Senyawa, Zs, Arrington de Dionyso, and Special Guests

Pioneer Works is pleased to present an evening of improvisational and experimental performances with sets by Senyawa, Zs (Patrick Higgins & Greg Fox duo), and Arrington de Dionyso as well as some special guests including Brian Chase (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The concert will include past and present participants of the Pioneer Works music residency program while encompassing a wide range of exploratory sonic practices, from minimalist avant-garde and instrumental synthesis to psychedelic trance-punk.

Senyawa

Hailing from Jogjakarta, 2016 Pioneer Works Music Resident Senyawa embodies the aural elements of traditional Indonesian music while exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions. Their music strikes a perfect balance between their avant-garde influences and cultural heritage to create truly contemporary Indonesian music.

Their sound is comprised of Rully Shabara’s deft, extended vocal techniques, punctuating the frenetic sounds of instrument builder Wukir Suryadi’s modern-primitive instrumentation. Suryadi’s inventions include the handcrafted ‘Bamboo Spear’, a thick stem of bamboo strung up with percussive strips of the animal skin alongside steel strings; when amplified, it fuses elements of traditional Indonesian instrumentation with garage guitar distortion. The sonically dynamic instrument can be at times rhythmically percussive and at other times melodically bowed and plucked.

Zs (Patrick Higgins & Greg Fox duo)

Founded in 2000, Zs — which has existed over the years as a trio, sextet, and quartet — will be performing in the duo formation of Patrick Higgins and Greg Fox (2016 Pioneer Works music resident). These individually renowned musicians are producing some of the most exciting new music in New York City.

While their music has been variously categorized as no-wave, brutal-prog, and post-minimalist, Zs is primarily concerned with making music that challenges the physical and mental limitations of both performer and listener. Manipulating extended technique, unique instrumental synthesis, and near telepathic communication, Zs aims to create works that envelop the listener and unfold sonically over time, evoking unspoken past, present, and future rites and ritual.

Arrington de Dionyso

An uncompromising voice in contemporary music, Arrington de Dionyso integrates ancient sound-making techniques with trans-modernistic inquiries into the nature of consciousness. His propulsive improvisations utilize voice and reeds (primarily bass clarinets and his invention, the Bromiophone) as multiphonic tools in the navigation of liminal spaces between shamanic seance and rock and roll ecstasy.

While deeply rooted in punk’s inclination to tear down musical standards in an effort for liberation, Arrington’s music weds its no-wave iconoclasm with the spiritual searching of Ayler-era free jazz to reach towards an unveiling of primordially potent universalities. His compositions embrace sounds as colors, placing emphasis on complementary spectrums — from circular overtones whispered through bamboo flutes to the penetrating deep and guttural howls of amplified throat singing — all with the lungs of an athlete.

Brian Chase

Brooklyn-based drummer/composer Brian Chase is one third of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. His electro-acoustic solo project Drums & Drones focuses on the application of just intonation to drums and percussion.