MIMEO, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festval 25-11-07

You might expect to find ravers marching out of town looking for music in deserted mills on a Friday, but tonight sensibly attired fans of avant-garde music sought out one of the fringe venues of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

3 circles are formed on the floor of the Blending Shed. The outer - 11 speakers. Inside, 150 seats for the audience of tonight's performance. At the centre, the 11 musicians of the Music in Movement Electronic Orchestra (MIMEO.) The lights fall and in the almost darkness MIMEO's improvisations begin.

The sounds rise out of the hushed, reverential silence. First, like an aural hall of mirrors, sounds distort and warp towards you, bouncing off each other. Bass throbbing its way towards me, brings expectations of heavy drops, of impact. Then silence consumes, strikes with a sometimes unsettling force. Waveforms ebb and flow, a prepared piano and resonant drones, noise explored then subtly destroyed.

Beer bottle clinkings add their own occasional harmonies.

The performance closes down and as the lights come up, each of the audience is released from our own internal reception of the piece with a slight feeling of uncertainty of collective response. Throughout the performance, we've heard the sounds alone with little chance to share an understanding glimpse with your neighbour. It has been something unique shared. The two inner circles fragment and reform – as performers and audience mingle.

As we make our way back into the night, the security guards stand by the exit looking utterly perplexed.


Feimatta Conteh and Michael Curtis