New Ely center welcomes regional knob twiddler Piotr for a dj set. Light crowd of about ten occupy the darkened modern art gallery. Derek is a folklorist, researcher and performer whose work focuses on the human voice. He is the lead archivist and creative director of something called Fieldwork Archive. Armed with a laptop on one pedestal and a synth box with a tangle of patch cords on another, Derek goes to work. First piece has some bird samples mixed with some metallic backdrop drones, Derek too supplied some wordless vocal cooing. Next piece had some early political banter, slightly obscured stretched out over some mechanical whooshes. Next up, was a recording of a friends mom’s recollection of southern gospel tunes. Another piece had Derek splicing voice mail messages he received from his grandmother during the last ten years of her life. The material was fascinating, a modern day Alan Lomax. Spotify Derek and you’ll see he has recordings dating back to 2010. He also takes part in some fringe festivals that showcase modern field recordings. He has collaborated with the likes of avant Appalachian banjo picker Nathan Salsburg. Happy to be one of ten for this highly original music,
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