Quite excited to be a part of this It involves a switch to purely Oak branches and it’s totally off-grid so something of a challenge. We’ll see if it all works out and an update will surely arrive here…

A shameful lack of bloggery going on here but here’s a story worth telling.

For Coastal Currents 2018 i was approached by artist Becky Beasley to add some music to a project that involved Wow & Flutter record shop

In years gone by the shop had served as HQ of the suffragettes and an unusual outlet for ornamental seaweed. I had just completed a watery music project concerning Romney Marsh, which Becky felt the sound was ‘seaweedy’ enough to use on her ambitious take-away object; a 12” vinyl record with an information booklet about the previous lives of the shop.

I made a 2o minute mix condensed from Sewer Songs which i also performed* in the shop for the exhibition opening.

You can buy a copy directly from Becky Beasley here www.beckybeasley.com

* laptop and live ephemera

Concept and production by Yumino Seki

Initially presented over two nights at St Mary in the Castle, Hastings in 2014, where the evenings were split into three performances with the various sketches alrernately rearranged into sets of 3. The dancers performed in semi darkness using neon lights and a specially built raised platform. I composed some new pieces for it, edited the soundtrack and controlled the live sound during the shows.

The follow up in 2015 used some of the existing scenes and added some more. Performances were changed to a single programme format and run at Rye College, Stade open space (Coastal currents 2015, Hastings) and Leeds Light night 2015.

September 2013 at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery as part of the Coastal Currents festival

“Conceived and performed by Yumino Seki, Aisa Boaa and Mai Nguyen Tri.  Lighting Jim Roseveare, Soundscape Nick Weekes and Costume Anoushka Athique.
HYAKKI YAKOU is a site-specific Butoh dance performance.  The piece was inspired by  the Durbar Hall at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery.

Hyakki Yakou literally translates to a night walk of a hundred demons. In 17th century Japan objects were believed to be given lives after nearly serving 100 years and the demons were the spirits of deserted objects.”

A perfect opportunity for sampling and wild dance focussed music which was a joy to work on. I mostly confined myself to my partner’s flat as a sound source but also miked up the wooden staircase in the Durbar hall during the performance.

I took some recordings of the rehearsals in the hall as well and a few during a normal day with people wandering around, school visits and so on. One important sample was an old recording of a clockwork musical box/bird that rang out “born free” over and over. I used some of the notes and rearranged them into a tune that runs through the piece.