Music In Movement Electronic Orchestra – MIMEO
A: MIMEO marks a departure and a distinction from the ‘end point aesthetics’ of ‘power drummer’ based groups, and a move towards the of orchestra as a collection ‘objets trouvés’, reflecting recent developments both in technology, synthesisers, computers and the contemporary aesthetics of ambient, plunderphonics and improvisation.
Q: What’s at the centre of this shift ?
A: I guess it’s about the doubt laden transition from the world of scarcity (analogue spectrum) to the one of plenty (digital spectrum).
Within the orchestra these spectrums are reflected by the group primitive
And the computers, MIMEO takes two features from the twentieth century into the twenty-first, improvisation and electronics, MIMEO’s music is worked around choice and juxtaposition of materials, a kind of ‘post techno Duchampianism’
Q: Is the organisation and running of MIMEO reflected in the technology ?
A: Yes, MIMEO consults / runs / operates / through a kind of e-mail democracy, it employs a collaborative method of working, decentralised, emphasising discussion, in fact very much like many classical orchestra, And of course e-mail allows a day to day dialogue between all the members equally, despite being spread across Europe. Without this technology MIMEO could not function in the way that it does, which would certainly impact on the music. - you could say that e-mail has a direct effect on the actual music performed.
Q: And not like a jazz orchestra which is normally the preserve of one person, one idea, one concept, one name.
A: Correct!
Phil Durrant
Cor Fuhler (†)
Christian Fennesz
Thomas Lehn
Kaffe Mathews
Jerome Noetinger
Geert-Jan Prins
Peter Rehberg (†)
Keith Rowe
Marcus Schmickler
Rafael Toral