Onoma Research

15/06/2024

We will be practicing a Midsummer Night's musical ritual, as we have most years since 2011. Listen in on http://twitch.tv/jmbowers

Our Solstice this year in the Northern Hemisphere is exactly 21.51 Thursday June 20th and members of legendary noise drone band Tonesucker will gather in London and drone overnight from sunset to sunrise from Thursday 20th to Friday 21st.

You are invited to take part wherever you are and whenever you can. You can set a drone going in your own home to synchronise with us or follow your local custom. You can submit materials to us (loops, whole tracks) which we will play on your behalf. You can submit some code. Or poetic text, images or movies. You can think of us warmly. Whatever you like. You can contact me as on Instagram or here on Facebook.

If you use the hashtag , we will try to link to you. Please tell your friends. AMND 2023 is here: https://youtu.be/ox2-Z0EoEj8?si=a0eBPUAKKrJ-gfap

Tuning Instructions
If you prepare drones to play with us, you are free to use whatever tuning you like. But if you like a little maths/theory/occultism you might try notes which are octaves of the earth's orbit around the sun or of the earth on its own axis.

The earth orbits the sun in about 365.25 days. Up 31 octaves this is 69.05Hz, a slightly flat C sharp. This Midsummer the earth will rotate on its own axis in 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59.9998932 seconds. Up 21 octaves this is 24.269Hz, a slightly flat G.

If you want the music of the spheres, you could do worse than play C sharp and G which make a nice discord when played together.

If you want a third note to represent the interaction of the earth's rotation and orbit which together make up ‘Midsummer Night', you could play the product of the two (1651.53Hz) or an octave of it, a slightly flat G sharp.

This year a Full Moon occurs around Midsummer so you might want to include a Moon tone related to the Moon’s rotation around the Earth which takes 27.321661 days. Up 27 octaves this is 56.8574Hz, a slightly sharp A.

These 4 notes together will make quite a dense cluster chord. Johannes Kepler would be proud!

Do not be deterred if you live in the Southern Hemisphere and this is your midwinter. Create an event for your midsummer and we will join in in six months time.

15/04/2024

At Sonorities Festival, SARC, Queen's University Belfast last week, Lucy Suchman and I shared a keynote under the title of "Transformative Interfacing: Human computer improvisation and open worlds". You can find the recording at: https://www.youtube.com/live/m7Mu9ZF06dk?si=5qx6XnAhQDjvmx7o

For personal reasons, I had to leave the festival early, was unable to promote this event in advance, and for a while it looked like I might have to pull out. To cover possibilities, I made a movie in an essay-film style. This starts at around 45 minutes in and lasts about 27 minutes. It's called Interfacing. Lucy gives a great presentation at the beginning and we both answer questions at the end.

TRANSFORMATIVE INTERFACING: HUMAN COMPUTER IMPROVISATION AND OPEN WORLDSSonorities Symposium keynote session featuring John Bowers and Lucy Suchman, chaired ...

13/01/2024

Thanks to everyone who came along to OnomaGoGo #1 last night. Plus, a big thank you to Loula Yorke, Italian Books and Mawhrin Skel for playing fantastic sets, and mich_unlocked for providing excellent visuals!

All the best, John, Terry & Steve. X

12/01/2024

THE DAY HAS COME! Yes, it's here! OnomaGoGo #1 is happening tonight! If you're looking for something fun to do in Ipswich then head on down to The Smokehouse for an evening of experimental sounds, images and atmospheres presented by Onoma Research. We've got live performances from Loula Yorke, Italian Books, Mawhrin Skel and Tonesucker. And video art presented by Mich-Unlocked and VenusJ. It's all going to be quite good! Yes, REALLY quite good! (Tickets £5 in advance or £6 on the door.)

Event Page: https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq

The Smokehouse

11/01/2024

So how's your weekend looking? Binge-watching Solar Opposites again? Friday night with a Coffin Joe boxed set? (If you still had a DVD player that worked.) Will it be Rocket League? Or Valorent? Or perhaps you might spend the entire weekend in bed with Monster Munch and Irn-Bru watching the classic 26-part British documentary series from 1970s, The World at War, narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier on your iPad. Here's another idea. Head down to The Smokehouse, Ipswich for an evening of experimental sounds, images and atmospheres. There'll be live performances from Loula Yorke, Italian Books, Mawhrin Skel and Tonesucker. As well as video art by Mich-Unlocked and VenusJ. And you can buy beer. Not sure if there'll be crisps, though. There might be. (Tickets £5 in advance or £6 on the door.)

Event Page: https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq

The Smokehouse

09/01/2024

Don't forget our FREE album, OnomaGoGo featuring tracks from artists performing at our OnomaGoGo events, starting this week with OnomaGoGo #1 on Friday at in Ipswich. Checkout the event on our FB page for tickets.

https://onomaresearch.bandcamp.com/album/onomagogo

3 track album

08/01/2024

Another memory of Phill Niblock who sadly passed away today. Phill in Virtual Reality. From when Tim Shaw and John Bowers played at his annual Experimental Intermedia festival in New York in 2018.

08/01/2024

RIP our friend the mighty and venerable Phill Niblock, who left us today at the age of 90. A life well lived.

05/01/2024

'Sup bi***es! Seven days to get jiggy at the first dope live joint of 2024 ... ahem ... I mean it's a week until the first OnomaGoGo event launches at The Smokehouse, Ipswich with an evening of experimental sounds, images and atmospheres. There are live performances from Loula Yorke, Italian Books, Mawhrin Skel and Tonesucker. And video art by Mich-Unlocked and VenusJ. Yes, it'll be jolly good ... fo' shizzle! (Tickets £5 in advance or £6 on the door.)

Event Page: https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq

The Smokehouse

01/01/2024

A glass of absinthe and best wishes to you all for the New Year, Gregorian calendar. x

23/12/2023

Only a week now until Krampus flicks his forked tongue in the direction of all you VERY NAUGHTY CHILDREN! Yes, he will beat you with branches and sticks ... and that's if you're lucky. There's only one scientifically proven method for appeasing Krampus and that's to be perform a nice deed. For example, you could give the gift of an advanced ticket for OnomaGoGo #1 on January 12, 2024. That'd probably work. And it might just prevent a disagreeable excursion TO HELL! (Tickets £5 in advance or £6 on the door.)

Event Page: https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq

The Smokehouse

20/12/2023

Free! FREE! FREE, I TELL YOU! What’s that, then? On January 12 Onoma Research launches the first in a series of live events for 2024. We’ve called them OnomaGoGo. Accompanying these performances, though, we - and our most generous guests - are GIVING AWAY an ongoing download compilation album featuring the participating artists … or at least those who give us tracks to share. And with each successive live event we’ll add more and more pieces to the compilation until we eventually end up with something that’s … well, somewhat fu***ng epic! And it’s free! (I did mention that, didn’t I?)

2 track album

20/12/2023

Free! FREE! FREE, I TELL YOU! What’s that, then? On January 12 Onoma Research launches the first in a series of live events for 2024. We’ve called them OnomaGoGo. Accompanying these performances, though, we - and our most generous guests - are GIVING AWAY an ongoing download compilation album featuring the participating artists … or at least those who give us tracks to share. And with each successive live event we’ll add more and more pieces to the compilation until we eventually end up with something that’s … well, somewhat fu***ng epic! And it’s free! (I did mention that, didn’t I?)

Here's the link: https://onomaresearch.bandcamp.com/album/

19/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 - Artist Profile...

MICH_UNLOCKED & VENUSJ

MICH_UNLOCKED
http://unlockedcreative.substack.com

Mich_unlocked (aka Michelle Brace) is a digital and media artist who sometimes produces and performs live visuals with bands ie local noise rock legends Earth Mother F*cker. She also sometimes works in collaboration with other artists including a remote lockdown livestream with Mawhrin Skel (New Dreams) and live mixing with illustrator . She has performed her work live at Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival (recently with Flute Journeys), London Jazz Festival (‘Homecoming’ with trumpeter Chris Dowding and artist Laure Van Minden) and at 11THour, King’s Lynn (with Janice Oliver). She is part of the playful Norfolk Barn Jam AV collective and is currently working on loads of stuff including - new for 2024 - a collaboration with infamous street artist Vinnie Nylon.

VENUSJ
VenusJ is the latest project of Janice Oliver (also known. amongst many other aliases, as Madame BoHo). With mich_unlocked, VenusJ is video artist-in-residence with Onomagogo providing digital scenery and VJ projections to our events.

See MICH_UNLOCKED & VENUSJ on 12th January 2024, at OnomaGoGo #1, at The Smokehouse : https://fb.me/e/36FeluZMG

The Smokehouse

17/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 - Artist Profile...

TONESUCKER
https://onomaresearch.bandcamp.com/

Terry: “ChatGPT, write a short piece of promotional text for the rock band Tonesucker”

ChatGPT: “Experience the sonic revolution with Tonesucker, a powerhouse in the realm of experimental rock! Immerse yourself in their dynamic soundscapes, where raw energy meets avant-garde artistry. Tonesucker's music transcends boundaries, taking you on a journey through electrifying rhythms and mind-bending melodies. Join the movement – embrace the pulse of innovation with Tonesucker and let the music speak for itself!"

See Tonesucker on 12th January 2024, at OnomaGoGo #1, at The Smokehouse : https://fb.me/e/36FeluZMG

The Smokehouse

15/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 - Artist Profile...

MAWHRIN SKEL
https://mawhrinskel.bandcamp.com/

Depending on whim, willingness and weather, Mawhrin Skel makes music often described as noise, drone, techno-alt-orchestral and ambient. His music is characterised by its use of harsh, abrasive sounds, deep frequencies as well as long, slow, and meditative passages. Mawhrin Skel is the stage name of Andrew Culture, occasional novelist and bassist of These Are End Times. https://mawhrinskel.bandcamp.com/

See Mawhrin Skel on 12th January 2024, at OnomaGoGo #1, at The Smokehouse : https://fb.me/e/36FeluZMG

The Smokehouse

# #

13/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 - Artist Profile...

ITALIAN BOOKS
http://TrenchArtNoise.bandcamp.com

Italian Books is the electronic brainchild of Jay Volunteer. The project began as a disposable harsh noise show opener for a local D.I.Y. Punk gig in rural Suffolk in 2017. Over time the act has progressed developing a more uniformed ‘Power Electronics’ sound, with vocals that have their roots in Hardcore Punk but delivered to the listener heavily processed. Italian Books is best experienced live and this show will see a reimagining of the project with a completely new set. Four Italian Books albums and projects under different monikers (including collaborations) can be found at Trench Art Noise.

See Italian Books on 12th January 2024, at OnomaGoGo #1, at The Smokehouse : https://fb.me/e/36FeluZMG

The Smokehouse

11/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 - Artist Profile...

LOULA YORKE
http://loulayorke.com/

“One of the most interesting voices in analog electronics” Bandcamp Daily

“Practice made perfect” The Wire

“Rising modular star” Electronic Sound

Loula Yorke is an Oram Award-winning composer, improviser and live performer, who
weaves patterns into sound with her modular synthesiser.

Loula’s dynamic and ever-fluid practice draws a line between composition, action and
performance art, incorporating participatory Live Art pieces, such as 2021’s Atari Punk Girls, critically acclaimed recorded works, such as 2022’s Florescence, and live
performances that incorporate a kaleidoscope of melodic sequences, noise, and
snatches of processed voice. She’s played to audiences of music-lovers everywhere from abandoned churches to venues such as the Sonic Arts Research Centre, Cafe Oto, and Snape Maltings.

And now she’s out here making waves on social media too, with the live video clips she posts from her Cottage Studio garnering support from the likes of The Blessed Madonna and Cosey Fanni Tutti, as well as a groundswell of positivity from listeners. In January 2024, she's releasing her stunning new album, Volta – a cycle of seven luminous sonic tessellations composed and played live on her modular synthesiser, which she's playing live at The Smokehouse on 12th January.

Latest liveset video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci-Dycg89Rk

OnomaGoGo #1 at The Smokehouse : https://fb.me/e/36FeluZMG

The Smokehouse

05/12/2023

The official OnomaGoGo house band, Tonesucker have been ploughing their own merry hybrid of noise-drone-doom-krautrock-electronica since their 2006 debut album Slaughterhouse. Their sound has evolved through numerous subsequent releases and European festival appearances. Their eight albums and two EPs, include Omnia Convivia Crastina, which American music magazine A Closer Listen placed in their top twenty albums of the year chart. That's albums from anywhere in the world! ANYWHERE!

Of course, OnomaGoGo is not only about sound but also visuals, which are supplied by our very own artists-in-residence Mich_unlocked (Michelle Brace) and VenusJ (Janice Oliver). Michelle is a digital and media artist who has performed live visuals for, among many others, noise rock legends Earth Mother Fu**er. Her work has also been seen at the London Jazz Festival and the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival. Janice and Michelle will be providing digital scenery and VJ projections to OnomaGoGo #1.

See the event page https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq for more information and ticket details.

The Smokehouse

04/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 presents another artist highly regarded on the experimental music scene. Andrew Culture not only writes novels but is also the bass guitarist with very fine post-rock outfit, These Are End Times. As Mawhrin Skel, he travels an alternate path, though, providing us with a sound he describes as: “characterised by its use of harsh, abrasive sounds, deep frequencies as well as long, slow, and meditative passages”. Magnificent!

See the event page https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq for more information and ticket details.

The Smokehouse

03/12/2023

OnomaGoGo #1 is coming soon! And – cor blinkin' blimey and criminy – what a live spectacle it's shaping up to be! Joining the evening’s festivities is the absolutely wonderful and mighty Italian Books, brainchild of meistro of "power of electronics”, Jay Volunteer. He may have recorded four albums under that monicker but, Jay himself tells us: “Italian Books is best experienced live”. At OnomaGoGo #1 he assures us we will be experiencing: “a reimagining of the project with a completely new set”. And we can't wait!

See the event page https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq for more information and ticket details.

The Smokehouse

02/12/2023

We're completely and totally delighted to announce that Loula Yorke will be playing at OnomaGoGo #1, our first live event that takes place at The Smokehouse in Ipswich on Friday 12th January. Loula is an Oram Award-winning composer, improviser and live performer, who Electronic Sound magazine describe as a "rising modular star”. In January she's releasing a new album, Volta, which she describes as "a cycle of seven luminous sonic tessellations combo composed and played live on modular synthesiser” and which she'll be playing at OnomaGoGo #1.

See the event page https://fb.me/e/1aSt4Dqrq for more information and ticket details.

The Smokehouse

16/01/2023

Last Summer/Autumn I had two new albums released. One was by Family Yung, my project with Louis Burrows; the other was the first Chrysanthemums album since the 90s - that’s the band I founded with Alan Jenkins shortly after the end of the Franco-Prussian war. And I think they’re two of the best albums I’ve made so far. (Both available as double CDs, Family Yung on Ralf Friel’s Moloko+ label in Germany and the Chrysanthemums on Eggplant Records.) On Saturday, Krys O (Krystyna Olsiewicz) played three tracks from each on her WFMU show. For people with ridiculously eclectic musical tastes this a pretty wild show. Here is an archive link: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/123703.

Audio & playlist from January 14, 2023