UPEND presents, the U.S. Premiere of Japanese sound artist and instrument builder FUJI|||||||||||TA and a special performance from L.A.’s own Tashi Wada.

FUJI|||||||||||TA

Japanese sound artist Yosuke Fujita wanted to hear sounds yet-unheard and devised a way to make them – by building an organ from scratch, with no previous experience, and following no lead but his imagination. With no keyboard, and using only eleven pipes, his invention features a bellow-like air pump called a “fuigo” – similar to those used by Japanese blacksmiths – to push air into sound. Over more than a decade, Fujita has used the instrument to create evocative landscapes out of tone clusters, beat frequencies, and deft minimalist melodies, all whilst hovering above the quiet clicking of his airpump. After years of honing, his idiosyncratic sound pallette became more familiar to ears worldwide via a 2019 release »iki« on Swiss label Hallow Ground.

Fujita has collaborated with key figures of different generations of the Japanese avant-garde – Akio Suzuki, Keiji Haino, and EYヨ – and performed widely in Europe on bills with artists such as Kali Malone, Stephen O’Malley, and Rashad Becker.

This performance will be FUJI|||||||||||TA’s U.S. Premiere.

“FUJI|||||||||||TA has created a work that operates as a beautiful nexus between the material and immaterial qualities of music. It is a lived-in dreamscape of deep, rich tonality.” – Lawrence English

TASHI WADA

Long a crucial contributor to the fabric of sound activity in town, composer and performer Tashi Wada returns to Human Resources. Via recordings and international performances – and his deft use of alternative tunings – Wada’s distinctive and highly expressive works have come to figure heavily within the flow of contemporary minimalism worldwide. Instead of latching on to a single tuning system, he plums the possibilities of several, including those of his own devise. Wada contemplates – literally by ear – the harmonic structure for a piece: often embracing the relative, rather than the ballast. With pieces that utilize synthesis and a range of acoustic instrumentation, small ensemble and duo collaborations are key to his process. On this occasion, Tashi Wada will be joined by Julia Holter.

Tashi Wada is a composer and performer based in Los Angeles. Wada studied composition at CalArts with James Tenney and for many years performed alongside his father, Yoshi Wada. He has presented his music internationally and collaborated with a range of artists including Charles Curtis, Simone Forti, and Julia Holter. Wada founded and runs the label Saltern. His most recent album Nue was released by RVNG Intl.

“Like his father Wada is obsessed by the brain scrambling properties of sustained tones and maximalist microtonal confusion…” – Volcanic Tongue

Advance tickets available here: https://withfriends.co/event/14425290/General_Admission