Trophies

Trophies
Alessandro Bosetti – voice/electronics
Kenta Nagai – guitar, fretless guitar
Tony Buck – drums

Composer and sound artist Alessandro Bosetti is joined by Kenta Nagai, and Tony Buck for TROPHIES. Focusing on mantra loops of spoken/sung abstract and highly emotional poetry Bosetti has created a powerful trance band where voice and electronic sound melt with the hallucinatory fretless e-guitar playing of Kenta Nagai (Miya Masaoka, Eugene Chadbourne), and the patiently groovy and virtuoso pulses of Tony Buck (The Necks). Throphies uses lenghty, repetitive and higlhy dinamic text-sound forms in a totally unique and genre defying way. Central to the music of trophies is the voice or a multitude of voices. A type of voices bordering song and speech but not embracing either one of those practices completely. Spoken/sung phrases are repeated over and over by three vocalists and embedded in a musical texture created by drums, fretless guitar and electronics. Looped phrases in Trophies disappear from the listener's perception after a while. They become hidden in plain sight and vanish altogether after repeated listening.

” … In the work of composer Alessandro Bosetti, the gap between music and speech gets a lot smaller. Both in his solo music and with his trio Trophies, he explores what he calls “repetitive speech-loop forms.” Frequently, this involves him recording people either reading lines or speaking extemporaneously, then transposing the recordings into written music. Often, Bosetti then speaks the same words himself in conjunction with that music. On his latest solo CD Royals and Trophies’ new album Become Objects of Daily Use (both released by Polish label Monotype), he constantly questions the roles of music and speech: whether they convey literal meaning, act as pure sound, or do something in between … (Marc Masters – Pitchfork)

Andy Moor (The Ex) on Trophies new release “You Wait to Publish” (out on Monotype Rec october 2013): "First time I heard this trio was after 3 days of no sleep at the Konfrontationen Festival in Nickelsdorf…Alessandro gave me a CD and we gave it a spin on hour 7 of our 18 hour drive home to Amsterdam. This is a good state in which to listen to music … tired , happy and  ears  saturated by  three days and nights of music … listened with Terrie Ex and Valentina  and we all agreed it was good driving music and also something we’d never heard before ….it was very hard to figure out what the hell was going on …I was sure Alessandro’s voice was triggering some kind of midi device that made guitar sounds that would follow the rhythm and melody of his voice ..but at other times it sounded like the guitarist Kenta Nagai was actually playing along … which seemed almost impossible. In fact it was the latter and I still believe its impossible which is why I like this trio so much …and what better drummer to accompany this bizarre music than Tony Buck, who has an unmistakable and instantly recognisable language  when he plays and one that seems to get better and better every year I hear him.  Its also an inspired choice because Tony plays the same way he speaks, fast , funny , with surprises and  lots of words and sentences that take unusual corners. Kenta’s guitar sound has many more textures and variations recalling early Keith Levine (P.I.L)  and Roland Howard (Birthday Party)  especially on the opening track  “You Wait to Publish” . Guitar and voice in unison for me has always been a challenge to listen to… we know the guilty parties without mentioning names … but here it works because it is done with incredible detailed care, Alessandro continues his bizarre texts … similar to Morton Feldman musical phrases… repeating the same sentence over and over yet each one sounding different. Somehow he manages to sound dead serious and very funny at the same time …. “Matta Clark” made me laugh …who is following who ?? but that isn’t really the point …this music demonstrates the musicality of spoken word … and seems to be mocking it and celebrating it at the same time… Tony’s drums are clearer, better recorded and more present than on the previous two releases and this gives the whole sound a brighter, more dynamic, and exciting element. On some pieces, maybe due to the addition of Hilary Jeffrey’s trombone and Els Vandeweyer’s  vibraphone they accidentally venture into  Beefheart territory … but it sounds so great because it does seem to be accidental. I listened to this CD also while driving … and for me it seems to be the best way to listen to Trophies  … its ideas and tempo seems very similar  to a car moving at about 130 km an hour, but it doesn’t feel fast or rushed … just full of moving energy and constant change.  ” ANDY MOOR ( 2013)

Alessandro Bosetti is a sound artist, composer and performer currently based in Berlin. He's main focus is in the fringe area between spoken language and music. He created a series of highly compelling works where relational aesthetics meets innovative composition. Since 2001 he has been engaged in major radio art productions with almost all national radios in Europe, and created a vast body of work of hybrid, award winning, text-sound and radio compositions . Among them, pieces like Il Fiore della Bocca (Rossbin/DLR 2005), a work on the vocality of the mentally and physically impaired and African Feedback, a collaborative scrutiny on experimental music in West Africa (Errant Bodies press, 2004) are considered classic contributions to the genre. Field research and interviews often build the basis for his abstract compositions along with electro-acoustic and acoustic collages, relational strategies, trained and untrained instrumental practices, vocal explorations and digital manipulations. Alessandro Bosetti is an emotional performer that has consistently toured in Europe, Asia and the United States. He's been presenting solo sets for voice and electronics blurring the line between categories such as electro acoustic composition, text-sound pieces, song and performance. Most recently he’s been involved in exploring repetitive speech-loop forms as a solo artist and with his ensemble Trophies. Alessandro Bosetti’s website is www.melgun.net

Born in Sydney in 1962, Tony Buck is regarded as one of Australia's most creative and adventurous exports, with vast experience across the globe. He has been involved in a highly diverse array of projects. Apart from The Necks, he is probably best known as leader of hardcore/impro band PERIL. Early in his musical life, after having graduated from the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, he became very involved in the jazz scene in Australia, often touring with visiting international artists such as Vincent Herring, Clifford Jordan, Mickey Tucker, Branford Marsalis and Ernie Watts, as well as Australians Mark Simmonds, Paul Grabowsky, The catholics, Sandy Evans and Dale Barlow. Following time spent in Japan, where he formed PERIL with Otomo Yoshihide and Kato Hideki, Tony moved to Europe, and has involved himself in many projects there, including the development of new "virtual" MIDI controllers at STEIM in Amsterdam. Tony has played, toured or recorded with, among others, Jon Rose, Nicolas Collins, Tenko, John Zorn, Tom Cora, Phil Minton, Haino, Switchbox, The Machine for Making Sense, Ne Zhdall, The EX, Peter Brotzmann, Hans Reichel, The Little Red Spiders, Subrito Roy Chowdury, Clifford Jordan, Kletka Red, Han Bennink, Shelley Hirsch, Wayne Horvitz, Palinckx, and Ground Zero.

Kenta Nagai is a sound and visual artist based in New York City. He works with acoustic and electronic sound, visual media and live performance. After completing undergraduate studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston (BA, 1996) Nagai moved to New York City. He began his NY career as a fretless guitarist playing on the streets, in subway stations and at clubs. His most recent compositional work, entitled Long, Long, Long, is an ensemble piece for traditional Asian instruments. It was presented at Roulette, in NYC, in October 2006. Nagai's fretless guitar playing is featured on Eugene Chadborne's album "Guitar Festival Summer 1999" with Sonic Youth members Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo and Jim O'Rourke plus Joe Morris, Lauren Mazzacane Connors, David Watson and others. Nagai is also a featured performer on two recordings by the composer Laura Andel, "Somnambulist" (Red Toucan Records, May 2003, RT9322) and "In::tension:" (Rossbin Records, October 2005, RS022). As a performer on the shamisen, a traditional Japanese string instrument, Nagai has appeared in numerous concerts at venues including Sculpture Center in Long Island City and Carnegie Hall. From 1999 until 2002 Nagai was a composer in residence at The Cave Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.