About

The Portuguese computer music composer Luis Pestana, Swedish techno/club sweetheart Rivet, and classically-trained American contrabassist Gregory Vartian-Foss were paired together, with no previous history of collaborating. The result is Melodori, which premiered live at the Malmöhus Castle during the Intonal Festival 2023.

Rivet is a Malmö native with worldwide recognition in underground electronic music, first as Grovskopa and then as the Editions Mego-released Rivet. Foss is the preeminent contrabassist who trained at Yale and under Boulez, and is now a tenured member of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Pestana works within the aura of experimental electronic music, but proposes a new contextualization of traditional folklore and instruments while exploring a deep need for meaning within sound.

Together, the trio’s intriguing new composition was performed entirely live and draws on Pestana’s mystic minimalist pieces infused with pointillist epic-MIDI-collage, Foss’ world-class bass performance, and Rivet’s post-rave melodicism and production prowess. While each artist has unique talents, they share a love of rave music and culture, and as such, recognize its influence as ever-present, even in a more ‘high-brow’ setting. Hence the title of closing track ‘Non-consensual Loveparade’ – a reference to Germany’s infamous electronic music street party – reminding us that even when you aren’t in the rave, the rave is in you.

Melodori is the fruit of an artist residency orchestrated by SHAPE+/Intonal during spring 2023. SHAPE+ is a new European platform for innovative music and audiovisual art co-financed by the Creative Europe programme. Running for the next three years, SHAPE+ will foster exceptional emerging talent, connecting them to local communities and audiences through collaborative residencies with multiple artistic outcomes, commissioned artworks, as well as one-off presentations and performances. Combining an open call and a curatorial selection, the platform members will select a roster of artists to support each year.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. 

Credits

releases October 20, 2023

Written and composed by: Gregory Vartian-Foss, Luis Pestana, Mika Hallbäck Vuorenpää in 2023
Mixed by: Luis Pestana
Mastered by: Redshape
Photo: Olexander Parkhomenko - 1984, Shkheldinsky Pass in Central Caucasus.
Design: Mika Hallbäck Vuorenpää/Luis Pestana

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