30 April–31 May 20

Haku Sungho will perform first and Misantrop then take over after a small break.

When possible, we encourage the use of external speakers or headphones instead of laptop speakers to experience the performances. Not only is this to attain a better overall sound quality, but also keeping in mind that elements of the performances (which were originally planned to be experienced on Pogo Bar’s sound system) could use frequencies that fall outside of the narrow frequency range of laptop speakers.

Shifts explores innovative ways to perform sound. Using the programming language Max/MSP, Haku Sungho and Misantrop have each developed unique tools for music improvisation.

Haku Sungho is a Korean-Japanese musician and artist, whose practice often revolves around instrument building. His forthcoming debut album (Bedouin Records, 2020) combines his aptitude as a singer and guitarist, modular synths keenness, and recordings of instrumentalist solos. For Shifts, Haku will be performing with a tool constructed to reinterpret the album live, deconstructing the recordings in interplay with his modular setup—allowing the roles of soloist and performer to mutate.

Misantrop (Nicolai Vesterkær Krog) is a Danish music/sound artist, DJ, instigator of the Foul-Up label, and half of Berlin’s Force Field event series team. Adding to ongoing interest in presence, Misantrop has been increasingly focused on performativity. During Shifts, Misantrop will be performing using his new tool “Shapeshifter”. In conjunction with a Roland TR-707 drum machine, an array of digital and physical sound sources are triggered, creating a palette of morphing, merging, and juxtaposing sounds. With its queer perspective, “Shapeshifter” adds to an ongoing scrutiny of style-worshipping as an extension of exclusion.

Supervisor: Professor Hans Peter Kuhn