November is a busy month! We had just celebrated the 80th edition of SPIL with a 14-musicians lineup and collaborating with the new venue in town Khatulistiwa. And here we’re having another lab this month, SPIL 081! We’re welcoming our friend Dirk Stromberg (electronics) from Singapore! Local musicians Everett Yeoh (percussion), Richard Allan Bates (double bass) and Yii Kah Hoe (dizi/suling) are on the bill! See you at SPIL 081!

Date: 22nd November, 2023 (Wed)
Time: Doors open @ 8pm
Venue: The Percussion Store
Add: A-01-03 LG Floor, Dataran Cascades, No. 13A, Jalan PJU 5/1, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
Admission by donation: RM30
For Reservation, WhatsApp: 012 919 8031
More info and musicians’ profiles: https://www.facebook.com/events/2976184602513104/

Design: Aixin Choo
More info:
[email protected]
www.klexfestival.com
www.facebook.com/groups/klexfest
Instagram: @klexfestival
#klexspil #percussionstore

Founded in May 2014, SERIOUS PLAY IMPROV LAB (SPIL) is a monthly music series of KLEX Festival. It is an art laboratory focusing on music experimentation and improvisation. SPIL provides a platform for musicians from various backgrounds to collaborate and present a new collective expression through improvisation. Over the years, many local and international artists have initiated experimentations and collaborated in the SPIL series, enriching the experimental and improvised music scene in the region.

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS:

Dirk Johan Stromberg is a improviser, music technologist, and composer. His body of work explores the dynamic interaction between performer, technology and performance practice. Designing both hardware and software has led to the development of a variety of interfaces, synthesis techniques, installation works, electro-acoustic instruments, and interdisciplinary production works and most notably his work with new musical instruments. Current projects include Redspills , a trio of DMIs working on VR telematic work in residency at La Sat in Montreal, a number of commissions for new DMIs and the creation and performance of collaborative works in Belgium, Canada, US and in South East Asia. His touring has led to a number of performances in Asia, North America and Europe including Moers Festival (Moers Germany), KLEX Festival (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Map Festival (Melaka, Malaysia), Choppa Festival (Singapore), Open Waters Festival (Halifax Canada), Duong Dai Festival (HCMC and Hanoi, Vietnam), M1 Fringe Festival (Singapore) and Dear Himalaya From Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai, Thailand).
https://dirkstromberg.org/

Malaysian-born Everett Yeoh is an experienced facilitator within the local community drum circle scene, and a self-taught percussionist and composer. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Music from UCSI University in classical composition. With a formal musical training background in piano and cello, Everett later ventures into playing percussion and building DIY instruments, turning “masak-masak” toys and found objects into makeshift instruments with rotans and chopsticks as mallets/sticks. He often performs as a multi-instrumentalist. Among the instruments he plays include the piano, cello, musical saw, Suzuki Andes, musical bones, spoons, asalatos, mouth harps, various hand drums, handheld lithophones and the jingle stick. He frequently collaborates with The Colours of Sound within the community drum circle scene, and has participated in major drum circle events locally such as the YSDAF’s drum circle events.

Richard Allan Bates is a Malaysia-based double bass player. British, he was born in Hong Kong and has also lived in the UK, Cambodia and the Philippines. Richard has played in a number of musical projects and collaborations. Rooted in free jazz and improv, his playing is focused on structured and unstructured free improvisation. Richard is a co-founder of Khatulistiwa, a recording and event space in Kuala Lumpur’s art district with a label focused on releasing music by and with Malaysian artists.

Yii Kah Hoe is a Malaysian composer and Chinese dizi and xiao improviser. Yii has been recognized as one of the major voices among Southeast Asian composers of his generation. His music has been widely performed in Asia, America, and Europe. Yii won the National Outstanding Educator Award 2018 presented by the Private Education Cooperative of Malaysia. In the fall of 2015, and in the spring of 2023, he was the Scripps College Erma Taylor O’Brien Distinguished Visiting Professor at Scripps College in Claremont. Yii was a Fullbright Scholar in Residence from August 2022 to June 2023 while working as a composition professor at Washington State University. He was the festival director of Kuala Lumpur Contemporary Music Festival 2009, the festival director of SoundBridge festival (2013, 2015), the president of Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers (2014 – 2016) and a senior lecturer at SEGi College Subang Jaya, Malaysia since 2000.

More info:
[email protected]
www.klexfestival.com
www.facebook.com/groups/klexfest
Instagram: @klexfestival