David Toop
 | Born near London in 1949, David Toop is a musician, writer, and sound curator. A Visiting Research Fellow at the Sound Department of the London College of Communication, and Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts London, he is currently an AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Research Fellow in the Creative and Performing Arts, engaged in a three year study of digital technology and improvised music performance. |
He has written four books, currently translated into six languages: Rap Attack (now in its third edition), Ocean of Sound, Exotica (a winner of the 21st annual American Books Awards for 2000), and Haunted Weather. His first album, New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments, was released on Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975; since 1995 he has released seven solo albums, including Screen Ceremonies, Pink Noir, and Black Chamber.
In 1998 he composed the soundtrack for Acqua Matrix, the outdoor spectacular that closed every night of Lisbon Expo '98. He has recorded shamanistic ceremonies in Amazonas, appeared on Top Of The Pops with the Flying Lizards, worked with musicians including Brian Eno, John Zorn, Prince Far I, Derek Bailey, Talvin Singh, Evan Parker, Akio Suzuki and Jin Hi Kim, and collaborated with artists such as theatre director/actor Steven Berkoff, Japanese Butoh dancer Mitsutaka Ishii and novelist Jeff Noon.
As a critic and columnist he has written for many publications, including The Wire, The Face, The Times, The New York Times and The Village Voice. In 2000, he curated Sonic Boom, the UK's largest ever exhibition of sound art, and in 2001-02 he was sound curator for Radical Fashion, an exhibition of work by designers including Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe and Martin Margiela featuring music by Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and others.
In October, his sound installation - Beijing Water Writing - was exhibited in Beijing as the inaugural event of the British Council Sound and the City project. Recently he co-curated Sound Out, an exhibition of outdoor sound installations in Cork, Ireland, and curated Playing John Cage, a group show of sound art currently showing at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol.
The PRS Foundation spoke to David to find out what he's been listening to recently...
Various Artists: Congotronics 2 (Crammed Discs Craw 29)
I loved the crazy energy and roughed-up sound of the Konono No 1 CD, but this compilation of Kishasa street bands is more varied in pace and texture. If this had been released at the same time as William Gibson’s Neuromancer, we’d call it cyberpunk for its customised instruments and amplification, and the hybrid retro-futurism. Just listen to Konono No 1’s “T.P. Couleur Café” for the ultimate in Congo distortion.
For more information, visit http://www.crammed.be/
Burt Bacharach: At This Time (Sony BMG 82876734112)
When I interviewed Burt Bacharach some years ago I asked him why he hadn’t produced more orchestral and instrumental music. He told me that he’d tried it once, with the Woman album of 1979, not many people bought it, so he took that as a sign to leave it alone. Some of that hypersensitivity comes across in his new solo CD, which is beautifully melancholy and disillusioned, if a little sappy at times. He also mentioned Dr. Dre in that interview, and talked about the difficulty of writing gentle songs in the context of gangsta rap. Imagine how happy it makes me to hear him recording instrumentals with Dr. Dre.
For more information, visit http://www.atthistime.co.uk/
Miya Masaoka: Compositions Improvisations (Asian Improv Records AIR 00014)
New York resident Miya Masaoka is one of a number of Japanese women extending the range of the koto. In her case, that includes working with live bees, giant hissing Madagascar cockroaches, human body sounds and a Philodendron plant. Her solo CD is more focussed on wood and strings, but striking for its exquisite touch and feeling for silence.
For more information, visit http://miyamasaoka.com/
For more information about David visit http://www.davidtoop.com/