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[BitBio]
.Artistic Activities
BitTonic is the project name of German born Iris Garrelfs. Now based in London, she is known for her emotive, improvised glitch-tech performances based around electronically manipulated and digitally warped voice sounds. UK magazine Magic Feet described the effect as "Š a chaotic Tom Waits-style junkyard orchestra gridlocked into a rigid techno matrix".
Iris performs solo as well as in collaboration with other soundartists, most recently with Robert Lippok (To Rococo Rot). Further collaborations include Kaffe Matthews and Si-cut.db. A recent live performance at Glasgow's CCA will be released as part of the live 3" series by the Consume label, which also contains live sets by Kim Cascone and Toshimaru Nakamura. Recent samples of her recorded work have just been released on Bip_Hop Generation v6 , and a remix can be found on recent Furlines Album. by Tennis. Her input can be heard on Freeform's upcoming album Condensed, which has been edited by Bernt Friedman and is due for release on Nonplace Records in April.
Iris is also active creating installations, even though she prefers to term them "environments". These are constructed on more abstract levels with specific concepts in mind. Commissions have included multi-channel, site-specific sound pieces for the CCA Glasgow and the Berkshire Records Office based on the history of Reading. She has recently been commissioned to create work for the Waterman's Artcentre in Brentford highlighting recycling issues.
Not averse to abusing her extensive record collection in one of her radical mix-fests, Iris has played at the ICA, Big Chill, Turnmills, Kosmische, Scratch, the Scala, Gaia Live, 93 Feet East and others.
.Related Activities
Iris is the
co-organiser of Sprawl, the London based club/label
advocating electronic and digital musical explorations. Since 1996
Sprawl has brought together uncompromising artists from the UK and
abroad for live sound events. Amongst many others Sprawl has featured
artists such as Talvin Singh, Scanner, David Toop, Christian Fennesz,
Hayley Newman, Kaffe Matthews, snd, Kim Cascone, Vladislav Delay and
many more. Sprawl has also organised events in conjunction with the
Tate Modern and the Goethe Institute.
The Sprawl
Imprint is structured around the same fault lines with releases by
artists such as Scanner, Freeform, Osymyso and conceptual
compilations such as Hmm, (an album of international hymns and
anthems and other investigations of childhood influences, featuring
David Toop, Kreidler, Kit Clayton, Vladislav Delay, Antye Greie-Fuchs
(of Laub), Freeform, Farben, Carl Stone, Kaffe Matthews and
more).
In August 2001 a new venture with Kaffe Matthews called Field 61 has seen the light of day, dedicated to enlarge the digital playing field and providing a flexible space in which artists and audience can communicate with each other. Artists featured have included Matt Rogalsky, Jem Finer and more. Kaffe and Iris are currently hosting a radio show at London's sound art radio station Resonance FM 104.4
As an outspoken person, Iris gets invited to conferences such as Manchester's "In The City", DDMI's digital music conference 2000 in Los Angeles, the Cyber Salon discussions at the ICA, the CCA Glasgow's "Concrete Hum" panel chaired by Scanner and more. Iris has appeared on Sky TV, BBC World/News 24, Coldcut's Pirate TV and ARTE TV with Stockhausen in "Well Tempered Computer - Are Computers able to compose" and most recently on ITV's Mixmasters TV.
In her other incarnation as a photographer, Iris has been published by magazines such as The Wire, The Face, Muzik, Marie Claire, Spex, Keyboard Japan and others. Artists photographed include Ken Ishii, Primal Scream, Scanner, Autechre, Goldie, Luke Vibert Squarepusher, Run DMC and many more. iris
.Upcoming Projects:
:mix: 09.04.03
Sprawl
:live:
10.04.03 Cut and Splice Festival ICA London, with Charles Amirkhanian
and Trevor Wishhart
:live:
13.04.03 Colchester Arts Centre, with Kaffe Matthews, Jem Finer,
si-cut.db
:radio:
02.05.03 Field 61 on Resonance FM
104.4
:mix:
08.05.03 Sprawl
:radio:
06.06.03 Field 61 on Resonance FM
104.4
:environment:
07.06.03 opening at Waterman's Artcentre
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[Bit Audio]
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[1] Free download at 8bitrecs.com |
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[2] Live at Klangkrieg, Podewil, Berlin, 27 Jan 2001, courtesy of klubradio.de |