In brief
01.03.2024

»I lærte os at knalde, men ikke at græde«

Matias Vestergård: »Hyper Switch Ultra Faggot«
© PR
© PR

De hurtige kan lige nå at fange den dirrende queerforestilling Hyper Switch Ultra Faggot, der når til Aveny-T i næste uge. De langsomme må nøjes med de ni sange, som Matias Vestergård har skrevet til det monologiske skuespil: De er nemlig ude nu som et svirpende, rørende og, ja, sjovt minialbum med Det Unge Vokalensemble. Begge dele kan i høj grad anbefales. 

»You taught us to fuck before you taught us to cry,« lyder anklagen mod den ældre generation af bøsser i første sang, »A Gay Manifesto«. Stolt barbershop og satirisk-sårbar minimalisme mødes med stor virkning i et univers, der også præger resten af værket: blokharmonier, der kommunikerer klart, men med ét kan skifte ansigt. Temperamenterne flyver nænsomt mellem falsetfarvet, nøgtern sorg og euforisk varme. Vældig stærkt.

Albummets styrke er det helt transparente, men enormt veloplagte håndværk – og den indlevende levering, dirigeret af Poul Emborg. Der er drillesyg staccato og nøgne stødlyde: »k!«, »pf!« og »ts!«, der skaber et herligt stiliseret orgie af hudkollision. Men der er også sakrale, rustikke nynnekor, tætvævede harmoniseringer og kæk synkopering: »When we cough it smells like dick!«

Mørket er hele tiden til stede som en latent melankoli, men bryder også ud i et homofobisk hooligankor, som – det er altså genialt – selvfølgelig bliver til et »Seven Nation Army«-mashup. Fulgt, åh, af den yndigste pastiche over romantisk kor med gribende opbygning af harmonisk spænding og den blideste landing til sidst. Værsgo: en lektion i at græde.

© Hreinn Gudlaugsson

»Music for me is like a sourdough. If you don't feed it right it is going to die. If you feed it correctly a lot of people can benefit from it.« 

Halym Kim is a drummer, composer and project coordinator based in Copenhagen. His music is mainly based in free improvisation and experimental music but performs also as a traditional Korean percussionist. He has a Master and an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance from RMC in Copenhagen. Together with Nana Pi he organizes Impro Camp which is a music camp for free and structured improvised music that is happening every year in Fredericia, Denmark.

© DMF

»Music for me is a tool of infinite expression. It’s where I’ve had the most complex conversations and open-minded experiences. It is the highest form of energy I know.«

Nana Pi is a saxophonist, composer and conductor working within the experimental music scene. She has developed a unique musical vocabulary on the saxophone by incorporating objects and extended techniques, pushing the boundaries of sonic expression. Beyond her work as a saxophonist, she is known for conducting improvisation using her music sign language, Extemporize, for which she received the P8 Jazz Award Årets Ildsjæl in 2020. She is a member of the well established record label Barefoot Records. In addition to her musical career, Nana Pi is organizing events such as Impro Camp and FredagsJAM that focuses on creating networks and inspiring music environments between musicians.

© PR

»For me, music is an emotional refuge. When I sit at the piano I feel safe, it's where I can release everything I carry inside. It's not about performing, it's about being honest, vulnerable and free.«

Samanta Yubero, known artistically as Samyula, is a composer, pianist, and neuroscientist based in Barcelona. Trained as a classical pianist and holding a PhD in her scientific field, Samyula bridges the worlds of art and science in her work. Her music – often within neoclassicism – blends both serene and intense piano melodies with vivid, dynamic string arrangements, creating emotionally resonant and immersive soundscapes. With a deep passion for both composition and performance, Samyula offers audiences a uniquely powerful and moving experience.

© PR

»Music is the ultimate gateway to presence, a true expression of the moment.«

Praised by DownBeat Magazine as one of Europe’s most versatile and inquisitive musicians, Polish-born, Scandinavian-based trumpeter and composer Tomasz Dąbrowski creates music that whispers before it screams – blending open, lyrical melodies with raw, unconventional trumpet sounds. Dąbrowski has revealed an unceasing curiosity, stretching and expanding his jazz roots in an ever-widening circle of exploration. From the beginning he’s rejected hierarchies, preferring to see creative music as a boundless practice that can accommodate ideas drawn from every spot on the stylistic map. While plenty of musicians pivot toward new directions, sometimes transforming their aesthetic wholesale, Dąbrowski has long revealed a more ruminative and holistic mindset that has allowed him to retain a clear artistic identity through countless projects, whether driven by improvisation or composition. 

© Malthe Ivarsson

»Music is where my heart is. The place where I feel the most freedom and possibility to express myself. It's also the place I seek to when I need to calm down.«

Anna Roemer is a Danish guitarist and composer from South Zealand, now based in Copenhagen. She has performed with artists like Hannah Schneider, Jacob Bellens, and Guldimund. Together with saxophonist Cecilie Strange, she forms the acclaimed duo K A L E II D O, known for music that constantly evolves. The duo has received national and international praise and won the Carl Prize for »Jazz Composer of the Year« for their albums Elements and Places (2024).