Annette Krebs: February 20

On Friday, February 20, Berlin-based artist Annette Krebs will be giving a performance at Sala Diaz as part of John Mata’s exhibit, Sala Diaz is Open. The performance starts at 9:30 pm, and is free & open to the public.

Annette Krebs has worked extensively in the crossover area between improvisation and composition, exploring the possibilities of the prepared guitar with regard to sound, structure, noise, the mixing of materials, and space. Various preparation methods are used to produce noises and sounds, which are then enlarged through the use of sometimes high levels of amplification. The sound of the amplification and mixing boards, additional tapes, radios and objects are used as musical material.

Krebs was a member of the groundbreaking post-minimalist creative ensemble Phosphor, and has collaborated with Keith Rowe, Sachiko M, Kaffe Matthews, Robin Hayward, Toshimaru Nakamura, Taku Sugimoto, and many others.

“Annette Krebs has propelled herself into the front rank of guitar improvisers.” — Clive Bell, The Wire

“When the guitar, tape, acoustics melt into each other it’s a joyous thing.” — Stylus Magazine review of Annette Krebs’ “Guitar Solo”

[Supported by the Berlin Senate Cultural Affairs Department]

Jason Kahn: February 21

heavy Denim, in collaboration with Contemporary Art Month, UTSA, and the No Idea Festival, with support from Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, is proud to present a sound installation and performance by Jason Kahn (Zürich, Switzerland) on Saturday, February 21 at 8 pm. He will be joined by improvising duo Chris Cogburn (Austin, Texas) and Annette Krebs (Berlin, Germany). The performance and installation will take place at 505 E. Travis (between Alamo and Broadway streets) in downtown San Antonio, Texas. Tickets are $8 at the door (no advance tickets).

Jason Kahn's work as a musician dates back to his involvement with the post-punk jazz-funk Los Angeles band Universal Congress Of in the late ‘80s. After appearing on three releases by this significant but obscure group, he relocated to Berlin, and now lives in Zürich. His music has moved into the more meditative waters of free improv, and over the years he has collaborated with some of the most important artists working in this field, including Steve Roden, Günter Müller, Arnold Dreyblatt, Evan Parker, Tetuzi Akiyama and Taku Sugimoto. Nearly twenty of his sound installations have been installed in galleries and museums in Paris, Berlin, Zürich, Cairo, New York, and Chicago. In these installations, Kahn often works to reveal the hidden sounds in urban environments, using carefully placed contact mics to amplify and displace the sounds. At other times, he uses sine waves to reveal the hidden acoustic properties of architectural space.

Kahn’s work has been lauded by music and art critics alike. Writing for the magazine One Final Note, Josh Bivins declared “Jason Kahn has become one of the most consistently interesting players in electroacoustic improvisation.” In the pages of Dusted magazine, Sean Schuster-Craig described Kahn’s performances as evoking “wastelessness, texture, careful organization and a sense of vastness built from the tiniest spaces.” On the All Music Guide, Dan Warburton pointed out that Kahn “opens our ears to the sonic wonders of the world around us.”

Visit Jason Kahn's website: jasonkahn.net