I first came across Emilio Gordoa‘s work on a random night at the artist-run space Richten25. It was a trio with American saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos and bass player Antti Virtaranta, who were both remarkable, but Gordola stole the show with his inventive, unorthodox percussion technique. He had a snare drum and an assorted collection of objects, from pine cones to random bits of metal and bells. I have a high, almost irrational affinity for metal sounds, particularly bells, so seeing this kind of amplified snare membrane used and abused with items that might appear random at first was highly fascinating. The highlight of that particular performance was when he took a small hi-hat cymbal, put it on the snare and started blowing through the hole with his mouth on the opening. It was somehow unnerving and probably not very effective in terms of sound, yet weirdly erotic.
The trio playing at KM28 tonight was a first time encounter with long-time South Korean improviser Okkyung Lee and Italian Vienna-based sound artist Isabella Forciniti, initiated by Gordoa after a shared gig with Forciniti. On a balmy May evening, I make the track south with the infamous number 8 U-Bahn obviously not on my side. As I walked through the door catching my breath at 8:45PM, the show had already started. The room is absolutely packed, so I huddle up in front, on the floor, near the right side where the performers sit.
The trio seems to be in full swing already, although the main dialogue is taking place between Gordoa and Lee. The percussionist has his signature set up with the mic-ed up snare drum and objects that I’ve seen him play before. Lee is just with her cello, while has an assorted array of synths and Ableton on a computer. Their set lasts around 20 minutes, getting increasingly louder and more textural. Lee is providing a continuous drony noise background with her cello that Forciniti is building on. Gordoa is primarily using the bells on scratching on the amplified drum, as Forciniti contributes with discreet electronic punctuations.
Lee launches into a solo, slightly quieter moment on the cello, but her playing is swiftly growing faster, with fretted dissonance. She is the most experienced of the group, and her playing exudes an inherent confidence. Hers is certainly the biggest aura, which feels almost challenged at times by Gordoa’s bold and bratty interventions. Joined by his tumultuous drumming, the two launch in a tense duo moment that Forciniti quietly observes. It’s always great to have improvisers listen and leave space for one another, although in such an intimate setting it feels like she’s slightly overwhelmed, shutting down multiple opportunities to jump in.
The audience is quite enthusiastic in their response, although visibly eager to go outside for smokes and chit chat – wrangling them back in is a bit of a struggle. Their second set feels more intentional, with a shared desire from all the performers to have a more balanced contribution. This time they’re faster, noisier, more agitated. Lee and Gordoa continue to take the lead, but Forciniti is also bolder in her contributions. After about 15 minutes of sustained improvising and a beautiful solo from Lee, Gordoa pulls up a motor vibrating on drum, as Lee’s playing gets more intense and Forciniti builds on their textures with high pitched, bird-like electronic flutters. When they gracefully finish their set under 30 minutes, it really feels like time flew by.
Their newfound chemistry is met with vigorous applause, although there is no room for an encore, everything getting wrapped up a little past 10PM. Despite their obvious differences, this was a highly competent and imaginative display of forces and I honestly wouldn’t mind hearing this newly formed trio in recorded form sometime in the future.
