CONTACT OR TO JOIN OCCASIONAL MAILING LIST: douglas.benford@gmail.com
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UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS - if no link shown please check venue websites or myself directly for event confirmations
*** 27th April 2024. Douglas Benford, Tom Ward & Iris Colomb (trio). 6.30pm. £5. BRAK, Water Into Beer, Unit 2 Mantle Court, 209-211 Mantle Road, Brockley, London, SE4 2EW, UK
*** 5th May 2024. Douglas Benford performing with the London Improvisers Orchestra. 8pm. £10/£5. St Marys New Church, Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, London, UK
*** 12th May 2024. Douglas Benford, Iris Colomb, Tom Mills, Alan Newcombe. 3.30pm. £10/£8. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK
*** 8th June 2024. Douglas Benford’s Birthday Event! Douglas Benford, Catherine Pluygers, Sue Lynch, Benedict Taylor. 3.30pm. £10/£8. Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London, UK
*** 7th October 2024. Douglas Benford, Alex Ward, Pascal Marzan (trio). 8pm. £10/£8. Boat-Ting, Theatre Ship, South Quay, Canary Wharf, London, UK
*** Other upcoming dates in 2024 w. artists tbc: July 14th (Hundred Years gallery). Plus September 29th w. Chris Hill & others: The Tin Tabernacle, Kilburn, London, UK
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OTHER NEWS ITEMS
*** In March 2024 the BBC Radio 3 Freeness radio show aired an excerpt of ‘Glancing Blows’ from the Bandcamp album by Douglas Benford, Cath Roberts, Sylvia Hallett and Dominic Lash.
*** A documentary film on artist Calum Storrie has been released, featuring co-compositions and performances by Douglas Benford. Available for rental/streaming here. This film has also been screened at Tokyo International film festival 2024.
*** In 2023 & 2024 The Ambrosia Rasputin radio show on Resonance FM has had several different programmes with pieces involving Douglas Benford aired, see http://dbenfordworks.tumblr.com/. This year, 2024, the Ambrosia show aired a piece from ‘Glancing Blows’ - by Cath Roberts, Sylvia Hallett, Dominic Lash & Douglas, see https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-11-feb-2024/ . Last December two additional releases were played. Firstly, a performance by Maggie Nicols, Isidora Edwards, Alex Paxton, Hyelim Kim and Douglas, see https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-3-december-2023/, and then also a piece by Mandhira De Sara, John Edwards, Hannah Marshall and Douglas from their bandcamp album, see https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-17-dec-2023-1/.
*** There’s a lengthy review of three releases (‘Plays LemonMelons’, ‘Taking A Quiet Road’ and a Lonely Impulse Collective piece) by Douglas Benford in the March 2023 issue of the Wire magazine, print edition, by Brian Morton. “Benford quite deliberately never goes anywhere…quietly rapt….comfortably absorbed and absorbing”
*** A solo piece, ‘Zither Memory’, by Douglas Benford is broadcast on Bristol based 1020 internet radio station on the show 81 Discovery Avenue (link above)
*** The Seen release w. Stewart Lee, Douglas Benford, Jennifer Allum, Mark Wastell, Dominic Lash, Phil Durrant, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler and Graham McKeachan broadcast on Dirk Serries’ Netherlands 27 Oct 2022 Portmento radio show
*** An excerpt of Douglas Benford with Alan Wilkinson & Emily Shapiro from the ‘0 to 60’ release/event (see Bandcamp below) was played on Ambrosia Rasputin show (Resonance FM) recently (19 mins in), with the Adam Bohman intro - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-12-june-2022/
*** Two duos by Douglas Benford with Meg Morley, also one with Sylvia Hallett, filmed at Mopomoso earlier this year are now online - https://youtube.com/user/mopomoso
*** Two Douglas Benford pieces have been broadcast on the Ambrosia Rasputin radio show on Resonance FM - one from ‘Infectious Ink’ (w. Calum Storrie) and the other from ‘Ourselves One Day’ by Douglas Benford, Rachel Musson, Lia Mazzari and Ed Lucas (both from releases below) - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-1-may-2022/
*** The Ambrosia Rasputin radio programme on Resonance Fm recently aired a piece by Douglas Benford & Rachel Musson, from the bandcamp album ‘Occasional Duos’ (see release below) - hear it here: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-6-february-2022/
*** The Lonely Impulse Collective celebrate one year of releases with an album by them all, ‘One Lonely Year’, including this piece by Douglas Benford - https://lonelyimpulsecollective.bandcamp.com/track/annual-scenes. This piece was also aired on Resonance FM’s Ambrosia Rasputin programme - https://href.li/?https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-23-january-2022/ - and also on French radio - https://www.radiopanik.org/emissions/indiedrome/indiedrome-du-8-2-2022/
*** A new playlist by Douglas Benford has been published on the Wire magazine website: https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/tracks/wire-playlist-douglas-benford
*** Broadcast of July’s London Improvisers Orchestra concert on the Ambrosia Rasputin programme on Resonance FM including candid conversation and introductions by Douglas Benford (who also performed) - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/12pm-ambrosia-130pm/
*** The Seen ‘For Sake Of Joy’ CD & bandcamp w. Douglas Benford, Mark Wastell, Stewart Lee, Dominic Lash, Phil Durrant, Jennifer Allum, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler and Graham McKeachan is now out - https://confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/for-sake-of-joy-of-study-of-oneself-together
*** Douglas Benford performed with the London Improvisers Orchestra at the iklectik art space in south London on May 2nd 2021. This event was streamed only - https://youtu.be/pfddokBJhoQ
*** Two pieces by a quartet and a London Improvisers Orchestra project both with contributions by Douglas Benford were featured on a recent Ambrosia Rasputin radio show on Resonance FM - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-28-march-2021/
*** A celebration of John Russell‘s life (John died in January of 2021) on Mopomoso tv - included Douglas Benford’s tribute at around 1hr 50mins in - https://youtu.be/D7E71YLI7X4
*** Douglas Benford is mentioned a couple of times in a new book, ‘Pianos, Toys, Music And Noise - Conversations With Steve Beresford’ by Andy Hamilton, with an introduction by Stewart Lee...a great read! A cheaper paperback is in the pipeline apparently... - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/pianos-toys-music-and-noise-9781501366451/
*** An interview with Ashley Wales on the Ambrosia Rasputin radio show on Resonance FM, included a piece by the LIO that Ashley conducted at the Oto October 2019 (Douglas Benford on glockenspiel) - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-21-february-2021/
*** Two recordings by the trio of Sue Lynch, Olivia Moore and Douglas Benford were featured on the final Ambrosia Rasputin radio show of 2020 on Resonance FM (at 40mins and 65mins) - https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-12-december-2020/
*** As well as being mentioning Douglas Benford releases in his mailing list news, in July 2020 Stewart Lee reviewed the Adam Bohman / Douglas Benford bandcamp in his Idler magazine music column - https://www.idler.co.uk/article/stewart-lees-music-column/
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RECENT RELEASES (see Bandcamp link at top of page for full available catalogue):
*** ‘Dents’ - a solo album of sonic vignettes by Douglas Benford
*** ‘Glancing Blows’ - an album by a quartet of Cath Roberts, Dominic Lash, Sylvia Hallett & Douglas Benford - (Aired on BBC Radio 3’s Freeness! - see above…)
*** ‘Put Your Dreams On Hold’ - an album by a quartet of Mandhira De Saram, Hannah Marshall, John Edwards & Douglas Benford
*** ‘Cascade Study Team’ - an album by a quartet of Emily Shapiro, Clive Bell, N.O. Moore & Douglas Benford
*** ‘Plays LemonMelons’ - an album of improvisations from graphics scores by Douglas Benford, Steve Beresford, Blanca Regina & Manuela Barczewski -
*** ‘Taking A Quiet Road’ - an album by Adrian Northover, Douglas Benford & Isidora Edwards -
*** ‘0 To 60 In 3 Moves’ - a Bandcamp album documenting Douglas Benford’s 60th birthday event at Cafe Oto in 2021, with Adam Bohman, Steve Beresford, Angharad Davies, Emily Shapiro, Alan Wilkinson, Marjolaine Charbain and Mark Wastell - https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/album/0-to-60-in-3-moves-from-cafe-oto
*** ‘Infected Ink’ - A limited edition numbered CDr and Bandcamp album of pieces played by Douglas Benford to graphic scores by Calum Storrie, as featured on the soundtrack to the upcoming documentary on Calum (see news item) - https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/album/infectious-ink
*** The Lonely Impulse Collective celebrate a whole year of day-only releases with an album compilation a contribution from Douglas Benford - https://lonelyimpulsecollective.bandcamp.com/album/one-lonely-year
*** ‘Horse Box 2’ is a recent compilation - with an all-star amount contributors - featuring a beginning track by Douglas Benford & Clive Bell - CD & bandcamp - https://shrikerecords.bandcamp.com/album/horse-box-2
*** Charlotte Keeffe’s new CD album and download, ‘Right Here Right Now’ includes music played by the London Improvisers Orchestra, conducted by Charlotte, with Douglas Benford amongst the players - https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/right-here-right-now-107cd-2021 (see also: https://discus-music.co.uk/catalogue/dis107-detail)
*** An album ‘Distinctions’ - CD and bandcamp - of a live composed improvised piece created by Dominic Lash, recorded at Cafe Oto, featuring a large ensemble including Douglas Benford, Steve Beresford, Marjolaine Charbin, Chris Cundy, Angharad Davies, Phil Durrant, Dominic Lash, Hannah Marshall, Yoni Silver, Alex Ward and many more. https://dominiclash.bandcamp.com/album/distinctions
*** Two London Improvisers Orchestra projects, composed by Caroline Kraabel & Robert Nettleship, have been released on Bandcamp, with Douglas Benford on melodica and breathing - https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/boele & https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/lio-breathing-2021
*** ‘Imaginary Friends’ is a new piece by members of the London Improvisers Orchestra, from a score by David Ryan, including Douglas Benford on harmonium - https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/imaginary-friends
*** A CD album & bandcamp release, ‘Fantastic Paradise Landscapes’, by the quartet of Emily Shapiro, Keisuke Matsui, Graham MacKeachan & Douglas Benford, with proceeds going to support the Hundred Years Gallery - https://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/fantastic-paradise-landscapes
*** A project by Peter Nagle with a couple of contributions by Douglas Benford - in different permutations with various artists - on four bandcamp releases - https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-1, https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-2, https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-3 and https://peternagle.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-4
*** The Confront Recordings album, ‘For Now’ by Douglas Benford, is now available on bandcamp: https://confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/for-now
*** Four pieces released by the London Improvisers Orchestra for August, with Douglas Benford on harmonium & melodica:
- [1] - ‘Traces Of Bicarbonate’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/traces-of-bicarbonate
- [2] - ‘Winter Pass For Cello And Orchestra’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/winter-pass-for-cello-and-orchestra
- [3] - ‘Dedicated To Steve Beresford’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/dedicated-to-steve-beresford
- [4] - ‘Birthday Piece’: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/birthday-piece
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project 'Bubbles’ features two collaboration pieces by Stephen Barrett with Douglas Benford. http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/bubbles
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project ‘Chain Reactions’, with melodica piece contribution from Douglas Benford. Complete album: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/chain-reactions. Douglas Benford alongside Emily Shapiro, Martin Vishnick and Caroline Kraabel: https://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/kraabel-benford-vishnick-shapiro
*** London Improvisers Orchestra project 'Sustaining The Music' piece with harmonium contribution and arrangement from Douglas Benford. Complete Album: http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/sustaining-the-music. Arrangement by Douglas Benford, 'Lullaby': http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/lullaby
*** London Improvisers Orchestra piece ['conducted' by Caroline Kraabel] with melodica contribution from Douglas Benford. 'We Stay Apart Because We Love Each Other. Love is Stronger than Greed'. http://londonimprovisersorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/we-stay-apart-because-we-love-each-other-love-is-stronger-than-greed
*** Solo piece on Hundred Years Gallery benefit album: ‘In The Chinks Of The World Machine’. http://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-chinks-of-the-world-machine
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ALSO CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:
*** Please visit the official Douglas Benford Bandcamp page: https://dbenford.bandcamp.com/music. Releases include duo projects with Angharad Davies, Clive Bell, Matt Atkins, Lina Lapelyte & others, plus a quartet with John Edwards/Jennifer Allum/Mandhira De Saram, and also archived electronica/field recording releases etc
*** Douglas Benford - ‘For Now’ on Confront Recordings, CD. http://www.confrontrecordings.com/douglas-benford-for-now
*** London Improvisers Orchestra: ‘Twenty Years On’, Double CD . Douglas Benford on glockenspiel & harmonium alongside musicians such as Julie Kjaer, Alison Blunt, Yoni Silver, Steve Beresford, Terry Day, Crystabel Riley, Klaus Bru, Sylvia Hallet, Alan Tomlinson, Charlotte Hug and many others. http://www.londonimprovisersorchestra.co.uk/newreleases.html
*** Exclusive track on a Hundred Years Gallery fundraiser compilation alongside John Butcher, Matt Atkins, Phil Durrant, Phil Julien, Martin Hackett and Phil Maguire. http://hundredyearsgallery.bandcamp.com/album/doors-into-ocean
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+ MISC / INTERVIEWS:
* Douglas Benford interview and performance on the Sound Out programme with Carole Finer [RIP] on Resonance FM, February 2020. Audio: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/sound-out-11th-february-2020/
* Douglas Benford solo performance and interview for Unpredictable live streaming project no 2. at Raven Row gallery, Spitalfields, London, UK. Live broadcast archived on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZttuYWHGMoE. (Other info: http://www.unpredictable.info/project/unpredictable-radio/)
* Douglas Benford interviewed on the Improvisor podcast at the Horse Festival at Iklectik, alongside Dave Petts, John Butcher, Mark Sanders and others, February 2018. https://soundcloud.com/the-improvisor/podcast-the-iklectik-horse-festival-2018 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/improvisor/id1046446958?mt=2
* THE SEEN recording release. Stewart Lee, Mark Wastell, Douglas Benford, Jennifer Allum, Harry Broadbent, Bertrand Denzler, Phil Durrant, Phil Julian, Dominic Lash and Graham McKeachan. https://trestlerec.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-band-session-12 Featured on The Wire magazine’s Below The Radar 27 download compilation, track 9: https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/btr/below-the-radar-27. Edit on vinyl version available at: http://www.trestlerec.com/#
* Douglas Benford interviewed and performing on the Ambrosia Rasputin Show on Resonance FM, January 2018. Audio: https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/the-ambrosia-rasputin-show-28th-january-2018/
* Live quartet album with Sylvia Hallett, Mark Browne and James Malone: https://crushtime.bandcamp.com/album/the-voluptuousness-of-hearing
* Live duo track with David W. Stockard on the Horse Improvisation Club compilation album: https://iklectik.bandcamp.com/album/horse-box-vol-1
* Live solo track on Whitstable Biennale compilation album: https://divacontemporary.bandcamp.com/album/whitstable-2016-live-on-the-beach-v-2
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RECENT WORK LIST: http://dbenfordworks.tumblr.com/
SOUND GALLERY: http://douglassoundgallery.tumblr.com
BIOGRAPHY: ‘As a composer and sound artist, I have been involved in various audio genres since the late 1980s, performing at many institutions/venues in the UK (Bristol’s Arnolfini, London’s Science Museum, Cafe Oto, Tate Modern, The Roundhouse, ICA and Glasgow’s CCA), festivals worldwide (Mutek, Synch, Transmediale) and had installation work in numerous UK galleries (Inc. London, Swansea, Gloucestershire and Essex). After numerous electronica releases in my ‘si-cut.db’ guise, in the past decade I have focused on acoustic improvisation and installations, using field recordings, classical instruments, vocals and children’s toys. As well as playing with the London Improvisers Orchestra and Confront Recordings / Mark Wastell’s The Seen collective, my regular collaborators include Dominic Lash, Blanca Regina, poet Tamar Yoseloff, Angharad Davies, Matt Atkins, Lina Lapelyte, Steve Beresford, Adam Bohman, Clive Bell, John Edwards, Jennifer Allum, Alan Wilkinson, Sue Lynch, sculptor Rob Olins, as well as - in the past - pop group Saint Etienne, Jem Finer (The Pogues), Rod Thomas (Bright Light Bright Light), Scanner, Stephan Mathieu and Andrew Weatherall. I was also co-curator with Iris Garrelfs of Sprawl audio events in London from 1996 to 2012.’
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THE SOCIAL MEDIAS & OTHER LINKS:
* Soundcloud collection: http://soundcloud.com/douglasbenfordlive/sets/works-by-me
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglasbenford
* Sound gallery: http://douglassoundgallery.tumblr.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_d_benford/
* Kitchen Reflections project: http://kitchenreflections.tumblr.com/
* Facebook official page: https://www.facebook.com/Benford.official
* Sprawl archive site: https://web.archive.org/web/20200326224018/http://www.sprawl.org.uk/
* [2004-2007] official archive site: https://web.archive.org/web/20071016184317/http://www.douglasbenford.co.uk/
* Now defunct Wikipedia page: https://web.archive.org/web/20210530123605/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Benford
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DISCOGRAPHIES: **** MOST OF THESE RELEASES ARE AVAILABLE FROM ME FOR PURCHASE; WRITE WITH YOUR REQUIREMENTS, EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE.
* Discog Discography: http://www.discogs.com/artist/115028-Douglas-Benford
* Original archived discography by Eric Frans: https://web.archive.org/web/20071114062937/http://home.earthlink.net/~efrans/benford/
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INSTALLATION WORK WITH SCULPTOR ROB OLINS - PHOTO ALBUMS:
* Wales, Swansea, Mission Gallery, 2012: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCfaxQo
* Gloucestershire, Stroud, Brunel Goods Shed, (plus performance with Matt Davis), 2012: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCPr8q2
* Essex, Jaywick Martello Tower, 2013: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjF8M75U
* London, Brentford, Watermans Art Centre, 2013: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjLhujhi
* Birmingham, Repertory Theatre, 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk2R33HJ
* London, Euston, Crypt Gallery (plus performances with Clive Bell, Poulomi Desai & Steve Beresford), 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4243ax
* London, Bethnal Green, St John’s Church, 2015: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5Qsood
* London, Iklectik Art Lab, (plus performances with Sue Lynch, Manuela Barczewski, Tim Parkinson & Steve Beresford), 2015: https://flic.kr/s/aHskkDjD19. See also http://kitchenreflections.tumblr.com/]
* London, National Trust’s Osterley Park, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskB3xiWq
* Gloucestershire, Forest Of Dean, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEv5Fx6
* London, Lambeth, Iklectik Art Lab garden, 2016: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEKqYVi
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2017: https://flic.kr/s/aHskU6Xe8M
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2018: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyKck6F
* London, Soho, The Chapel, House Of St Barnabas, 2018: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmpZNvvC
* London, Bermondsey, Lumen group show, Ugly Duck space, 2019: https://tinyurl.com/Badsciencefiction1
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MISCELLANEOUS:
* AV Festival Boredcast 2012, audio stream: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/45719
* Brentford Recycling Action Group [Treasurer: Douglas Benford]: http://bragonline.org.uk/