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Home , Dan Deacon, House band, Jill Scott, Questlove, Scratch (musician), The Roots

Questlove’s Electronium: The Future Was Then at BAM, Oct 25 & 26 An homage to pioneers of

Electronium: The Future Was Then Ahmir “” Thompson Produced by BAM

Featured artists: Dan Deacon, How To Dress Well, Jeremy Ellis- Live Drum Machine, Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, Sonnymoon

American Express is the BAM 2013 Next Wave Festival sponsor

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Oct 25 & 26 at 8pm Tickets: $25, 35, 45 (weekday); $25, 40, 55 (weekend)

Brooklyn, NY/Sep 16, 2013—Following the success of Shuffle Culture (2012 Spring Season), BAM welcomes back Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson with Electronium: The Future Was Then, a freely-associative and impressionistic musical homage to pioneers in the electronic music scene between 1948 and 1979. Questlove will be joined on stage by artists including Dan Deacon, How To Dress Well, Jeremy Ellis, Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, and Sonnymoon. In Electronium, seminal electronic and archival recordings will be paired with modern riffs on classic electronic music models such as Busoni’s New Esthetic in Music and Pierre Schaffer’s Cinq Etudes—in addition to music from technological innovators such as Bob Moog, , and George Clinton.

The production’s title references the first electronic created exclusively for the composition and performance of music. Initially created for by - technologist Raymond Scott, the electronium was designed but never released for distribution; the one remaining machine is undergoing restoration. Complemented by interactive lighting and aural mash-ups, the music of Electronium: The Future Was Then honors the legacy of the electronium in a production that celebrates both digital and live music interplay.

As the son of doo-wop star Lee Andrews (of Lee Andrews & the Hearts), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson was exposed to music at an early age. He was performing on drums by the age of seven, and by 13 had become a musical director. His parents then enrolled him at the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where he was exposed to a wide range of music and other performing arts. In 1987 Questlove co- founded with high school classmate Tariq Trotter and has been with the group ever since. It is now the for with . Questlove has also maintained an active career in music outside of his work with The Roots. He has produced artists such as , D’Angelo, , , and Jay-Z, and more recently, , , and . He has played drums on albums by , , and , to name a few, and was one of a handful of musicians picked to back Hank Williams Jr. on a new version of “All My Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” for the season premiere of .

The list of Questlove’s side projects is equally impressive. In 2001 he helped create the Philadelphia Experiment, a collaborative instrumental trio with bassist Christian McBride and avant-garde jazz pianist . In 2011 he partnered with Parisian star Keren Ann to present Philly-Paris Lockdown, a one-night celebration of 1900s Paris that took place at the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. In 2012 Questlove conceived and curated Shuffle Culture, a multi-artist, BAM-produced concert engagement exploring technology’s role in our relationship with modern music. In addition to the list of awards and nominations he has received as a member of The Roots, Thompson was named Best Scribe in Esquire magazine’s 2006 Esky Music Awards, was ranked 2nd in ’s list of “50 Top Tweeters in Music,” and placed 8th in a Rolling Stone reader’s poll for “Best Drummers of All Time.” Time magazine listed his among the Best Twitter Feeds of 2013

For a decade, -based composer Dan Deacon has been a fixture in the American underground music scene. Through relentless touring, Deacon built himself a devoted grassroots following. His breakthrough 2007 album Spiderman of the Rings brought critical acclaim and exposed his work to an international audience. Since then, Deacon has begun expanding his output beyond indie/underground circles and has begun to emerge in the contemporary classical scene.

In addition to Deacon’s solo work and composing for his own ensemble, he has worked on several acclaimed collaborations with So Percussion, including a 2012 performance at Zankel Hall, which Alex Ross of The New Yorker declared “one of the more entertaining and fulfilling evenings I’ve had in recent years.” Deacon has also worked with the , Now Ensemble, and the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony as well as composing for the score for ’s film Twixt. Deacon has performed his work at several leading music and art venues, including ’s Barbican Centre, , the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian. His latest album America was released on Domino Records in August of 2012.

Research fellow Tom Krell makes ghostly, lo-fi R&B under the moniker How to Dress Well, a name he stumbled upon and adopted as his own in a Minneapolis bookstore in 2004. As a boy, Krell loved late-‘80s and early-‘90s R&B artists including Keith Sweat and Ready for the World, and since he was a late bloomer, he could sing along to songs by female vocalists well into his teens. However, in high school he played in various metal and hardcore bands, then switched to making drone-based music in his 20s. Krell made live as How to Dress Well by looping layers of his voice while he was living in , but it was when he moved to Cologne, Germany and collaborated with the likeminded artist cokc dokc that he began recording under that name. Krell blended his childhood love of R&B with the abstract noise of Black Dice, filtering it all through lo-fi recording techniques. He released the first How to Dress Well EP, The Eternal Love, in October 2009 as a free download via his blog, and more EPs followed at the rate of about one per month through April 2010. Krell signed to Lefse Records, which released his first official single, “Ready for the World,” in July 2010 and How to Dress Well's debut album, Love Remains, that October. Two years later, Krell returned with Total Loss, a more straightforward and cleanly recorded set of songs inspired by trying to be positive in the face of adversity.

Jeremy Ellis pioneers an emerging style of music performance on drum machines with the finesse of a classical pianist and the of a Motown child. Since 1999, this acclaimed figurehead in new music has performed in dozens of countries, in part thanks to sponsorships with innovative companies like Propellerhead and Native Instruments.

Events for MTV , an invite from JJ Abrams to play on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, Google Zeitgeist, and sharing the BAM stage with Questlove highlight his career. Ellis expands his genre as the foremost teacher in his field providing clinics at venues such as Full Sail University, the Atlanta Institute of Music, Rockhal, and even a TED talk. Along with live clinics, Jeremy shares lessons on the JeremyEllisMusic Youtube channel and released a unique, full-length tutorial on MacProVideo.com. Currently working on a studio album, he looks forward to seeing his son crawl, and to joining Questlove again this fall before touring Japan.

Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr is a leader in the rapidly growing contemporary music scene. His passion for creating new opportunities and platforms for outstanding young and performing artists to make new music led him to found Metropolis Ensemble in 2006. A multifaceted musician, Cyr has led performances with a number of internationally known musical artists who defy classification, including Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Dan Deacon, , and Babx. Recent engagements include his debut with the Colorado Symphony in 2013, his off-Broadway debut at New Victory Theatre conducting a new opera by David Bruce, and his debut at Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall as part of Philadelphia’s International Festival of the Arts. Cyr’s latest studio album with Metropolis was released in July on Nonesuch Records, featuring the music of Timo Andres. A native of Fort Kent, ME, Cyr holds music degrees from Bates College, the French National Conservatory, and Westminster Choir College.

Metropolis Ensemble is a New York–based chamber orchestra dedicated to making in its most contemporary forms. Founded in 2006 by Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr, Metropolis Ensemble has commissioned 90 works of music from a dynamic mix of emerging composers. Metropolis Ensemble has been presented by , BAM, Celebrate Brooklyn!, (le) Poisson Rouge, Carnegie’s Weill Music Institute, New Victory Theater (in collaboration with ROH II and The Opera Group), Wordless Music, and in broadcasts on NPR and NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

In 2013, Metropolis Ensemble’s recording of Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto (Kristin Lee, solo violin) was awarded Canada’s prestigious Juno Award for Best Classical Composition. The Ensemble’s debut album, featuring the music of Avner Dorman, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010. Metropolis Ensemble is equally dedicated to fostering music creativity in its local school communities through its education program Youth Works.

Sonnymoon is the brainchild of musicians Dane Orr (NY) Anna Wise (CA) and Joe Welch (VA). Their dynamic journey through an experimental approach to pop music began in 2009 when front woman Anna Wise and producer Dane Orr began making music together after meeting in Boston. Though they caught the interest of listeners with soothing covers of and Beyoncé, the group presents a wide array of sounds. From synthesized textures and samples to hard-hitting drum grooves, Sonnymoon often explores odd meters and unusual musical states, with Wise's vocals guiding the trip. Sonnymoon has released two albums: Golden Age, Sonnymoon and an EP, 2012. They have shared the stage with The Roots, Shabazz Palaces, Flying Lotus, Teebs, Shigeto, and Gonjasufi. Anna also appears on ’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. Sonnymoon is currently located in San Francisco, working on their third LP.

For press information contact Sandy Sawotka, [email protected], 718.636.4190

Credits

American Express is the BAM 2013 Next Wave Festival sponsor

Viacom is the BAM 2013 Music Sponsor Commission support for Electronium provided by The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation.

BAM 2013 Next Wave Festival supporters: Brooklyn Community Foundation; Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; Con Edison; The Irene Diamond Fund; The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation; Leon Levy Foundation; McKinsey & Company, Inc.; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Stavros Niarchos Foundation; The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; The SHS Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Skirball Foundation; Time Warner Inc.; ; and The Winston Foundation, Inc.

Stevia In The Raw and Monk Fruit In The Raw is the Official Zero Calorie Sweetener of the Next Wave Festival. Pepsi is the official beverage of BAM. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM.

Your tax dollars make BAM programs possible through funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Finance Committee Chair Domenic M. Recchia Jr., Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council, and Councilwoman Letitia James; and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

BAM would like to thank the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly, Joseph R. Lentol, Delegation Leader; and New York Senate, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Delegation Leader.

General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 6pm.

Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal – Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM

For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

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