Olivia Block + Pete Swanson + Seth Nehil: Configurations & Reworkings
Chicago-based composer Olivia Block brings her intricate, surprising and intimate work to Holocene, combining live electronics, vocals and field recordings. Along with Pete Swanson (Yellow Swans) and Seth Nehil, the artists will perform in solo, collaborative and overlapping arrangements, contributing to and/or reworking sounds from each other’s sets. Opening the evening will be a DJ set by Pete Swanson. This is a rare chance to catch these artists. Olivia last performed in Portland in 2009, and Pete hasn’t played a live gig in Portland since 2013.
Olivia Block is a media artist and composer based in Chicago. For nearly 30 years, she has been a pioneering force in the world of experimental music. Her discography is published on Another Timbre, Black Truffle, Erstwhile, Glistening Examples, NNA Tapes, Room40, Sedimental, and Touch, among other labels. She performs live experimental music in festivals and concerts around the world, where at any given concert she might be performing with synths, piano, voice, organ or amplified objects. Block also creates surround sound concerts, sound installations and scores. Her latest release,
The Mountains Pass, is on Black Truffle records.
www.oliviablock.net
Pete Swanson is an experimental musician based in Portland, Oregon. He relies on tape, microphones, effects pedals and synthesizers to cobble together dynamic improvised sound forms. His recent musical activity has involved reviving the improvisational psychedelic noise duo, Yellow Swans, which was initially active from 2001-2008, and has returned to live performance since 2023. In the past, Yellow Swans released numerous releases on labels like Load, Type and Weird Forest. They toured constantly during their initial run and collaborated often as part of their live practice including artists such as John Wiese, Xiu Xiu, Grouper, Evan Parker and Birchville Cat Motel.
yellowswans.bandcamp.com
Seth Nehil is an electronic musician and sound designer living in Portland, OR. His current work explores pulsing electronics, mangled samples and atmospheric textures. His latest release,
matrices, is on 15 Minutes of Anonymity. Collaborations with video artists, sculptors, choreographers, theater companies and film directors are at the heart of his practice, creating sonically-engaged installations and performances.
www.sethnehil.net
