Jean-Philippe Gross (FR), János Bali, Kamon Kardamom

The emergence of electronic instruments has resulted not only in new timbres, but also in a paradigm shift in the field of musical thinking, especially when it comes to improvisation. Parallel to the unprecedented broadening of opportunities for sound producing, the number of parameters to be considered have also multiplied, which poses new challenges to musicians. Controlling these complex and fast-changing systems requires both manual skill and mental virtuosity, while it is also possible to entrust technology with making certain decisions or supervising entire processes for us.

Electronic improvisation shows a wide range of variety in terms of tools and character. The concert is unique in that its three performers cover a significant portion of this range. The toolkit of Jean-Philippe Gross includes field recordings, as well as a Serge modular synthesizer, thus uniting the aesthetics of both the French and German schools of early electronic music. János Bali’s custom developed instrument creates an astonishingly versatile synthesizer out of a simple recorder, on the basis of the acoustic feedback. As for Kamom Kardamom, the use of analog tools and amplified objects is complemented by custom developed software instruments and several controllers. 

Jean-Philippe Gross (born 1979, lives and works in Metz, France) is a French composer and improviser, founder of Eich records, and Fragment. Originally a drummer, he has played in the field of electronics, experimental and improved music since 2001.

János Bali is a composer, conductor, music theorist, mathematician, and choirmaster of the A:N:S choir, which specializes in Renaissance vocal polyphony. He wrote his first piece for DIY electronics at the age of 13, and returned to the field 40 years later, with his custom designed and developed instruments and programming languages. 

Kamon Kardamom is a free improvisation trio formed in 2020, with an approach based on continuous exploration and a deep state of attention. They use a broad palette of electronic sound sources ranging from an analog sythesizer and modified vintage playback devices to custom software tools and controllers.