Composer In Residence Remixed

Under NuArena, Nordic Music Week 2011 partners up with Nymusikk, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, EnB1 and Numusic, bringing together renowned composer Martin Matalon and Norway’s own prodigy Mathias Stubø (Proviant Audio). Matalon, as Stavanger’s Composer In Residence, will hold several performances with various ensembles, three of which will be recorded (20th, 21st Tou Scene, and 23rd St. Petri) remixed live by Stubø as part of the Numusic/ Nordic Music Week program at Folken, 24th of September.

This collaboration reflects the core of both Nuarena and Nordic Music Week’s philosophy. Two unlikely genres and artists, at opposite ends of the music industry being brought together with the single goal of creating the opportunity for something new and innovative. Matalon mixes classical tradition with contemporary electronic sounds, Stubø mixes the sounds and textures of 70’s disco, jazz, and soul with contemporary electronic production techniques. The classic meets the future, meets it running, and meets it live.

Two main features triggered the choice of Martin Matalon as composer in residence: his work with electronics and his work with film. In both cases, his approach to these different media carries through acoustical instruments. He is a composer that aims to build a bridge between the classical musician, always at the base of his music, and contemporary media.

Matalon’s music is always very fluent. Rapid movement seems to be one of the key elements in his aesthetic. In his work with both acoustic instruments and electronics, the instrument always plays the leading role; while electronics act as a canvas for them to project on, often as an extension of the instruments own sound. The electronics create multidimensionality and add a dramatic, sculptural quality to the music. Despite a large amount of detail it maintains its clarity. Matalon views his music as a mobile, featuring “objects that all of a sudden erupt in the space and become almost tangible”.

Matalon has specialized in composing for silent movies. These pieces, which he describes as “counterpoints” to the films, have reached a wide number of international performances. His breakthrough in this field was the commission from IRCAM for a more than 2 hour-long piece to accompany the legendary “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang. After this he turned to Luis Buñuel’s surrealistic movies, letting himself be inspired by their fast editing rhythm, and their lack of narrative.

Martin Matalon was born in Argentina, got his education from the United States where he founded the ensemble Music Mobile. Since 1993 he has lived in Paris. His musical references are clearly related to the French school and his work with electronics influenced by his projects with IRCAM. He has written a large number of works for ensembles and orchestras. Among the prizes he has been awarded, we can mention the Guggenheim fellowship, prix de L’Institut de France Académie des Beaux Arts, an award from the city of Barcelona and the Charles Ives Scholarship. He collaborated with ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Orchestre de Paris, Court-circuit, Ensemble Modern, MusikFabrik, Arsenal, Ars Nova and Sillages.

Mathias Stubø (Proviant Audio) is 18-year-old drummer/multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and DJ from Tønsberg, Norway. Stubø blends retro funk, disco and soul with modern electronic music into a warm, eclectic blend. His aesthetic approach draws on the analogue nuances of the 70’s seamlessly connecting this “retro” age with the cutup electronica sound of modern times.

Stubø was chosen for his abilities to recreate the character, sound and texture of a genre and period of musical history while developing his own unique musical composition. His multi-instrumental background gives him insight to the various roles of an ensemble allowing him to manipulate these roles as both arranger and electronic artist. The remix artist can be paralleled to the collage artist using the shapes, lines, and colors of anothers work while constructing an entirely new work. But unlike many remixes this project is not for download. This remix will be performed live at Folken, 24th of September.

This year Stubø has released two critically acclaimed recordings 1979 (BBE Records as Mathias Stubø) and Real Love Tastes Like This (Paper Recordings as Proviant Audio) revealing that age is no discriminator of musical brilliance. At the age of 14, he won an ‘Artist of the Week’ award on Norway’s national radio network, NRK P3, which nominated him again in 2010 for ‘Artist of the Year’. In 2011 he has been busy building a reputation for his live performances backed by a full band of up to 12 members as Proviant Audio, and as a solo artist and DJ as Mathias Stubø.

After his performance at Folken, Stubø will also perform his regular live solo performance as a part of Nordic Music Week/ Numusic club night at Sting Nere (2:00am) downtown Stavanger.

Martin Matalon

Mathias Stubø