Transgressive Records are proud to announce Berlin's instrumental collective s t a r g a z e have signed to the label, anointing their partnership with the stunning EP Deerhoof Chamber Variations.
Deerhoof Chamber Variations is devised as a continuous piece of instrumental music, based on 9 1/2 songs which drummer and composer Greg Saunier originally wrote for his acclaimed band Deerhoof.
About
Different from most other band and orchestra/classical collaborations Greg himself arranged and recomposed the material for a classical chamber ensemble, using exactly the same notes as in the originals while rearranging the songs structurally, in a kind of miniaturizing and abstracting way.
s t a r g a z e, recently featured on boiler room tv as a ‘renegade new classical ensemble’, was founded by the highly regarded conductor André de Ridder, who was introduced to Transgressive through his acclaimed work on the Africa Express “In C Mali” record – a different approach to Terry Riley’s minimal music classic ‘In C’, which s t a r g a z e was invited to perform with Riley himself at Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw concert hall in April 2015.
In February 2014, ‘s t a r g a z e presents’ was launched at the Volksbühne Berlin, a three day long-weekender reflecting the collective’s approach and featuring concerts and exclusive collaborations with My Brightest Diamond, Pekka Kuusisto, Holy Other, Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, Mouse On Mars and Tyondai Braxton.
In Summer 2014, s t a r g a z e teamed up with Arcade Fire member Richard Reed Parry, performing his composition Music for Heart and Breath, and initiated and performed new collaborations with The Dodos as well as Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü). They have worked with Julia Holter, presenting an exclusive orchestral concert of her songs at the Barbican Centre London. Other highlights include appearances at the Holland Festival, the Kilkenny Arts Festival and residencies at the Dutch Into The Great Wide Open and German Haldern Pop festivals.
