Bob Ostertag & Phil Minton

29 June,  Gromka Club

In conjunction with the Defonija Festival, half an hour after midnight the last concert of the evening started at the Gromka Klub: a unique association between the socially engaged American electronica artist Bob Ostertag and eccentric English vocalist Phil Minton.

They performed two compositions, where Minton improvised with a considerably wide diapason of vocal abilities, while Ostertag processed his music simultaneously or with delay on his self-developed software program. Thus, the sonic textures spanned between Xenakisian slowly modulated soundscapes to jocular sounds, similar to the ones often generated by Raymond Scott. The musicians often improvised without accompaniment, and their improvisations differed somewhat; Minton had some “themes”, which he addressed repeatedly, while Ostertag disfigured the sounds differently and also made use of other sonic materials.

The opening concert was variegated and promising. The audiences were thrilled and contented – all concerts included an encore –, genuinely enthusiastic about the superbly rendered performances.

                                                                                        Andraž Jež