UNYAZI 2005
Electronic Music Symposium and Festival

1st - 4th September, Johannesburg, South Africa

Festival Director

Dimitri Voudouris

Associate Director

Christo Doherty

Production Manager

Carmen Jerrard

Symposium Coordinator

Jürgen Bräuninger

Unyazi Electronic Music Symposium and Festival 2005
Sponsors
Collaborators
Preamble
Special announcement: Halim El-Dabh
What is electronic music?
Aims
Education institutions involved
Featured artists
Artists' recordings for sale
Featured electronic music genres
Attending university music students
Festival advertising
General information
Film of the festival
Photographs of the festival
Programme

Unyazi Electronic Music Symposium and Festival 2005

NewMusicSA is greatly pleased to present the Unyazi Electronic Music Symposium and Festival 2005, Africa's very first electronic music festival and conference. The groundbreaking four-day event aims to promote a valuable dialogue concerning "electroacoustic music in the southern hemisphere", between composers, performers, and musicologists from South Africa and the rest of the world.

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Collaborators

The organisers thank the following collaborators for their kind assistance:

The Drum Café
NOTAM
SoundHouse
Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand

And the organisers are indebted to the institutions that provided composers' works for the Listening Room:

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Preamble

It may be hard to imagine, but electronic music is at least 100 years old! It is particularly well established in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.

Africa is generally not considered to have produced electronic music pioneers, however: an Egyptian composer, Halim El-Dabh, actually created one of the first electronic works ever in 1944. His earliest compositions predate the French musique concrète school by several years.

It is time to celebrate electronic music in Africa, and South Africa can play a leading role in doing so. South African society has a rich, multicultural heritage, and we can therefore strive to create electronic music that is uniquely African.

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Special announcement: Halim El-Dabh

Halim El-Dabh, one of the pioneers of electronic music internationally, and the father of electronic music in Africa, will be attending the Unyazi festival in 2005. He will perform his works live, and will also be actively involved in the paper sessions, workshops and in creating an awareness of electronic and electroacoustic music amongst young composers.

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What is electronic music?

Electronic music and some of it's main categories are described in Wikipedia's:

The history of electronic music is described in:

Obsolete's 120 Years Of Electronic Music
Dr. Kristine H. Burns' History Of Electronic And Computer Music

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Aims

Conference

The conference will facilitate the exchange of ideas between overseas and local composers, performers, and musicologists, on matters concerning electroacoustic music in the southern hemisphere. The proceedings will be published with the assistance of IPEM (Belgium).

Festival

The festival will measure the need of, and create an awareness of, the economic and practical importance of the computer and the role that it does and can play in music creation, performance, and education.

Workshops

The workshops will focus on the practical application of electronics in music. South African musicians will have the opportunity to work with their international counterparts.

Education

NewMusicSA is working with the following people on a programme to educate formerly disadvantaged children and young musicians:

Theo Herbst, of Stellenbosch University
Jürgen Bräuninger, of The University Of Kwazulu-Natal
Professor Christo Doherty, of University Of The Witwatersrand
Meryl Van Noie, of The Sound House in Cape Town

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Education institutions involved

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Featured artists

The symposium and festival features an incredible number and variety of composers and performers from across the world, including:

Blake Tyson (US) info
Brendon Bussy (ZA) info
Carlo Mombeli (ZA) info
Chris Wood (ZA)
(Featuring Belinda Blignaut, Albert Sapsford, Ziza, Shmerah Passchier & Jacklyn Havermahl)
Dimitri Voudouris (GR/ZA) info
Francisco López (ES) info
George Lewis & Louis Moholo (US/ZA) info
Halim El-Dabh (EG) info
James Sey (GB/ZA)
James Webb (ZA) info
João Orecchia (US)
Jürgen Brauninger & Sazi Dlamini (DE/ZA) info
Luc Houtkamp & POW Ensemble (NL) info
Lukas Ligeti (AT) info
Matthew Ostrowski (US) info
Maxime Rioux (CA)
My Kingdom For A Lullaby (AT) info
(Michaela Grill, Billie Roisz, Martin Siewert & Christof Kurzmann)
with guest Burkhard Stangl
Pauline Oliveros (US) info
Pops Mohamed (ZA)
Reza Khota (ZA)
Rodrigo Sigal (MX) info
Sandra Ndebele (ZW)
(Featuring Bhekilizwe Ndlovu & Bongani Nyoni)
Schnee (AT)
(Burkhard Stangl And Christof Kurzmann)
Skid (ZA)
Theo Herbst & Kemus Ensemble (ZA)
(Mario Cronje, Gerhard Roux, Claire Nozaïc, Jan-Hendrik Harley, John Pringle, Benjamin Marnewick, Rhyno Jansen & Simon Lolliot)
Toni Olivier (ZA)
Warrick Sony (ZA) info
Yannis Kyriakides (CY) info
Zim Ngqawana (ZA) info

In addition, the Listening Room features selected works for tape by the following composers:

Àke Hodell (SE)
Alejandro Iglesias-Rossi (AR)
Alicia Terzian (AR) info
Anders Vinjars (NO)
Bjarne Kvinnsland (NO)
Daniel Judkovski (AR)
Darius Weinberg (ZA)
Eduardo Reck Miranda (BR) info
Georg Katzer (DE)
Gyrid Nordal Kaldestad (NO)
Julieta Szewach (AR)
Mariano A. Fernández (AR)
Mark Applebaum (US) info
Natasha Barrett (GB) info
Paul Dolden (CA)

The Viewing Room features selected music-related films by the South African film-maker:

Aryan Kaganof (ZA) info

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Artists' recordings for sale

The Unyazi 2005 audience will have an exciting and rare opportunity to buy choice electroacoustic music on compact disc, as recordings by most of the visiting composers will be for sale at the festival.

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Featured electronic music genres

Festival performances encompass these electronic music categories:

Electroacoustic performance — some of which will employ instruments built from junk, hardware, and found objects, and used both as compositional and improvisational tools
Laptop and computer music
Sound installations
Computer-automation of acoustic instruments
Microcomputers in live performance, including: "home-made" electronic circuitry, radio, found sound material, and transformed musical instruments
Sound poetry
Interactive audio-visual work in live performance
DJ'ing / VJ'ing

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Attending university music students

A group of nominated, scholarship students from the University Of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, who are writing a research project work on Music And The Modern Technology will attend the festival and participate in the conferences:

Ibironke Michael Sesan
Innocent Richard
Adebusoye Ayodele Rufus
Akinwande Roland Ayomiposi
Linus Ifeanyi Akaonye

Students from the University Of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria, who are writing a research project work on Advancement Of Music In Africa - Past, Today And Tomorrow, will attend and participate in the conferences:

Adebusoye Ayodele Rufus
Jegede Oluwagbenga Olaleye

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Festival advertising

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General information

Venue

The Wits Theatre info

Parking

Secure covered parking will be available at Senate House (entrance on Jorrisen Street), and secure uncovered parking at The Wedge (Yale Road, corner of Jorrisen street).

Accommodation for visiting composers

Accommodation for visiting composers (only) is available at Highfield Clusters, Reith Hall. A relevant accommodation information brochure is available (to download this PDF, right-click the link and choose Save Target As).

Further information

For any further information you may require please contact the Festival Director Dimitri Voudouris at .

Maps of the venue

Wits Campus map

Our map:

(Click on the above map of the venue to open a larger version of it.)

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Film of the festival

Aryan Kaganof's film Unyazi of the Bushveld, an artistic interpretation of the festival, is now available online, at:
http://kaganof.com/kagablog/2007/06/01/unyazi-of-the-bushveld-2/

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Photographs of the festival

See Prof Christo Doherty's superb photographs of the Unyazi 2005 festival at http://www.atjoburg.net/?p=69.

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PROGRAMME

1 Thursday 1 September | 2 Friday 2 September
3 Saturday 3 September | 4 Sunday 4 September

For ticket prices and booking visit Computicket. Tickets will also be available from the Wits Theatre ticket office before the start of performances. All workshops and paper sessions are open to the public and free of charge.

A printed programme with detailed notes on performers, composers, works, paper sessions and workshops will be available at Unyazi festival venues. The detailed programme is also available for downloading:
Unyazi 2005 Detailed Programme PDF (464KB)

Programmes and artists subject to change.

** = South African première
*** = World première

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Day 1
Thursday 1 September

DIRECTOR'S WELCOMING SPEECH

Thursday 1 September 09h00 | Seminar Room | 30 mins

WORKSHOPS

Thursday 1 September

10h00 | Substation | ALL DAY

Luc Houtkamp & POW
Development workshop

10h00 | Shakespeare Room | ALL DAY

Blake Tyson
Percussion workshop

INSTALLATION

Thursday 1 September 10h00 | The Convent, Digital Arts | ALL DAY

Toni Olivier

SYMPOSIUM: PAPER SESSIONS

Thursday 1 September | Seminar Room

10h00 | 30 mins

Pauline Oliveros
Pauline Oliveros in the Arms of Reynols: A collaboration

10h30 | 30 mins

Rodrigo Sigal
The borders of identity, a personal perspective

11h00 | 30 mins

Matthew Ostrowski
The anxiety of the client: the network as compositional tool

11h30 | 60 mins

Halim El-Dabh
"Unyazi" Born Within: The Advanced Sonic Sensitivity of the African Village

PERFORMANCES

Thursday 1 September

16h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 30 mins

James Webb
Tokyo Gothic ***

16h35 | Main Theatre | 18 mins

Stepán Rak
Tracy **

17h00 | The Amphitheatre | 30 mins

Maxime Rioux
Unyazi ***

17h35 | Downstairs Theatre | 30 mins

Carlo Mombeli & João Orecchia
Live improvisation

LISTENING ROOM

Thursday 1 September 19h00 | Digital Arts, The Convent | 70 mins

Ake Hodell
Mr Smith In Rhodesia **

Eduardo Reck Miranda
Robotapithecos **

Dimitri Voudouris
NPFAI. 3 **

Mark Applebaum
Narcissus ReMix **
Snagglepuss ReMix **
Plundergraphic **

Paul Dolden
Below The Walls Of Jericho **

PERFORMANCES

Thursday 1 September

20h30 | Main Theatre | 35 minutes

Matthew Ostrowski
Insomnia

21h10 | Downstairs Theatre | 25 minutes

Brendon Bussy
Tick
CMYK

21h40 | Main Theatre | 30 mins

Yannis Kyriakides
Wordless **

22h35 | Downstairs Theatre | 15 minutes

Warrick Sony
The Continental Drift

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Day 2
Friday 2 September

INSTALLATION

Friday 2 September 09h00 | The Convent, Digital Arts | ALL DAY

Toni Olivier

WORKSHOPS

Friday 2 September 09h00 | Substation | ALL DAY

Luc Houtkamp & POW
Development workshop

SYMPOSIUM: PAPER SESSIONS

Friday 2 September | Seminar Room

09h00 | 30 mins

Lukas Ligeti
Burkina Electric

09h30 | 30 mins

Maxime Rioux
Can music be at the same time nomadic and sedentary?

10h00 | 30 mins

Theo Herbst
Music technology at Stellenbosch University

10h30 | 60 mins

Christo Doherty
Discussion panel concerning models for teaching electronic music/sonic arts in a tertiary educational environment

WORKSHOPS

Friday 2 September 13h30 | The Amphitheatre | 120 mins

Pauline Oliveros
The Expanded Instrument System - EIS

PERFORMANCES

Friday 2 September

16h00 | Main Theatre | 45 minutes

Rodrigo Sigal
Oreja Digital (Digital Ear) **

17h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 35 minutes

Sandra Ndebele
Scream And Shake Your Waist

17h45 | Main Theatre | 50 mins

Chris Wood
Seeing Is Not As Simple As It Looks ***

18h45 | Downstairs Theatre | 28 minutes

Jürgen Bräuninger & Sazi Dlamini
Yinkosi Yeziziba

Ulrich Süsse & Jürgen Bräuninger
… anywhere far

VIEWING ROOM

Friday 2 September 20h00 | Digital Arts, The Convent | 63 minutes

Aryan Kaganof
Come To The Point
Reich Dance Redemption
Techno: Space And Flow In The Radical Frame

PERFORMANCES

Friday 2 September

21h30 | Main Theatre | 48 minutes

Halim El-Dabh
Wire Recorder Piece/Ta'abir al-Zaar **
Electronic Fanfare **
Signals/Connections **
Michael And The Dragon
Cowry Shells In The Sand
Elements, Being, And Primeval **
Leiyla And The Poet: Electronic Drama No.1 **

23h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 30 mins

Zim Ngqwana
Live interactive improvisation

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Day 3
Saturday 3 September

INSTALLATION

Saturday 3 September 09h00 | The Convent, Digital Arts | ALL DAY

Toni Olivier

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 3 September

09h00 | Substation | ALL DAY

Luc Houtkamp & POW
Development workshop

11h00 | The Amphitheatre | 60 mins

Brendon Bussy
Audiomulch (software)

13h00 | Digital Arts, The Convent | 60 mins

The SoundHouse
A project presented by Dimitri Voudouris is discussed by the panel

PERFORMANCES

Saturday 3 September

16h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 38 minutes

Theo Herbst & The Kemus Ensemble
Cassini-Huygens
Colours

17h00 | Main Theatre | 45 minutes

Pauline Oliveros
Sounding In The Sonosphere

18h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 30 mins

Pops Mohamed
The Journey

19h00 | Main Theatre | 42 minutes

Dimitri Voudouris
L22P08M02 (2002-2005)

LISTENING ROOM

Saturday 3 September 20h30 | Digital Arts, The Convent | 60 mins

Daniel Judkovski
The Infinite Exile

Alejandro Iglesias-Rossi
Angelus

Alicia Terzian
Buenos Aires You Are Killing Me

Mariano A. Fernández
Refugio Y Temblor

Julieta Szewach
Clamor, Silencio E Infinito (Clamour, Silence And Infinity)

PERFORMANCES

Saturday 3 September

22h00 | Main Theatre | 50 mins

Francisco López
Untitled

23h00 | Downstairs Theatre | 45 minutes

Schnee
Johannesburg 1 **

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Day 4
Sunday 4 September

INSTALLATION

Sunday 4 September 09h00 | The Convent, Digital Arts | ALL DAY

Toni Olivier

WORKSHOPS

Sunday 4 September

09h00 | Substation | ALL DAY

Luc Houtkamp & POW
Development workshop

10h30 | The Amphitheatre | 90 mins

Francisco López
The socialization of sound creation technology and the real world as an instrument (talk/discussion)

VIEWING ROOM

Sunday 4 September 14h00 | Digital Arts, The Convent | 90 mins

Aryan Kaganof
Two Heads Are Better Than One ***
Time Considered As A Helix Of Semi-Precious Stones
Signal To Noise
Merzbow Beyond Snuff
Virgins Live