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hervé perez
Sheffield — United Kingdom
Biography
improviser, sound and visual artist, hervé performs spontaneous compositions with a laptop, using processed field recordings as well as acoustic instruments. his work is influenced by electro-acoustic and contemporary music, experimental electronics, free improvisation, immersive sound art and ancient techniques of sound therapy alike.

his research approaches sound as vibration, the relation between sound waves and objects or spaces, architecture and the body.

hervé's use of field recordings is concerned with frequencies and harmonic relationships found in nature, how they relate to the physical world, and how the sounds of natural elements connect to our own vibrational structures.

he has developed a very personal way to process and sculpt location recordings to reveal their musical features and maximise resonance with the listener and their experience of sound.

greatly interested in collaboration, hervé has performed with musicians and dancers whose practice is immersed in free improvisation, closely working with mick beck (sax, bassoon), martin archer (winds, violin, electronics), ian simpson (electro), charlie collins (drums and percussions), constantin popp (live processing, diffusion), etc. in the UK and also michel doneda (sop sax), jonas kocher (accordion), simon berz (dr, electro), christian muller (electro), rodolphe loubatiere (dr), d'incise (electro, objects), cyril bondi (dr), heddy boubaker (alto and bass sax), sebastien cirotteau (trumpet, electronics), cia barbet (dance), anastasia hvan (dance) in Europe.

he actively took part in the creation of the Sonofages collective who organise a yearly festival based in Toulouse and now co-curates audio visual performances in the Showroom cinema, Sheffield.

current projects:

sounding out - explorations of outdoor acoustics, sacred sites with the soprano saxophone room harmonics - experimental recording technique using sound to represent architecture "weave/unravel", duo with Constantin Popp - soprano sax, processing, multi-speaker diffusion system "inclusion principle", duo with martin archer (discus label) - electroacoustic improvisations with laptops, winds, objects "abscond" - free jazz/improv quartet various collaborations / free improvisation

instruments:

soprano saxophone, shakuhachi, laptop, prepared guitar, meditation bowls, objects and percussions

links:

main website: www.spacers.lowtech.org/herve

electroacoustic music: http://soundcloud.com/sndsukinspook

acoustic sax: http://soundcloud.com/herveperez

other site with audio, visual and text work: http://sndsukinspook.wordpress.com

Description of work with field recording
Live electroacoustic improvisation in St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, London on 26 february 2011. Field recordings, sound design, processing and electronics ⓒ hervé perez. Field recordings include five elements (water, wood, fire, earth/rock, metal), atmos tracks of outdoor and indoor acoustics. This church performance layers/confronts acoustical spaces from several churches and cathedrals. There is no synthesiser in this performance, ambient tones are sculpted from field recordings and feature the natural harmonics and modulations structural to the featured elements. The only electronic sounds are individual sines (pure frequency waves) designed to interact with existing natural tones.
Listen to StLeonards26022011Xtract 1