On Saturday 21 January, La leggerezza delle città will be played as part of the 2012 edition of the San Francisco Tape Music Festival. The three-day festival will, among other things, celebrate the 100th birthday of John Cage alongside a selection of electronic music from around the world, including pieces by Joseph Anderson, Matthew Barnard, Martin Bédard, Christopher Burns, Dan Joseph, Orestis Karamanlis, Stelios Manousakis, Émilie Payeur, Alexander Schubert, Adam Basanta and John Young.

Thanks go to Matt Ingalls and the rest of the festival team for organising everything and programming my piece. And as always Irma and Davitxun, without whom the piece wouldn’t exist.

Listings: Official page | Venue | Last.fm

Richard Craig, Inward — Without a doubt the best disc of new music I’ve heard this year, as the Rambler foretold. Either Spotify it or buy it now.

Dmitri Kourliandski, Negative Modulations — One of the first concerts I heard after moving to Paris in September was by the young ensemble Le Balcon. They introduced me to this wonderful ensemble, electronics and video piece. Here’s an mp3.

Evan Parker, Peter Evans & Okkyung Lee — Parker’s reputation barely needs any burnishing and performing in this trio in November he was liquid brilliance as was to be expected, but it was young American trumpeter Peter Evans who really shone. Improvising at its best.

Helmut Lachenmann / EIC, Concertini — Ensemble Intercontemporain’s performance of Lachenmann’s spatialised ensemble work Concertini at the end of November reminded me that he is without equal.

Drew Baker, microscript — This 10-minute work, played here by Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente, was one of my favourite recordings found online this year.

2011 was really notable for being a year when I finally found time to read some of my stack of waiting books. If you pick anything to read in 2012, make it David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. There is no question in my mind that it is one of the most wonderful books of the 20th Century and at just one thousand pages long, at least a thousand too short.

See you in 2012!

Tom Waits — New Year’s Eve

All will be welcomed and we can make merry after the concert, courtesy of the obligatory ‘pot de bienvenue’.

Listings: soundinitiative | Venue | Facebook | CIUP

You can find out more about the programme on the Rádio MEC Eletroacústicas webpage where you can also hear a podcast of the progamme (available to download at radiotube).

For me it’s a first to hear the same piece played three times in fairly quick succession by three different groups of musicians — a real pleasure. See you there!

Listings: soundinitiative | Facebook