CONTACT OR TO JOIN OCCASIONAL MAILING LIST: douglas.benford@gmail.com
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UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS - if no link shown please check venue websites or myself directly for event confirmations
*** 29th September 2024. Douglas Benford, Adam Bohman + Georgina Brett (trio). 2pm. £12. The Tin Tabernacle, Kilburn, London, UK. More info: https://flic.kr/p/2qiN6Ur
*** October 3rd 2024. Douglas Benford & Cath Roberts (duo). 8pm. £5. Adam Bohman’s Lionheart Production Event, The Royal Albert pub, New Cross, London, UK. Flyer: https://flic.kr/p/2qiJPsB
*** October 6th 2024. Douglas Benford performing with the London Improvisers Orchestra. 8pm. £10/£5. St Mary’s church (the new big one), Stoke Newington, London, UK
*** 7th October 2024. Douglas Benford, Alex Ward, Pascal Marzan (trio). 8pm. £10/£8. Boat-Ting, Theatre Ship, South Quay, Canary Wharf, London, UK
*** 20th October 2024. Alan Newcombe’s ‘Gritstone’ book launch. Douglas Benford, Iris Colomb, Bettina Schroeder and Alan Newcombe. 3.30pm. £tbc. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK. Book info: https://cinnamonpress.com/store/gritstone/
*** 27th October 2024. Douglas Benford, Adrian Southby, Mark Wastell, Tansy Spinks. 3.30pm. £10/£8. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK
*** 10th November 2024. Douglas Benford, Chris Hill, Teresa Hackel & Tilly Coulton. 3.30pm. £10/£8. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK
*** 14th November 2024. Small Print Drama trio: Douglas Benford, Tom Ward & Iris Colomb. 7.30pm. £10/£8. Sound Bureau, Hamlet Bar Lounge & Restaurant, 10 Streatham High Road, London, SW16 1DB, UK
*** 15th November 2024. Douglas Benford & Mirei Ya (duo). 7.30pm. £10. The Horse Improvisation Club, Christchurch Church, Blackfriars, London, SE1, UK
*** 16th November 2024. Douglas Benford + Clive Bell (duo). 7pm. £7. Konzstrukting Soundz, The Fisherman’s Chapel, New Road, Leigh-On-Sea, nr Southend, UK
*** 15th December 2024. Douglas Benford, Julia Brüssel, Julia Doyle + artist tbc. 3.30pm. £10/£8. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK
*** 13th January 2025. Douglas Benford, Sylvia Hallett, John Bisset, John Jasnoch, John McGrath, Phil Durrant + tbc. £tbc. 7.30pm. Cafe Oto, Dalston, London, UK
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OTHER NEWS ITEMS
*** From 2020 to 2024 The Ambrosia Rasputin radio show on Resonance FM has aired many various programmes with releases involving Douglas Benford, see http://dbenfordworks.tumblr.com/ for a chronological list. Here are this years:
May 2024 - Track from ‘Melting Frames’ (37mins in) - https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-19-may-2024/
Feb 2024 - Track from ‘Glancing Blows’ (5mins in) - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-11-feb-2024/
*** In March 2024 the BBC Radio 3 Freeness radio show aired an excerpt of ‘Glancing Blows’ from the Bandcamp album by Douglas Benford, Cath Roberts, Sylvia Hallett and Dominic Lash.
*** A documentary film on artist Calum Storrie has been released, featuring co-compositions and performances by Douglas Benford. Available for rental/streaming here. This film has also been screened at Tokyo International film festival 2024.
*** There’s a lengthy review of three releases (‘Plays LemonMelons’, ‘Taking A Quiet Road’ and a Lonely Impulse Collective piece) by Douglas Benford in the March 2023 issue of the Wire magazine, print edition, by Brian Morton. “Benford quite deliberately never goes anywhere…quietly rapt….comfortably absorbed and absorbing”
*** A solo piece, ‘Zither Memory’, by Douglas Benford is broadcast on Bristol based 1020 internet radio station on the show 81 Discovery Avenue (link above)
*** The Seen release w. Stewart Lee, Douglas Benford, Jennifer Allum, Mark Wastell, Dominic Lash, Phil Durrant, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler and Graham McKeachan broadcast on Dirk Serries’ Netherlands 27 Oct 2022 Portmento radio show
*** Two duos by Douglas Benford with Meg Morley, also one with Sylvia Hallett, filmed at Mopomoso earlier this year are now online - https://youtube.com/user/mopomoso
*** The Lonely Impulse Collective celebrated one year of releases with an album by them all, ‘One Lonely Year’, including this piece by Douglas Benford - https://lonelyimpulsecollective.bandcamp.com/track/annual-scenes. This piece was also aired on Resonance FM’s Ambrosia Rasputin programme (see works list for link, Jan 2022)
*** A playlist by Douglas Benford has been published on the Wire magazine website: https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/tracks/wire-playlist-douglas-benford
*** The Seen ‘For Sake Of Joy’ CD & bandcamp w. Douglas Benford, Mark Wastell, Stewart Lee, Dominic Lash, Phil Durrant, Jennifer Allum, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler and Graham McKeachan is now out - https://confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/for-sake-of-joy-of-study-of-oneself-together
*** Douglas Benford performed with the London Improvisers Orchestra at the iklectik art space in south London on May 2nd 2021. This event was streamed only - https://youtu.be/pfddokBJhoQ
*** A celebration of John Russell‘s life (John died in January of 2021) on Mopomoso tv - included Douglas Benford’s tribute at around 1hr 50mins in - https://youtu.be/D7E71YLI7X4
*** Douglas Benford is mentioned a couple of times in a new book, ‘Pianos, Toys, Music And Noise - Conversations With Steve Beresford’ by Andy Hamilton, with an introduction by Stewart Lee...a great read! A cheaper paperback is in the pipeline apparently... - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/pianos-toys-music-and-noise-9781501366451/
*** As well as being mentioning Douglas Benford releases in his mailing list news, in July 2020 Stewart Lee reviewed the Adam Bohman / Douglas Benford bandcamp in his Idler magazine music column - https://www.idler.co.uk/article/stewart-lees-music-column/
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RECENT RELEASES (see Bandcamp link at top of page for full available catalogue):
*** ‘Small Print Dramas’ - an album by Iris Colomb, Tom Ward & Douglas Benford
*** ‘Copia’ - an album by People Like Us in collaboration w. Douglas Benford (on melodica), Matmos, Ergo Phizmiz, John Leidecker & many others
*** ‘Melting Frames’ - an album by Ross Lambert, Yoni Silver, Julie Pickard & Douglas Benford
*** ‘Dents’ - a solo album of sonic vignettes by Douglas Benford
*** ‘Glancing Blows’ - an album by a quartet of Cath Roberts, Dominic Lash, Sylvia Hallett & Douglas Benford - (Aired on BBC Radio 3’s Freeness! - see above…)
*** ‘Put Your Dreams On Hold’ - an album by a quartet of Mandhira De Saram, Hannah Marshall, John Edwards & Douglas Benford
*** ‘Cascade Study Team’ - an album by a quartet of Emily Shapiro, Clive Bell, N.O. Moore & Douglas Benford
*** ‘0 To 60 In 3 Moves’ - a Bandcamp album documenting Douglas Benford’s 60th birthday event at Cafe Oto in 2021, with Adam Bohman, Steve Beresford, Angharad Davies, Emily Shapiro, Alan Wilkinson, Marjolaine Charbain and Mark Wastell - https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/album/0-to-60-in-3-moves-from-cafe-oto
*** ‘Infected Ink’ - A limited edition numbered CDr and Bandcamp album of pieces played by Douglas Benford to graphic scores by Calum Storrie, as featured on the soundtrack to the upcoming documentary on Calum (see news item) - https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/album/infectious-ink
*** The Lonely Impulse Collective celebrate a whole year of day-only releases with an album compilation a contribution from Douglas Benford - https://lonelyimpulsecollective.bandcamp.com/album/one-lonely-year
*** ‘Horse Box 2’ is a compilation - with an all-star amount contributors - featuring a beginning track by Douglas Benford & Clive Bell - CD & bandcamp - https://shrikerecords.bandcamp.com/album/horse-box-2
*** Charlotte Keeffe’s CD album and download, ‘Right Here Right Now’ includes music played by the London Improvisers Orchestra, conducted by Charlotte, with Douglas Benford amongst the players - https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/right-here-right-now-107cd-2021 (see also: https://discus-music.co.uk/catalogue/dis107-detail)
*** An album ‘Distinctions’ - CD and bandcamp - of a live composed improvised piece created by Dominic Lash, recorded at Cafe Oto, featuring a large ensemble including Douglas Benford, Steve Beresford, Marjolaine Charbin, Chris Cundy, Angharad Davies, Phil Durrant, Dominic Lash, Hannah Marshall, Yoni Silver, Alex Ward and many more. https://dominiclash.bandcamp.com/album/distinctions
*** Two London Improvisers Orchestra projects, composed by Caroline Kraabel & Robert Nettleship, have been released on Bandcamp, with Douglas Benford on melodica and breathing - https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/boele & https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/lio-breathing-2021
*** ‘Imaginary Friends’ is a new piece by members of the London Improvisers Orchestra, from a score by David Ryan, including Douglas Benford on harmonium - https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/imaginary-friends
*** A CD album & bandcamp release, ‘Fantastic Paradise Landscapes’, by the quartet of Emily Shapiro, Keisuke Matsui, Graham MacKeachan & Douglas Benford, with proceeds going to support the Hundred Years Gallery - https://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/fantastic-paradise-landscapes
*** A project by Peter Nagle with a couple of contributions by Douglas Benford - in different permutations with various artists - on four bandcamp releases - https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-1, https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-2, https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-3 and https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-4
*** The Confront Recordings album, ‘For Now’ by Douglas Benford, is now available on bandcamp: https://confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/for-now
*** Four pieces released by the London Improvisers Orchestra for August, with Douglas Benford on harmonium & melodica:
- [1] - ‘Traces Of Bicarbonate’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/traces-of-bicarbonate
- [2] - ‘Winter Pass For Cello And Orchestra’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/winter-pass-for-cello-and-orchestra
- [3] - ‘Dedicated To Steve Beresford’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/dedicated-to-steve-beresford
- [4] - ‘Birthday Piece’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/birthday-piece
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project 'Bubbles’ features two collaboration pieces by Stephen Barrett with Douglas Benford. http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/bubbles
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project ‘Chain Reactions’, with melodica piece contribution from Douglas Benford. Complete album: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/chain-reactions. Douglas Benford alongside Emily Shapiro, Martin Vishnick and Caroline Kraabel: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/kraabel-benford-vishnick-shapiro
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project 'Sustaining The Music' piece with harmonium contribution and arrangement from Douglas Benford. Complete Album: http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/sustaining-the-music. Arrangement by Douglas Benford, 'Lullaby': http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/lullaby
*** London Improvisers Orchestra piece ['conducted' by Caroline Kraabel] with melodica contribution from Douglas Benford. 'We Stay Apart Because We Love Each Other. Love is Stronger than Greed'. http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/we-stay-apart-because-we-love-each-other-love-is-stronger-than-greed
*** Solo piece on Hundred Years Gallery benefit album: ‘In The Chinks Of The World Machine’. http://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-chinks-of-the-world-machine
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ALSO CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:
*** Please visit the official Douglas Benford Bandcamp page: https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/music. Releases include duo projects with Angharad Davies, Clive Bell, Matt Atkins, Lina Lapelyte & others, plus a quartet with John Edwards/Jennifer Allum/Mandhira De Saram, and also archived electronica/field recording releases etc
*** Douglas Benford - ‘For Now’ on Confront Recordings, CD. http://www.confrontrecordings.com/douglas-benford-for-now
*** London Improvisers Orchestra: ‘Twenty Years On’, Double CD . Douglas Benford on glockenspiel & harmonium alongside musicians such as Julie Kjaer, Alison Blunt, Yoni Silver, Steve Beresford, Terry Day, Crystabel Riley, Klaus Bru, Sylvia Hallet, Alan Tomlinson, Charlotte Hug and many others. http://www.londonimprovisersorchestra.co.uk/newreleases.html
*** Exclusive track on a Hundred Years Gallery fundraiser compilation alongside John Butcher, Matt Atkins, Phil Durrant, Phil Julien, Martin Hackett and Phil Maguire. http://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/doors-into-ocean
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+ MISC / INTERVIEWS:
* Douglas Benford interview and performance on the Sound Out programme with Carole Finer [RIP] on Resonance FM, February 2020. Audio: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/sound-out-11th-february-2020/
* Douglas Benford solo performance and interview for Unpredictable live streaming project no 2. at Raven Row gallery, Spitalfields, London, UK. Live broadcast archived on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZttuYWHGMoE. (Other info: http://www.unpredictable.info/project/unpredictable-radio/)
* Douglas Benford interviewed on the Improvisor podcast at the Horse Festival at Iklectik, alongside Dave Petts, John Butcher, Mark Sanders and others, February 2018. https://soundcloud.com/the-improvisor/podcast-the-iklectik-horse-festival-2018 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/improvisor/id1046446958?mt=2
* THE SEEN recording release. Stewart Lee, Mark Wastell, Douglas Benford, Jennifer Allum, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler, Phil Durrant, Phil Julian, Dominic Lash and Graham McKeachan. https://trestlerec.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-band-session-12 Featured on The Wire magazine’s Below The Radar 27 download compilation, track 9: https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/btr/below-the-radar-27. Edit on vinyl version available at: http://www.trestlerec.com/#
* Douglas Benford interviewed and performing on the Ambrosia Rasputin Show on Resonance FM, January 2018. Audio: https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-28th-january-2018/
* Live quartet album with Sylvia Hallett, Mark Browne and James Malone: https://crushtime.bandcamp.com/album/the-voluptuousness-of-hearing
* Live duo track with David W. Stockard on the Horse Improvisation Club compilation album: https://iklectik.bandcamp.com/album/horse-box-vol-1
* Live solo track on Whitstable Biennale compilation album: https://divacontemporary.bandcamp.com/album/whitstable-2016-live-on-the-beach-v-2
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RECENT WORK LIST: http://dbenfordworks.tumblr.com/
SOUND GALLERY: http://douglassoundgallery.tumblr.com
BIOGRAPHY: ‘As a composer and sound artist, I have been involved in various audio genres since the late 1980s, performing at many institutions/venues in the UK (Bristol’s Arnolfini, London’s Science Museum, Cafe Oto, Tate Modern, The Roundhouse, ICA and Glasgow’s CCA), festivals worldwide (Mutek, Synch, Transmediale) and had installation work in numerous UK galleries (Inc. London, Swansea, Gloucestershire and Essex). After numerous electronica releases in my ‘si-cut.db’ guise, in the past decade I have focused on acoustic improvisation and installations, using field recordings, classical instruments, vocals and children’s toys. As well as playing with the London Improvisers Orchestra and Confront Recordings / Mark Wastell’s The Seen collective, my regular collaborators include Dominic Lash, Blanca Regina, poet Tamar Yoseloff, Angharad Davies, Matt Atkins, Lina Lapelyte, Steve Beresford, Adam Bohman, Clive Bell, John Edwards, Jennifer Allum, Alan Wilkinson, Sue Lynch, sculptor Rob Olins, as well as - in the past - pop group Saint Etienne, Jem Finer (The Pogues), Rod Thomas (Bright Light Bright Light), Scanner, Stephan Mathieu and Andrew Weatherall. I was also co-curator with Iris Garrelfs of Sprawl audio events in London from 1996 to 2012.’
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THE SOCIAL MEDIAS & OTHER LINKS:
* Soundcloud collection: http://soundcloud.com/douglasbenfordlive/sets/works-by-me
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglasbenford
* Sound gallery: http://douglassoundgallery.tumblr.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_d_benford/
* Kitchen Reflections project: http://kitchenreflections.tumblr.com/
* Facebook official page: https://www.facebook.com/Benford.official
* Sprawl archive site: https://web.archive.org/web/20200326224018/http://www.sprawl.org.uk/
* [2004-2007] official archive site: https://web.archive.org/web/20071016184317/http://www.douglasbenford.co.uk/
* Now defunct Wikipedia page: https://web.archive.org/web/20210530123605/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Benford
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DISCOGRAPHIES: **** MOST OF THESE RELEASES ARE AVAILABLE FROM ME FOR PURCHASE; WRITE WITH YOUR REQUIREMENTS, EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE.
* Discog Discography: http://www.discogs.com/artist/115028-Douglas-Benford
* Original archived discography by Eric Frans: https://web.archive.org/web/20071114062937/http://home.earthlink.net/~efrans/benford/
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INSTALLATION WORK WITH SCULPTOR ROB OLINS - PHOTO ALBUMS:
* Wales, Swansea, Mission Gallery, 2012: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCfaxQo
* Gloucestershire, Stroud, Brunel Goods Shed, (plus performance with Matt Davis), 2012: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCPr8q2
* Essex, Jaywick Martello Tower, 2013: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjF8M75U
* London, Brentford, Watermans Art Centre, 2013: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjLhujhi
* Birmingham, Repertory Theatre, 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk2R33HJ
* London, Euston, Crypt Gallery (plus performances with Clive Bell, Poulomi Desai & Steve Beresford), 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4243ax
* London, Bethnal Green, St John’s Church, 2015: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5Qsood
* London, Iklectik Art Lab, (plus performances with Sue Lynch, Manuela Barczewski, Tim Parkinson & Steve Beresford), 2015: https://flic.kr/s/aHskkDjD19. See also http://kitchenreflections.tumblr.com/]
* London, National Trust’s Osterley Park, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskB3xiWq
* Gloucestershire, Forest Of Dean, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEv5Fx6
* London, Lambeth, Iklectik Art Lab garden, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEKqYVi
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2017: https://flic.kr/s/aHskU6Xe8M
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2018: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyKck6F
* London, Soho, The Chapel, House Of St Barnabas, 2018: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmpZNvvC
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2019: https://tinyurl.com/Badsciencefiction1
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MISCELLANEOUS:
* AV Festival Boredcast 2012, audio stream: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/45719
* Brentford Recycling Action Group [Treasurer: Douglas Benford]: http://bragonline.org.uk/