We are proud to announce a nationwide tour for New York psychonaut, Zaïmph.
Wed 14 Nov – Auckland – Audio Foundation with Rachel Shearer and Rosy Parlane
Fri 16 Nov – Palmerston North – Snails – with DSLB and Distance
Sat 17 Nov – Wellington – the Pyramid Club – with Thomas Arbor and Ludus
Fri 23 Nov – Christchurch – Dark Room – with Teen Haters and Scythes
Sat 24 Nov – Dunedin – Blue Oyster Art Project Space – with Ye and Gate
Wed 28 Nov – Auckland – The Wine Cellar – with Psychick Witch and Astrolabe
Zaïmph is the solo project of artist, musician and performer Marcia Bassett. Zaïmph’s recordings and performances shimmer with a dense, dissonant and often unsettling electronic aura, shot through with flashes of meditative beauty. Her preferred sonic toolkit includes prepared guitar, keyboard, cracked drum machines, custom-built noise/drone boxes, processed environmental sounds and tabletop effects.
As a co-founder of Philadelphia’s shambolic psychonauts un, tectonic drone pioneers Double Leopards, and the psych-folk drone trio GHQ, Bassett is deeply entwined with the American noise underground, and has mapped regions still only dimly understood by subsequent sonic travellers. From 2003-2008, Bassett joined Matthew Bower in Hototogisu, where her mastery of cacophonous eardrum shred achieved monolithic proportions.
Bassett’s releases have appeared on a variety of independent labels including Hospital Productions, Utech Records, Volcanic Tongue and No Fun. Although Bassett has released a number of recordings on her now retired Heavy Blossom imprint, she continues to showcase Zaïmph and other aesthetically allied projects on Yew, a label she founded in 2012.
“It would be tough to write a history of the last two decades in underground music without including Marcia Bassett … and any angle would have to include Zaïmph, Bassett’s solo project. Through small-run releases on numerous labels including her own, Heavy Blossom), Zaïmph has carved out a unique take on decaying feedback, assaultive fuzz, echoey ambience, and abstract expression.” – Marc Masters, Pitchfork, The Out Door
“…blasting a hole through the flimsy wall that separates ‘dark psychedelic’ and ‘free drone-rock’.” – Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic
Altmusic is presented by the Audio Foundation and showcases leading international voices of experimental music alongside emerging and established sound artists of Aotearoa.
The Audio Foundation and Altmusic are grateful for the support of Creative NZ, Foundation North and Auckland Council.