In July I will be performing a 'thoughts concert', together with Simone de Jong. Mostly Dutch texts, but hopefully also to be appreciated because of the musical content. English text after the Dutch promo.

Iedereen is geboren met een hoofd. Een hoofd waarin gedachten rond waren, ideeën opkomen, herinneringen te binnen schieten en dromen oprijzen. Je eigen binnenwereld kan zeer aangenaam zijn, maar ook verworden tot een soort hel. En dat beleef je allemaal alleen. Je kunt je hoofd niet delen. Wij doen een poging toch in andere hoofden te kijken. Hiervoor hebben we allerlei mensen geïnterviewd over denken en hun gedachten. Met een verhaal over een merkwaardig instituut en muziek erbij leidt dit tot een fascinerende, licht filosofische muziektrip door het hoofd. En hoe zit het eigenlijk met jouw gedachten?

Tijd: Woensdag 6 t/m zaterdag 9 juli, dagelijks om 17.45 en 19.45 uur
Locatie: Nieuwe Markt 14, Zwolle, tijdens Festival ZwArt
Meer informatie: http://www.festivalzwart.nl/

English summary:

If you could only be in someone’s head for a day, if you could experience what his thoughts are when he walks through the city with a clouded head, or sees the sun come up dreaming about tomorrow, then you would finally know why someone acts like he does, you would finally know what you like and dislike about your own mind. Now we have to suffice with talking, asking questions, guessing, reading signals and bodily language in an attempt to understand another person. And we have to suffice with our own mind, including thought patterns and habits, without knowing how we would function with another frame of mind. You cannot share your mind, in it you are alone.

On April 6 & 7 I found myself in Belfast, to play my 'composition' with Whistle Pig Saloon at the Sonorities conference. In real life an improvisation duo of myself with John Ferguson on guitar. It's still weird to only be able to submit 'compositions' and to have to provide 'players'. But it seems that that's the way. As usual with these kinds of academic conferences, and again to my disappointment, most of the works presented were tape pieces. Guys (and the occasional girl) pressing play and tweaking some knobs. Don't get me wrong, there were some really great pieces there, but in this time and age I would think there would be more live electronics works, with real people on stage. There were exceptions though: Xinh-Xo Nguyen performed a great composition by his own hand - a very controlled and perfectly performed piece.