I am very pleased to share with the world a collaborative album with French ambient pop artist, Wild Anima. Heliostāsio stands for the balance of the sun by ancient Greeks to describe the solstice. This ambient album is the outcome of an impromptu live jam session when I was in residency at GlogauAIR in Berlin.
Inspired by our own individual stays in Iceland this album paints a multi-layered soundscape standing in between night and day and time and matter. Translating this infinite yet ephemeral moment found in the dance of the celestial bodies, where shadow and light slip softly in between the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. The spaces in between, dawn and dusk, solstices, and equinoxes. Recurring patterns yet never the same.
Hello everyone, two quick items about features for my Echozoo project exploring the deep-time of extinct animal soundscapes.
You can hear one of my favorite podcasts Sounds Curious talk about and feature the work of Echozoo extensively on their most recent episodes.
Also, Dosage Magazine did a nice feature on Echozoo last week.
Third (I know I said, two things 😉 Echozoo related item, is my favorite iPad App Borderlands Granular released a new version and I designed a preset in the App form my Echozoo project! I used Borderlands extensively while designing and deconstructing imaginary animals soundscapes for Echozoo. If you have an iPad, even if you don’t make music, get it! It’s such a fun and adventurous way to sculpt sound like it’s putty in your hands.
Listening Bodies was delighted to share a half-day workshop and a evening concert with the Sensing In Festival organized by Movement Artisans and the Axis Syllabus community in Berlin. In this workshop we synthesized some classic Deep Listening® exercises like Zina’s Rhythm Circle and the Tuning Meditation with some of our own inquiries like Monica’s Tuning the Ear as well as some new pieces involving the synesthesia of touch and hearing with live music by Michael. Check out more over at Listening Bodies.
Monica and I have spent two months living in Berlin focusing on our work and the Listening Bodiesproject. We taught a nice workshop here at Lake Studios Berlin. We’re doing a movement and sound duet this weekend at Tanzfabrik. Afterward, we will be touring and giving workshops in Croatia, Denmark, UK, Ireland, and Italy for the rest of the summer. Check out our new website for more info: Listening Bodies.
Also , I was honored to have a short remix in this latest project from Cities and Memory focused on outer space (to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US moon landing). Hear my remix of John F. Kennedy’s famous speech about going to the Moon. Listen to Space
Good morning or evening friends. Happy
Thanksgiving to everyone in the US! I hope this day is filled with the
feelings of gratitude and abundance for the collective interdependence
of life. I am halfway through my three-month residency at GlogauAIR in Berlin and I just wanted to share some projects in my life for which I am grateful.
Spektrum Performance
When I arrived in Berlin, I performed at one of my favorite venues in Berlin: Spektrum. I gave a concert of my field recording landscapes sounds where I created a surrealists collage of environmental sounds from around the world during my travels. I also made a video of found footage from around the world wide web that I showed at the performance. I am very grateful to Aude Françoise from SCOPE, Ienke at Spektrum and DJ Solitue who presented a mix of former Liebig12 residents and for connecting me with Spektrum last year.
Scope Sessions
The second event I did was a talk on my work and process at Scope Sessions. I focused on my work synthesizing Deep Listening, meditation, Buddhist philosophies, field recording, and ambient music. I also played some samples of my work. It was very well received and help crystallize some things for me in my world. I am also very grateful to meet the host Tobias Raayoni Last.
Speaking at SCOPE Sessions
Red Bull Session
Last week was very busy for me here in Berlin! I welcomed two close friends to town at the same time. My collaborator from Mixes from the Field, Sharon Renee Stewart was in town. We met some Deep Listening friends, did some walking and field recording. At the same time, my old buddy and music legend King Britt was in town. We hung out for three days, recorded an episode for my podcast, and recorded at Red Bull Studios Berlin. I’m super grateful to King for inviting me to the recording session with Hainbach, Christina Wheeler and Clara Hill where
I got to play one of my favorite instruments, the Fender Rhodes piano!
The sessions were magical and the sound at Red Bull was extraordinary. I
can’t wait to hear the final mixes of this collaboration.
Sharon recording at Templehof
The crew at Red Bull Studios
Listening Bodies Project
This time in Berlin has allowed me to deepen my working relationship with choreographer/dancer/movement researcher Monica Genitle.
We organically came together to develop a teaching framework that
combines my music and Deep Listening practices and her somatic body
practices. We’ve done two classes here in Berlin. One at Lake Studios Berlin for dancers and one sound walk workshop at GlogauAIR and SomoS (we had a fairytale-like sound walk in the first snow of the season at night). We will do one more class exploring synesthesia and ASMR as listening body practice at Liebig12. And on Dec 10/11 we will offer a two-day workshop at Tatwerk in Berlin. We will have more exciting Listening Bodies news next week about our plans in 2019!
From the Listening Bodies Sound Walk along the Paul-Lincke-Ufer ListeningBodies.com for more information…
Once again, thank you all for your support.
Happy summer everyone. Thanks for opening this email and at least skimming the first line 😉
I had an amazing time in Europe these past two months. I did a 3-week tour with William “Bilwa” Costa which took our Un/Natural Fields project to Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Austria and Poland with support from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. After that, I did another set of shows with singer Katrine Faber
in Germany and Denmark. I’m still waiting on some documentation to be
posted, but I will share some live recordings and videos soon. I have
plans to collaborate on more projects with both artists in 2019.
Faber McDermott performing at Spektrum in Berlin. Photo by Carl Krüger
I’ll be back in Berlin for a three-month residency at GlogauAIR working on and (finally) presenting a version of Echozoo this fall. Until then I’ll be in Philadelphia and I’m doing a series of workshops and concerts in the coming weeks centered around mindfulness and listening.
Photo by Shawn Theodore, a fellow Artist in Residence
Before I get into the workshops, if you’re in Philadelphia this week,
please check out the closing party for an amazing photo and sound
installation I was honored to be a part of. I was an artist in residence
at the Village of Arts and Humanities SPACES program. As part of that residency, I created music and sound design (along with the band Ill Doots) using
people’s voices and basketball court field recordings from the
Hartranft neighborhood in North Philadelphia exploring the culture of
the past, present, and future of the courts for the show, Home Court: The Hartranft Basketball Court Revival. Check out the SPACES website for more info. The closing party is Wednesday, July 18, 6-8pm at The Village of Arts and Humanities gallery space.
The Art of Listening Springboard Studio
530 Carpenter Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19119
Sunday, July 22, 11 am – 4 pm
Suggested Donation/Danā $20 Event Info
A day-long class exploring meditative states of listening
consciousness led by composer and dharma teacher Michael Reiley
McDermott. Through listening, we can develop an intimate connection to
our environment, each other and ourselves. In this day-long retreat,
Michael will take us through listening exercises, periods of silent
meditation, Dharma talks, performance scores of singing and sounding and
a sound walk. The practices of Listening Consciousness are rooted in Theravada and Zen Buddhism, vipassana meditation, the Deep Listening techniques of Pauline Oliveros, Thich Nhat Hahn and the music and philosophy of John Cage.
No meditation or musical experience necessary. Beginners are welcome.
Healing Frequencies
with Maraliz Campos and Michael Reiley McDermott Magick City
37 Box St. Brooklyn, NY
August 4, 9pm-11:30
$15 / pre-show // $10 / door Facebook Event | Tickets
A night of healing frequencies and intentional dialog about listening, time and consciousness. Maraliz Campos
and Michael Reiley McDermott, sound practitioners/musicians, present a
discussion and concert and sound journey across aural landscapes with
filtered and reimagined field recordings from Michael’s recent travels
and artist residencies in Thailand, Myanmar, India, Germany, Latvia,
Iceland, United States and Brazil.
Part two is a meditative ambient journey from Paraguayan-American
artist Maraliz with crystal/Himalayan bowls, rattles, original samples,
synth, vocals, tuning forks, etc.
Listening Bodies
with Monica Gentile (Lake Studios Berlin) and Michael Reiley McDermott
Mascher Space Cooperative
155 Cecil B. Moore Ave. Philadelphia
August 11th, 11am – 3pm
$10 / Before August 1 // $15-20 / After August 1 Tickets | Facebook Event
A workshop exploring states of consciousness and embodiment. Open to dancers, musicians, artists, yogis, and meditators.
Hello from beautiful sunny Berlin. I just returned from Kaunas,
Lithuania where I was in rehearsals with William “Bilwa” Costa for our
upcoming tour, more on this below and this week’s overnight
sleep concert at Lake Studio Berlin!
“Meditating on Sound” in Kaunas at Pirmi Šilainiai. Photo by Daina Dieva
Overnight Sleep Concert
This Saturday I’ll be playing an overnight concert of ambient music for sleeping, dreaming, being and becoming. The space at Lake Studios Berlin is perfect for a deep night’s sleep listening subconsciously to
slowly evolving soundscapes. The space has high ceilings with long
skylights that will allow natural night elements to paint the sky. Also,
there’s a surround ceiling mounted sound system. It’s in the quiet
Friedrichshagen neighborhood of East Berlin which is very tranquil.
Please join me for a night of serene lullabies and inner exploration.
Please bring a pillow, blanket or sleeping bag. Lake Studios has plenty
of tatami mats to sleep on. Arrive at 21h to secure a spot, have some
tea and get to know the other concert goers. Music will start around
22h.
OVERNIGHT SLEEP CONCERT with MICHAEL MCDERMOTT
19 May at 21h to 20 May at 6h Lake Studios Berlin
Scharnweberstrasse 27, 12587 Berlin, Germany
15-25€ Facebook Event
The Unheard Sea
While preparing sounds for this sleep concert, I got inspired to re-score a film by friend and collaborator Alex Bond.
Alex did the live video projections for my first two sleep concerts. I
love his work and think this new music goes well with his hazy visual
dreamscape of oceanic disintegration.
I’m very excited to team up with my old colleague and friend William
“Bilwa” Costa for a tour through the Baltics and Central Europe.
Un/natural Fields is a new project in which Michael McDermott and
William “Bilwa” Costa juxtapose two solo projects, the organic imagined
landscapes of the McDermott’s Echozoo works in progress and
Costa’s unnatural field recordings. Together they create an imaginary
listening experience akin to magical realism.
Madame Claude, Berlin, Germany May 21 MOKS, Mooste, Estonia May 24 MIM stuudio, Tallinn, Estonia May 25 UNDER / Electronic Musik Festival, Riga, Latvia May 26 Skaņas dienas (Sound Days) Festival, Liepaja, Latvia May 30 – June 2 BB 15, Linz, Austria, June 5 Rozkurz, Wroclaw, Poland, June 7 Osobliwy Poniedziałek, Krakow, Poland, June 8 Kolonia Artystów, Gdaǹks, Poland, June 10
