Sarah Davachi (CA)
Thursday June 2, 2016 - Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC)
Mastered by Pheek.

WHO: Vancouver, now Montréal-based musician, composer and musicologist Sarah Davachi

STYLE: Minimal electronic and electroacoustic compositions, synthesized ambient sonics of a bygone era, extended drones and harmonic textures

LATEST WORK: Barons Court (2015), Qualities Of Bodies Permanent (2015), neustadt/altstadt EP (2015), Σ = 4 (2015)

LABELS: Students of Decay, Constellation Tatsu, Cassauna

MORE: Holds an MFA in electronic music and recording media from Mills College in Oakland, California and works for the National Music Centre in Calgary as an interpreter, researcher and archivist of their collection of acoustic and electronic keyboard instruments

Sarah Davachi’s compositions turn recordings of organs, strings, woodwinds, antiquated instruments and forgotten sonics into environments of multichannel sound, the original instruments rendered unfamiliar through analog and modular synthesis. Focused on psychoacoustic phenomena and physicality, she builds evolving spaces and “irreal” worlds out of music that moves from drones to harmonies to complex overtones and natural phasing patterns.

Her new album, Barons Court, uses older synthesizers, including Buchlas to create a thick texture of sustained synth and acoustic string, harmonium and flute tones that often transform into melody – all forefronting the rich range of synths’ imperfections in oscillation and tune. Davachi’s electroacoustic performances incorporate analog synthesizers (including Sequential Circuits Pro One and/or EMS Synthi AKS and various effects) and acoustic samples of instruments that share a mutual timbral quality, such as cello, organ and harmonium.

Davachi comes to MUTEK with a psychoacoustic performance that conjures a lush and enveloping three dimensional environment of extended overtones, ghost frequencies, beating patterns and associated resonant behaviours.