Alternativa x Heartnoize x Sonitus: T'ien Lai + Nahash

Alternativa, Heartnoize and Sonitus present:

Instrumental gqom from Polish all-rounders and pressure of broken rhythms from SVBKVLT T’ien Lai belongs to a remarkable slice of the Polish scene around Kuba Ziolka (Stara Rzeka), where the boundaries between genres, eras and regions don’t quite exist. Ziołek’s project with Łukasz Jędrzejczak began with variations on kosmische musik, but soon began to pick up more and more influences and members and completely transformed. Some of the recordings recall the joyful progression of Jaga Jazzist marked by a fondness for old soundtracks, others are in the spirit of wild tribal techno.

Currently part of the Brutality Garden collective/label, which systematically explores the possibilities of adapting contemporary African music – under the name konk – the project is dedicated to interpretations of Afrohouse on a battery of synths and live percussion. Hypnotic (poly)rhythms punctuate characteristic guttural screams, but also hyperreal sounds that may be as inspired by vaporwave as John Carpenter. T’ien Lai’s complex playfulness is ultimately idiosyncratic and, thanks to the compositional skills of the central duo, compelling. The tendency to play electronics over live instruments inevitably raises questions, but after last year’s performance by the related ||ALA|MEDA|| project, we expect a riveting show. And we very much welcome the fact that the forthcoming recording with inventive drummer Qbou Janicki seems to take inspiration from gqom for a change.

Producer Nahash is primarily associated with the seminal Chinese label SVBKVLT, but his journey is more complex in more senses. His creative beginnings in Shanghai’s underground were surprisingly between soundscapes and experimental black/doom metal, and his proclivity for extremes at the time partly explains his current style. In fact, within a couple of years he went through a complete turnaround, shifting to a global bass sound drawing on jungle, gabber, or even reggaeton, with pressure as the main constant.

The precise percussion, powerful bass and paranoid sirens that thematise the US military-political intervention in Latin America on Flowers of the Revolution offer one of the most convincing images of a party towards the end of the world. Unsurprisingly, the closest he comes to the Shanghai crew is the extremist Osheyack, with whom he has collaborated on several occasions. Nowadays, French-born Raphaël Valensi has moved to Montréal, where he is working on mastering the SVBKVLT recordings and, above all, continuing his own work.

The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Prague City Hall.