Get into the Groove

The New York Times featured a hearty preview of this weekend's STEIM events in the Weekend Arts section last Friday which included an interview with STEIM's artistic director, Takuro Mizuta Lippit:

"For 40 years the institute has offered electronic music innovators opportunities to work with designers, engineers and other musicians, Mr. Lippit said. Though Steim artists have visited New York before, Mr. Lippit said it was rare for the whole institution to be represented, as it will be at Japan Society."

We also had a preview feature on Examiner.com that included an interview with Japan Society's own Performing Arts & Film Director, Yoko Shioya, who was quoted saying:

"Put it this way, the layer of the musicians and composers in electric music in Japan is very thick—therefore, many types of musicians emerge…Japanese musicians in this genre have been quite influential in the international music scene."

You can find clips of STEIM's Mobile Touch Exhibition on our YouTube channel and watch as children and adults alike take advantage of the rare opportunity to make their own music on STEIM’s wild collection of invented electronic instruments, including the Finger Web, the Cracklebox, the Voice Scratcher and the Headbanger.

Also, don't forget to check out a video of STEIM's killler performance at Japan Society from May 8th!

Sound Bites

Went to j-CATION? Samurai Beat Radio caught up with Yuki Chikudate, singer of the Brooklyn-based dream pop band, Asobi Seksu, just before their performance at Japan Society.

You can download the podcast of the interview here or visit the Samurai Beat Radio Official Blog to check out some cute photos!

On a similar note, STEIM, the Amsterdam-based music laboratory of experiments in electronic sound and instruments, are spending the weekend of May 7th-8th at Japan Society.

STEIM artists Yutaka Makino and dj sniff discuss the process of creating their innovative electronic music and share their perspectives on the latest international collaborations in an Artist Talk and Demo. Then, in the Mobile Touch Exhibition, visitors will have the rare opportunity to make their own music on STEIM’s wild collection of invented electronic instruments, including the Finger Web, the Cracklebox, the Voice Scratcher and the Headbanger.

And where would we be without throwing a concert?

For this performance, STEIM’s Artistic Director, Takuro Mizuta Lippit, has assembled a lineup of groundbreaking international artists from STEIM’s roster, including:

• Yutaka Makino (Japan/Germany): A composer and technical wizard who has pioneered the blending of music, sculpture and architecture
• ABATTOIR: A duo comprised of Audrey Chen (U.S.)—vocalist, cellist and analog electronics musician/composer and Robert van Heumen (Netherlands)—a composer and tinkerer equally at home with a keyboard or a joystick
• A collaboration between digital media composer Yannis Kyriakides (Netherlands) and guitarist Andy Moor (U.K./ Netherlands) of the legendary Dutch punk band The Ex
• dj sniff (Japan/Netherlands), a.k.a. Takuro Mizuta Lippit—turntable musician and Artistic Director of STEIM

Psst...If you want a sneak preview, check out this video!