{"id":24246,"date":"2017-12-01T14:39:41","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T14:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=24246"},"modified":"2017-12-01T14:39:41","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T14:39:41","slug":"an-evening-with-laurel-halo-and-eli-keszler-at-the-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/an-evening-with-laurel-halo-and-eli-keszler-at-the-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"An Evening with Laurel Halo and Eli Keszler at The Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Monday, November, 28, 2017 a throng of people, ranging from 20-somethings to well-dressed Manhattanites, filtered into The Kitchen\u2019s<\/a> performance space. They were there to attend an installation of the ongoing music performance series, Synth Nights<\/a>. This unseasonably warm, fall evening featured the esteemed, Berlin-based, DJ and experimental producer, Laurel Halo<\/a>, joined by NYC-based, composer, percussionist, and visual artist, Eli Keszler<\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Keszler is one of many artists who collaborated with Halo on her latest release, <\/span>Dust<\/a>,<\/span><\/i> which was released on Hyperdub<\/a> in June 2017<\/span>. <\/span><\/i>Th<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0crowd slowly filed into the almost pitch-black space, groping in the darkness or more effectively, using the light of an iPhone to find an available seat. A few minutes after 8 PM, the few lights that were on, turned off and Halo and Keszler appeared on stage, the only illuminated figures in the room. \u00a0Halo positioned herself behind a rack of electronics, a keyboard, and a microphone while Keszler sat down behind a full drum kit. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Throughout the nearly hour and a half long performance, the duo worked their way through selected pieces from <\/span>Dust<\/span><\/i>. Halo captivated the audience with her winding, demiurgic melodies, auto-tuned vocals, and fragmentary beats. Keszler improvised alongside the electronics adding fluttering and natural percussion, challenging yet integrating itself into the highly-processed soundscape. \u00a0The duo guided the audience through a sonic narrative that included everything from harmonious, shining ambient swells to crashing rhythms and disjointed melodies. \u00a0After what felt like only 20 minutes rather than almost an hour and a half, Halo thanked the audience and the lights we<\/span>nt up.<\/p>\n

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Dust album art. Image courtesy of Hyperdub.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This performance marks an incredibly small moment in The Kitchen\u2019s history of extensive music programming and further exemplifies the space\u2019s dedication to supporting and showcasing assorted art forms including film, dance, performance, theater, music, and of course, visual art. When its doors were opened in 1971 by Woody and Steina Vasulka, the space aimed to showcase the emerging fields of video and performance. Shortly after, in 1973, The Kitchen began to host musicians and since then has invited a vast range of influential performers into the space. Past performers include renowned minimalist composers (Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Cale), gritty NYC no-wave bands (Lydia Lunch and Theoretical Girls), and everything in between (Okkyung Lee and Earl Howard).<\/p>\n

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The Kitchen exterior, courtesy of the Kitchen.org<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Synth Nights began in October 2012 to showcase a new generation of avant-garde, electronic musicians, and further the performance space\u2019s notable relationship with the music community. The series was created by musician and curator, Nick Hallett. \u00a0Since then, Synth Nights has been lead by multiple curators who have brought a wide array of electronic musicians into the space. Past performers include Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Harold Budd, Lesley Flanagan, and Catherine Lamb. \u00a0The series conception was timely as electronic music community only continues to grow in New York City. \u00a0With practice spaces and studios becoming less affordable and guitar rock becoming more associated with masculine angst, more musicians and composers than ever are turning to synthesizers and laptops as a means of sound production and expression. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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