The Summer Bummer Festival–Sound in Motion’s yearly adventurous music festival at Trix– celebrates its 10th edition with an extra festival day. In addition to challenging concerts and installations–for which the young curators of Oei! are contributing input for the first time–there is also an expo with the graphic work of the past 10 editions, a short film of Fire! Orchestra CBA Youth live at Summer Bummer 2024, a third festival magazine–with interviews and a handy timetable, the record fair–which has become a tradition, the catered stand with homemade slow food: rich flavors and pure ingredients that are lovingly and carefully prepared by the Summer Bummer crew, Radio Khiyaban‘s N.R.Safi will provide 3 days of superb tunes in between and after the shows,  of course there’s the mobile squad of Radio Centraal that provides the festival three days of live coverage, and to top it off you on Fri 29 and Sat 30/8 you can screen print your custom Summer Bummer T-Shirt on the spot with Rombus and Mojo Prints (29 & 30/8).

SUMMER BUMMER FESTIVAL DAY 2:
For pdf version of the program click the schedule below:

DAVID TOOP/ECKA MORDECAI/CHRISTIAN KOBI (UK/CH)

David Toop has been developing a practice that crosses boundaries of sound, listening, music and materials since 1970. This encompasses improvised music performance, writing, electronic sound, field recording, exhibition curating, sound art installations and opera.

Last year, he performed at Cafe Oto alongside cellist Ecka Mordecai and reed player Christian Kobi, the recording of which has been released as ‘moth wings beating air incised’ on the Japanese label Meenna. It’s a document of a fascinating performance, where the disparate sounds of the three musicians intertwine in an organic way, resulting in improvised music of outstanding quality. The concert at Summer Bummer will be their second performance ever.

Toop spoke with Stijn Buyst (Gonzo Circus) in early August, a revealing interview that you can find in the new Summer Bummer festival magazine and online from September in the Head to Head interview series.

AMALIE DAHL’S DAFNIE EXTENDED:
AMALIE DAHL/LISA ULLÉN/PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE/NICOLAS LEIRTRØ/VESLEMØY NARVESEN/JOHANNES ELNAN/HENRIETTE EILERTSEN/SOFIA SALVO/IDA LØVLI HIDLE/ANNA UELAND/JØRGEN BJELKERUD/MIKKEL DAHL AMUNDSEN (NO/AR/SE)

Danish, Oslo-based alto saxophonist Amalie Dahl made her Belgian debut in the Oorstof series at les ateliers claus in Brussels in 2023, in a trio with Henrik Sandstad Dalen and Jomar Jeppsson Søvik. The live recording of that concert was released on Nice Things Records. Sound in Motion/Oorstof invited Dahl again for a 4 day run with her quintet Dafnie for the first time in Belgium and Holland. These concerts where part of the release tour for the second Dafnie album ‘St​å​r op med solen’, released on both Aguirre and Sonic Transmissions Records.

Dahl now returns to Antwerp to introduce Dafnie Extended, a supergroup featuring Nicolas Leirtrø (bass), Veslemøy Narvesen (drums), Johannes Elnan (bass), Henriette Eilertsen (flute, electronics), Lisa Ullén (piano), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Sofia Salvo (baritone sax), Ida Løvli Hidle (accordion), Anna Ueland (keyboards) and Jørgen Bjelkerud (trombone).

CAMILLE EMAILLE (FR)

Camille Emaille is a percussionist from France who’s practice is based on a physical relationship with sound, as much in the material and volume of the instruments she works with as in working with clay, as in the physical energy expended in playing. Whether through improvisation, written or pre-structured music, she seeks that line where energy, concentration and listening are activated to such a level that self-awareness, in relation to the rest of the world, finally disappears.

She has worked with Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker (Oorstof/Brand! 2024), Jean-Luc Guionnet, Nina Garcia and Tom Malmendier amongst others. Emaille also appears at the last day of the Summer Bummer festival in the percussion trio OTTO.

FARIDA AMADOU/SAKINA ABDOU/AVA MENDOZA/HEATHER LEIGH (BE/FR/US)

After crossing paths at the Summer Bummer Festival 2024, these four prominent voices in improvised and contemporary music expressed the desire to do something collaboratively. Convinced that the spark between them that arose last year is bound to spread on stage as well, the impromptu quartet will premiere at this year’s edition.

With pedal steel player Heather Leigh and electric bassist Farida Amadou already delivering sonic fireworks with their first duo concert at last year’s edition, who knows what will happen when they will be joined by two other musical forces who amazed last year at Summer bummer with jaw-dropping solo sets: the phenomenal French saxophonist Sakina Abdou and the one and only Ava Mendoza, the electric guitar wizard who fuses blues, rock and other genres into her own idiom.

MARMALSANA (LB/EG/DE):
TONY ELIEH/BURKHARD BEINS/MAURICE LOUCA

Marmalsana is a Berlin-based trio that brings together Burkhard Beins (percussion), Maurice Louca (acoustic quarter-tone guitar), and Tony Elieh (acoustic bass guitar). For this band they rely on the use of acoustic instruments only, employing extended techniques and objects to produce soundscapes of drones, textures, melodies, and polyrhythms.

Marmalsana reflects the different backgrounds, styles, and influences, fueled by the expertise and experience of each musician. They succeed in merging their individual contributions into a unified whole, iridescently moving between distinct placements of sound and moments beyond instrumental recognisability. Their journey traverses between Beirut, Berlin, and Cairo, creating in the process a nomadic musical language.

JOKE CAIMO (BE) Oei!:
HUMAN ORGAN CONCERTO

During the 3 days of the Summer Bummer Festival the audience is invited to play it’s own concerto on  Joke Caimo’s Human Organ (see info Installations/Performances).  On Day 2 the undisciplined artivist, media artist, and inventor  Caimo will take the audio-visual installation ‘Human Organ Concerto’ to the stage…

INSTALLATIONS/PERFORMANCES:

BART VAN DONGEN & ANTOON VERSTEEGDE (NL):
ELECTRIC GRAND

Electric Grand is a collaborative project by Dutch visual artist Antoon Versteegde and composer Bart van Dongen. They magnify the sound of a prepared piano by giving each note its own speaker. Known for his bamboo art, Versteegde has created unique installations for each location since the project’s inception in 2021. For the 10th Summer Bummer edition, he designed bamboo pyramids for the speakers that fit perfectly in Trix’s garden. The installation’s electronics were refined together with Edwin van den Oetelaar and Kristiyan Angelov. Using the prepared piano, Van Dongen makes the randomly placed pyramids with speakers resonate through improvisation. The participation of guest musicians in one of the performances is a possibility.

Bart van Dongen is a composer, musician, and conceptual artist known for his relentless search for new sounds, effortlessly connecting seemingly opposing forces. He keeps his finger on the pulse of contemporary music as the founder and co-director of the Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek in Eindhoven. Recently, he received international acclaim for his work with bassist Gonçalo Almeida under the name Tabula Sonorum.

Antoon Versteegde is a visual artist renowned for his large-scale bamboo installations. These temporary constructions, made from materials like bamboo poles, flags, rope, and elastic, are both artworks and interactive experiences. He has completed over 500 interactive projects worldwide. While the installations often disappear after a few days, weeks, or months, the shared memory lives on as a lasting part of the experience.

JOKE CAIMO (BE) Oei!:
HUMAN ORGAN CONCERTO

In the audio-visual installation ‘Human Organ Concerto’ the undisciplined artivist, media artist, and inventor Joke Caimo invites the audience to ‘perform’ the piece. The organ’s sound is controlled by the breathing patterns of the participants, captured through wireless devices. These devices translate each breath into four electric pulses, triggering different tones on a pipe organ.

Caimo’s work lies at the intersection of performance, music, product design, installation, and the digital world. With their objects and instruments, they explore ‘the collective’ versus ‘the inner self’, inviting the viewer to become part of their work. They develop measuring instruments and platforms that help us better understand unconscious patterns and mechanisms in co-creation processes. The underlying theme is investigating, stimulating, and visualizing the energies between people as a collective. Additionally, Caimo is a co-initiator of Samenschool and hosts their own residency and workspace for artists, friends, and neighbors.

DJ:

RADIO KHIYABAN DJ (AF/US)

N.R. Safi is an Afghan-American musician who runs Radio Khiyaban, an internationalist sound platform based in the Netherlands highlighting the blurry intersection between traditional artforms and contemporary experimentation with a particular focus on south/west Asia. Safi will provide the perfect soundtrack for Summer Bummer 2025 in between and after the concerts.

+ RECORD FAIR – FILM – EXPO – SCREEN PRINTING (29 & 30/8) – SNACKS & BITES