Andrew Chalk and Timo van Luijk made their first firm steps as a duo with 2011's 'Echos Pastoraux' (La Scie Doree). A collection of short fragments, the album had the sentiments of a homely sketchbook memory. Since then they have released a steady string of albums incorporating an elaborate repertoire of delicate acoustic and electronic sounds, weaving a rich tapestry of impressionistic pastel shades and shimmering opalescent rays. In concert, Chalk and van Luijk focus their attention on one or two chosen instruments and naturally employ a more reductionist approach, allowing slow phrases to intertwine and repeat through the duration. At Islington Mill they will be joined by Tom James Scott who has collaborated with them a number of times in the past, both on record and in a live setting.
Andrew Chalk is an artist and musician based in Hull. Restlessly active since the mid 1980s, he has built a breathtaking and highly acclaimed body of work under an elusive series of guises. These include releases under his own name; as Ferial Confine; and through a wide range of collaborations, spanning from Mirror (alongside Christoph Heeman) and with David Jackman’s Organum, to work with The New Blockaders and a cassette release for legendary UK noise label Broken Flag.
In recent years Chalk has become increasingly synonymous with the output of his own Faraway Press imprint, which has painstakingly governed the release of an ever-more-mesmerising accumulation of super-limited edition CDs and LPs. Sumptuously, almost ritualistically designed and packaged, these gorgeously esoteric artifacts bear visuals which stand alone as artworks in the true sense, but which also offer flickering insight into the enveloping subtlety of the minutely crafted sound-worlds within.
Originally from Finland but now resident in Belgium, Timo van Luijk is an autodidact sound artist/composing improviser working with acoustic instruments (strings, wind, percussion) and various (sound) objects.
He started his musical excursions with some obscure local projects in the mid 80's and following sound studies/research he formed the experimental music/multimedia collective Noise-Maker's Fifes together with Geert Feytons in 1989. Simultaneously he slowly developed his personal musical activities as Af Ursin with regular releases since 1996.
Apart from his solo work he has done frequent collaborations with Christoph Heemann (In Camera) and Limpe Fuchs, Kris Vanderstraeten, Raymond Dijkstra (Asra), Andrew Chalk (Elodie), Frederik Croene and is member of the group Onde together with Greg Jacobs and Marc Wroblewski (both from Noise Maker's Fifes).
Tom James Scott is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser who currently lives on the North-West coast of England. Since 2007 he has published music through a number of labels including Students of Decay, Where To Now?, Bo'Weavil Recordings, Carnivals, and his own Skire imprint (established in 2013).
Scott's early interest in music was informed as much by a fascination with sound and improvisation as it was by traditional musical training, and his work continues to explore both lyrical and abstract means of sound making and composition. Since 2007's 'Red Deer', Scott's solo releases to date have seen a switch between guitar, piano and keyboard as their focal point (often with the addition of bowed objects and strings, field recording and electronics). United by a preoccupation with modern composition, traditional music, improvisation and song, Scott's recorded work also draws inspiration from visual and literary sources, with certain titles often citing a now largely archaic form of dialect particular to Scott's home county of Cumbria.
Scott is currently working on a collaboration with the filmmaker Laurence Campbell and continues to perform and record with Ashley Paul, Andrew Chalk, Timo van Luijk and Russell Walker (primarily as Charcoal Owls).
Japanese musician, based in Tokyo. Formed the drone quartet NERAE in 2007. In 2011 he shifted to solo performance. His work has been released on P.S.F. Records, Fylkingen Records and Edition Omega Point, etc. Performs frequently around Tokyo. Notable performances outside Japan include TUSK Festival (UK, 2015), UK tour with Elodie (2016), Empty Gallery (Hong Kong, 2017). In June 2019 with some friends he founded edition zeroso (0奏), a small imprint and series of live performances based in Tokyo.