Lebanon’s alternative music scene”, Tabbal relocated to Beirut in 2006 following studies in sound engineering in Montreal, Canada; he promptly established Tunefork Recording Studios, a specialized work-space which offers customized services including full band recordings, live sound, music production and composition. Tabbal is a full-time member of several Lebanese bands, including psychedelic rock band The Incompetents, indie rock outfits Ramly and Interbellum, drone unit Under the Carpet and folk band Safar. His more recent project The Bunny Tylers (with Charbel Haber) veers between drone music, post-rock and noise rock.
Sary Moussa aka radiokvm is a self-taught electronic musician. He grew up listening to rock and jazz before delving into electronica and started crafting his own melodies under the moniker radiokvm in 2008. Moussa collaborated closely with Lebanese electronic producers Okydoky (with whom he played in a duo for an extended period of time), Munma, Jad Atoui and Liliane Chlela, releasing both remixes and original compositions for label compilations. He also composed music for theatre and dance performances.
Find Metro Al Madina on the Map
Metro Al Madina
Irtijal 2017 edition is brought to you in collaboration with Simsara Agency, Ruptured & Tunefork Studios and with kind support from AFAC (Arab Fund For Arts And Culture); Goethe Institute; Musikverkeet; Institut Français, BBIMF & Illy.
