16stages is the solo project of England-based artist Joseph Kaye. Joseph begun as a classically trained musician and later started his first electronic experiments during the days of Amiga trackers. He’s been busy exploring electronica ever since and has performed live in the UK and Holland under the names “Theme” and “Monkian”. His main influences being classical music and computer-game themes, 16stages’ sound is characterised by bright textures, playfulness, breakbeats and lush melodic lines. 10 16 Stages

Anastasis Grivas was born in 1966. He studied Statistics and Informatics at Athens University of Business and Economics. After working for years in the field of informatics as programmer /salesperson, and as tutor for the European Educational Programs, his last educational job was for Stavrakos School for Cinema, Sound Engineering and Radio/TV Production. Being always a great fan of contemporary music and increasing his interest in free improvised and experimental music he started his mail order (Contra Music) in 1995 focusing in the above fields, while he was working for the Greek Music Club ( A well known distribution and music store in the fields of contemporary, classic and jazz). Since then and under the influence of Minimalist Composers like Pauline Oliveros, Phil Niblock, La Monte Young and improvisers like Keith Row, Derek Bailey, Fred Frith he focused on sound design, inventing custom string instruments and the use of live electonics. In the year 2000, he founded Ektopia, a non profit company and Small Music Theatre, a small venue in Athens, soon to become the home for free improvised, experimental, avant/post rock and creative Jazz music in Athens. Anastasis has written reviews and articles for Greek music magazines presenting artists, movements and labels from the fields of avantgarde, free improvised, electroacoustic and experimental music. (Metamkine, CRI, Recommended, Tzadik,e.t.c). 19 Anastasis Grivas

Biomass is Panos Kyveleas. Juxtaposition, producer of dystopian soundscapes, pharmacist. He started as a dj in Italy (Napoli) in 1996 during his studies in pharmaceutical school playing in clubs, squats, autonomous spaces. From 2003 started the elaboration of a repetitive minimal music-plan detouring sounds and visuals into his private audio video structures. Post industrial reconstructions of blues and jazz atmospheres in accordance with the needs of the power of an imaginist living in the era of the melodic-vision destruction by an urban electric environment. His aesthetics are: the exploitation of jazz space, electric nuances, endless groove, hi frequency psycho-acoustics and sub bass culture. The live performance consists of a mix of analog and digital instruments accompanied by video recuts created by the artist. From 2005 started to publish his works and from 2007 he moved to Athens (Greece). 23 Biomass

Christos Laskaris (Greek: Χρίστος Λάσκαρης, 1938 – 2008) was a Greek poet. He was born in the village of Chavari in Ilia north-northeast of Amaliadain 1938 and at a childhood age, he moved to Patras. He was awarded the Cavafy International Award in n2007 from the Eastern Member Institute from Cairo. Considered one of the greatest contemporary Greek poets, he spent most of his life away from public eyes. Christos Laskaris passed away on June 11 2008. 27 Christos Laskaris

Francisco Lopez is internationally recognized as one of the major figures of the underground experimental music scene. Over the last twenty-five years he has developed an astonishing sonic universe, absolutely personal and iconoclastic, based on a profound listening of the world. Destroying boundaries between industrial sounds and wilderness sound environments, shifting with passion from the limits of perception to the most dreadful abyss of sonic power, proposing a blind, profound and transcendental listening, freed from the imperatives of knowledge and open to sensory and spiritual expansion. He has realized hundreds of concerts, projects with field recordings, and sound installations in 45 countries of the five continents. His extended catalog of sound pieces (with live and studio collaborations with over 100 international artists) has been released by more than 140 record labels worldwide, and he has been awarded twice with honorary mentions at the competition of Ars Electronica Festival. 5 Francisco Lopez

John Mourjopoulos is a Professor of Electroacoustics and Digital Audio Technology at the Electrical and Computing Engineering Department of the University of Patras, in Greece and head of the Audio and Acoustic Technology group of the Wire Communications Laboratory (WCL). He obtained a BSc degree in engineering from Coventry University and MSc and PhD degrees in 1980 and 1985, from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), at Southampton University. His PhD research was in the area of digital signal processing and room acoustics and has also worked at ISVR as a researcher fellow. From 1986 until 1988 he worked as researcher at WCL and in 1988 he was appointed Lecturer in Electroacoustics at the Electrical and Computing Engineering Department of the University of Patras. From 1992-2000 he was an Assistant Professor, from 2000-2008 he was an Associate Professor and in 2008 he was appointed professor at the same department. In 2000, he was a visiting professor at the Institute for Communication Acoustics at Ruhr-University Bochum, in Germany. John Mourjopoulos has worked in national and European projects, has organised seminars and short courses and contributed towards the development of digital audio devices. He has authored and presented more that 100 papers in international Journals and Conferences and was Session Chairman in a number of national and international conferences. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) in 2006. His research relates mainly to digital processing of audio and acoustic signals, especially for equalisation of room acoustics. He has also worked on perceptually-motivated models for such applications, as well as for speech and audio signal enhancement. His recent research interests also relate to aspects of all-digital audio chain, including WLAN audio, amplification and direct acoustic transduction of digital audio streams. He is a member of the AES (being chairman of the Greek section for the period 1993-95 and currently acting as vice-chairman), of the IEEE and of the Hellenic Institute of Acoustics for which he is also a member of the board. 24 John Mourjopoulos

Kamotek is John Dousk, well known mainly as a dance DJ/producer. In his Kamotek project, he presents a different side of himself, abandoning straight dancefloor-friendly beats and embracing fast d’n’b, chops, edits, arcade-like tunes and whatever else his twisted mind comes up with. John has completed classical music as well as production/engineering studies, he has released several records and has also been involved in band recording and production. 3 Kamotek

Mary and The Boy are a journey through time. A time machine. Through their piano punk performances they express their feelings about the crucial social movements of the past centuries. They are interested in Berlin’s middle war cabaret music, 50s Hollywood musicals, artists that expresses the working class like Ken Loach and Sex Pistols, Andy Warhol’s and David Lynch’s pop art, the US comedy movement that shine through the ashes of Saturday Night Live, artists that have a main interest for the Word of Jesus like Robert Duvall and Fiodor Dostoyefski etc. They have opened concerts for Holly Golightly, Four Tet and Marc Almond and write music for theatre productions. 7 Mary & the Boy

FRA

Mathias Delplanque (born in 1973 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) is a sound artist. After classical music studies, he graduated at the Ecole Nationale d’Arts de Cergy Pontoise and also holds a master’s degree in aesthetics (Paris 1 University). His work as a composer takes on several main lines and develops through different identities. As Lena, he composes electronic music strongly influenced by Jamaican Dub. With this project (two albums produced by the Belgian label Quatermass, so far), he shared the stage with some celebrities from contemporary dub music (Adrian Sherwood, Pole, Tikiman, Aba Shanti), and was greeted by the Press as “the most interesting actor of the French dub scene”. His other project Bidlo (first album produced by the English label Harmsonic) explores the outer limits of a hybrid and melodic electronica. As Mathias Delplanque, he creates sound installations and concrete or ambient pieces (the series “Ma chambre Quand Je N’y Suis pas”, “La Plinthe”, “L’Inondation”). His work was presented several times in galleries such as La Belle de Mai in Marseille, VKS in Toulouse, Oboro or La Fonderie Darling in Montreal, or Mercer Union in Toronto. In 2004, Mathias Delplanque won the grant Les Inclassables, sponsored by the AFAA (Association Française d’Action Artistique) and went for a six-month residence in the Studio Cormier, in Montreal. Mathias Delplanque is also one of the founding members (along with Black Sifichi and Charlie O) of AAA Men, a trio of vocal and electronic improvisation. A strong believer in art and music collaboration, he worked with many great visual artists (Dove Allouche, Jean-Pierre Aubé) and musicians (Steve Arguelles, Man, Charlélie Couture, Rob Mazurek, Black Sifichi, Daniel Givens…). 13 Mathias Delplanque

Merzbow (メルツバウ) is an experimental music project created in Tokyo in 1979 under the direction of musician Masami Akita (秋田昌美). Since 1979, Akita has formed two record labels and has contributed releases to numerous independent record labels. As well as being a prolific artist, he has also written a number of books and has been the editor of several magazines in Japan. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about art, avant-garde music and post-modern culture. His more renowned works have been on the topics of BDSM and fetish culture. Other artforms Akita has been interested in include directing and Butoh dance. The name “Merzbow” comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters’ artwork, Merzbau. This was chosen to reflect Akita’s dada influence and junk-art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of influences from various progressive rock artists such as Frank Zappa and King Crimson to Japanese bondage. From 2004 onwards, he has been a supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which has influenced a number of animal-themed releases as well as Akita becoming vegan. Akita’s work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. Akita is a prolific musician and has produced over 200 releases since 1980. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded as the “most important artist in noise music”. 22 Merzbow

Tomasz Kaye, based in Holland is the man behind Mormo. Exploring broken rhythms, unusual melodies and delving deep into sound-design and sound-sculpting territories, Mormo is an experience that sounds strange and familiar at the same time. Tomasz has participated in a great number of musical events, performing live and giving digital music workshops around Europe. Direct rhythm-lead explorations form the core of Mormo’s live incarnation. 8 Mormo

Nikos Veliotis was born in Athens, Greece. Active in the experimental field (audio & video) since late 90s. Veliotis uses floating long sustained sounds (primarily with the cello) and multilayred abstract visuals (overlays of digital trash and other digital found material) which provide the spectator with a suspended intermedia environment to sink in, dislocating him from the casual perception of time and space. He runs the Athens 2:13 club whose activities include an annual 2:13 three-day festival. 18 Nikos Veliotis

FRA

Oldman is the solo project of Charles-Eric Charrier, formerly one half of the acclaimed duo MAN (DSA, SubRosa). During his years with MAN, along with Rasim Biyikli, Charles took part in the recording of four albums, worked for film soundtracks, painters, choreographers and completed many tours. He has also worked alongside artists such as Mathias Delplanque (LENA), Rob Mazurek, Abraxax, Neil Carlill (Vedette), The CLOGS, Orange Blossom, Teamforest, and Le COQ. Under the alias ‘Oldman’, Charles is exploring the outer limits of folk, jazz, story-telling, sound design, ambience and improvisation. 20 Oldman

Pridon (aka Petros Voudouris) has released his 2005 debut album on Fluxion’s Vibrant Music imprint and subsequent EP on our label, Low Impedance Recordings. Having relocated from Brighton (UK), where he graduated from his BA in Digital Music (which also led him to compose original music and sound design for part of the London Graduate Fashion Week and present his work on London’s Resonance FM and Brighton’s Radio Reverb, as well as testing the UK waters with his solo live shows), he now resides in Greece. Here he works making music and sound design for TV and radio, enjoys constructing his own analogue EQs, distortion and preamp units for his studio and constantly works on new solo material. His range of works include international CD releases, freelance sound design and music for TV/radio, remixes, live/dj sets and multichannel installations. He has been invited to play at a number of events and festivals and he is now hard at work completing his next full length album. 1 Pridon

The group was formed by Alexander Retsis & George Aggelides, in late 1999. Both producers have been performing live for many years in the Greek electronica scene, using several pseudonyms. Their sound varied from distorted breaks to experimental electro. In 2002 they released their debut album “Flopper”, through label Vibrant Music (Basic Channel / EFA). “Flopper” was a collection of tracks, ranging from years 1999 to 2002 and was followed by several live performances and a web-only release (livE.P.). In 2004 the group moved to a unified studio, experimented with new sound territories, begun setting about with side-projects and started producing new material. Qebo are currently working alongside ThreePixels on ‘Insecta’, an audio / visual project, based on their latest live set and scheduled to be released on DVD. 16 Qebo

USA

Scott Arford has produced works for sound and video including CDs, DVDs, multichannel installations and numerous live concerts. In 1995, he founded 7hz, a studio and performance space in San Francisco and has been blasting his noisy work around the world for the last 10 years. 6 Scott Arford

Experimental electronic musician Sister Overdrive works with a number of sound materials to produce lingering, multi-layered soundscapes alongside more energetic, driven compositions. His interests in improvisation, free composition and found objects have led him to experiment with a wide range of styles and eclectic combinations, resulting in works equally influenced by abstract electronic composition, avant-garde instrumental music, free jazz and post-rock performance ensembles. 21 Sister Overdrive

CAN/FRA/USA

The Missing Ensemble are the trio of Daniel De Los Santos (Tamarin, member of the legendary Mad Monkey Records label), John Sellekaers (Xingu Hill, Dead Hollywood Stars, Ambre and many other personal and collaborative projects) and Mathias Delplanque (Lena, Bidlo, AAA Men and many other projects). As The Missing Ensemble, these three gentlemen present drones, ambiences, textures and minimal soundscapes in their usual stylish fashion. 11 The Missing Ensemble

Tokyo Mask is the brainchild of Kostas Karamitas, a student of Electrical Engineering based in Patras, Greece. Under the guise of Tokyo Mask, Karamitas explores post-industrial, dub, noise, sludge and drone music, the output being dark, primal, and powerful. 2 Tokyo Mask

Videogame Orchestra’s purpose is, to create and reproduce tracks in a video-game music environment. The project emphasizes on emulating the sound of past video-game machines (from late 70’s to early 90’s), mixing it with modern audio technology and occasionally, electronica. In addition to the expanding database of remakes and original tracks, are the group’s live P.A.s – real-time visuals, synchronized video-clips and costume appearances. The VGO project was initiated in 2004 and currently hosts a web archive, featuring numerous tracks/remakes and other downloadable data. The project has became recognizable, and amongst their worldwide live PA’s, many remix requests and other collaborations take place. 17 Videogame Orchestra