The Sounds of Christmas is an annual project by Christian Marclay, pioneer of the experimental turntable movement and leading artist operating at the intersections of art and music. Reinventing this work-in-progress for London, the artist will present his collection of over 1,200 Christmas records as a publicly accessible archive, alongside projections of the record covers and footage of previous performances (exhibition open 10-22 December during gallery hours).

During the two-week installation, co-produced by Electra and Tate Modern, noted DJs will create live remixes of their own selection from Marclay's Christmas records. These recorded performances will create a soundtrack for the space. Combining blatant sentimentality with vanguard experimentation, Marclay suggests that the categories distinguishing 'serious' music from its opposite are both arbitrary and arcane.

PERFORMANCES:

Friday 10 December, 20.30-22.00
Christian Marclay
Matt Wand

Saturday 11 December, 20.00-22.00
Strictly Kev (DJ Food)
Paul Hood (Resonance FM)

Friday 17 December, 20.00-22.00
Matt Black (Coldcut)
Bohman Brothers
Ergo Phizmiz

Saturday 18 December,20.00-22.00
Janek Schaefer
People Like Us

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TALKS & WORKSHOPS

Saturday 11 December 2004, 18.30, Starr Auditorium, Free

Christian Marclay in Conversation with Rob Young

Christian Marclay discusses his project The Sounds Of Christmas in conversation with Rob Young (Electra, The Wire Magazine)

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Wednesday 15th December 2004, 17.00, Marclay Pavilion, Free

Creative Archive: Creative Content In The Public Domain
Paul Gerhardt, Strategic Director, Creative Archive, BBC in conversation with Lina-Dzuverovic (Electra)


In the midst of the plunderphonic universe of Christian Marclay's 'Sounds Of Christmas,' Paul Gerhardt discusses the significance of archives in the creation of new artistic content. The TV and radio archives of the BBC and other broadcasters represent a huge untapped source of creativity. New developments in technology and in attitudes to rights could be the keys to tapping into that resource. The BBC is leading the way with a pilot initiative, the Creative Archive. If successful, it would help to transform the BBC's relationship with its audiences by moving beyond broadcasting to the sharing and co-creation of content.

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LektroLAB - Plunderphonics/Sound Collage DJ Workshop

This workshop covers aspects of DJing which look beyond the standard set of dance-music oriented techniques: mixing disparate music styles, turntable manipulation, controlled feedback, improvising, locked grooves and generally all things 'outside the box'. This workshop is for all skill levels and anyone with an interest in exploring a more creative side of DJing.

The workshop is led by LektroLAB's Paul B. Davis and Emma Davidson:

Paul B. Davis was a classically trained harpsichordist who co-founded the BEIGE record label/art collective. B Davis pioneered the use of hacked Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges as an artistic medium, created BEIGE's first Nintendo artworks and produces the music for his band The 8-Bit Construction Set. His music has also appeared on Matthew Herbert's Soundslike label and in Nike and Benihana commercials. Performing as 'DJ Spin-Laden,' he is the only DJ ever to get thrown off stage at the Technics/DMC World DJ Championships.

Emma Davidson's debut album 'I Love My Computer' was released on the Aphex Twin's Rephlex label under the name Lektrogirl: 'I Love My Computer...playfully sifts through yesterday's electronic ephemera' (NME). Since then the Tasmanian native has kept busy with performances across Europe and as a director of chip-music label/collective MicroMusic, recently name-checked by Malcolm McLaren as 'the final repository of the marvelous'. She co-founded the LektroLAB series of DJ workshops and events.

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Also, don't miss the Christian Marclay exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery next year - the first extensive exhibition by this innovative artist whose work bridges the gap between what we see and what we hear.

Christian Marclay 17 February - 2 May 2005 Barbican Art Gallery
See Barbican Gallery for more information.

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The Sounds Of Christmas is co-produced by Electra and Tate Modern

Supported by