Modulisme, So. 27.2., 20-22h

Modulisme Session 023 und 024: André Stordeur und Francisco Meirino

Belgian composer André Stordeur (1941-2020) started drumming Hard Bop in the late 1950s, while working for Pan American World Airwaves and thus travelling the world and being exposed to many cultures, most notably at Village Vanguard New York. He then learnt Tablas/Sitar in India, percussions in Thailand and moved on playing vibraphone, métallophone and Contemporary Music.

In 1973 he joined the avantgarde music ensemble Studio voor Experimentele Muziek, founded in Antwerp by Joris De Laet. S.E.M.’s composers included: Dirk Veulemans, Paul Adriaenssens, Karel Goeyvaerts, Lucien Goethals and Serge Verstockt. In parallel, Stordeur founded his own Studio Synthèse in 1973 in Brussels, where he was teaching and experimenting, mostly on a Synthi AKS.
In 1979, he collaborated with Paul-Baudouin Michel on an electroacoustic music composition titled “Phraséologie”, recorded at the Institut voor Psychoacustica en Elektronische Muziek studio – I.P.E.M., which had been the Ghent University electronic music studio since 1962. The same year, he published the solo record “18 Days” featuring compositions using an EMS AKS and a modified 8 voice patchable Oberheim SEM1 system.
In the early 80s he started using a Serge synthesizer prototype, which was especially built for him by Serge Tcherepnin. From 1981 on he was the Serge company consultant for Europe.

He studied at IRCAM in 1981 and then flew to the US to study with Morton Subotnick. Stordeur was an influential sound synthesis teacher and, in 1997, completed his “Art of Analog Modular Synthesis by Voltage Control : a Guide to everything modular”.
In 2015, the label Sub Rosa reissued a triple CD collection of his early works : “Complete Analog And Digital Electronic Works 1978-2000”.
Our session was kindly assembled by Michael Stordeur, son of the composer. We are PROUD to offer two powerful live pieces from 40 years ago, as well as a composition for Tablas & Electronics + a little lullaby to pack it up.

Francisco Meirino lives in Switzerland and has been doing music since 1994, using the pseudonym Phroq for his harsh noise project until 2009. He works with Eurorack modular synthesizer, computer, reel-to-reel tape recorders, magnetic field detectors, piezo transducers, field recorders, and various home-made electronics.

He has performed more than 200 solo shows in various venues and Festivals in Europe, Japan, and North Americaa; released mainly solo works but over the years had the honor to collaborate with great artists such as Leif Elggren, Dave Phillips, Michael Gendreau etc.

Since 2009 he has been using his real name, and his music changed to become less harsh noise but still pretty intense. He also writes music for contemporary music ensembles and contemporary dance and is mainly published by labels such as Misanthropic Agenda, Flag Days and Firework Editions.