Summerhall August Festival 2013

Cut Hands, the African-Haitian inspired project of noise icon William Bennett, a percussive and hypnotic combination of polyrhythms created to induce trance like states. Founded in 2007, initially to experiment further with his obscure collection of Ghanaian percussion instruments in free-form work-outs alongside other types of (genuine) sound experimenting. Cut Hands has been touring extensively over the last few years in support of two highly acclaimed albums ‘Afro-Noise 1’ and ‘Black Mamba’, whipping audiences into frenzies around the globe with his dynamic audio visual performances. Support will come from Glasgow based synth and rhythm wizard, Stefan Blomeier.

A stunning collaboration between musician Louise Quinn, Grid Iron Theatre’s Ben Harrison & film maker Uisdean Murray in response to Pippa Bailey’s shared story. Join Thyme on her journey through the fame factory as she pursues success in the music industry. The first ever use of silent disco technology in a gig format with story told through feature-film-quality visuals & a giant rabbit for a truly immersive audience experience.

Blood Stereo’s Dylan Nyoukis and Karen Constance have been stalwarts of the UK’s underground circuit for years, running the infamous Chocolate Monk Label since 1994 from their initial headquarters in West Lothian, before venturing southwards to Brighton. As part of this tripled headliner will be Pengo’s freakish psych and outsider fuzz by way of Rochester, New York – along with the spit and sputter stylings of Edinburgh’s Usurper. Expect an evening of sound poetry, avant weirdness and improvised electronics from three of the most undefinable and ‘out there’ acts - along with their mystical tour compere, The Infinite Gaaah!

Bold, abrasive, sensual, ritualistic. Saint Seven, played in the round by The One Ensemble, is a dramatic hybrid of voices and instruments that seamlessly interweaves elements of experimental, folk and classical chamber music. Challenging conventional approaches to performance, this epic acoustic quartet is shot through with a rare theatricality.

Returning for their third year, Ron Butlin (Edinburgh’s Makar / Poet Laureate) with acclaimed musicians Dick Lee and Anne Evans have updated their 5***** show with generous helpings of Edinburgh Science. This unique and very off-beat celebration of Edinburgh is witty, satirical and highly entertaining – guaranteed!

Over 30 musicians from Europe's wildest corners meet in an epic night of music and dance! After successive sold out shows in 2013, this celebration of Italian and Mediterranean music presents its unmissable festival edition. Edinburgh's own Italian collective The Badwills will play host with their hypnotic mix of tarantella, pizzica and tammurriata. With support from Pellizco Flamenco, bringing you right to the doorstep of Southern Spain, and Belgium's Les Taupes qui Boivent du Lait with their furious Klezmer and eastern mediterranean brass beats.

Join us for a showcase in the best of local Scottish talent! Be prepared for show stopping live performances from all age groups and special guests appearance’s including BBC Radio 1 DJ Fred MacAulay. The evening includes a combination of spoken word, singing, rap, breakdancing, beat-boxing, live music and spectacular surprises, hosted by BAFTA Nominated NorthernXposure’s SweeTs. The official ‘Youth on The Fringe’ is an exciting opportunity to experience Scottish twenty-first century performance art, that is sure to leave you wanting more.

The joy of sound is how it connects us all, like an invisible thread. It’s there in the involuntary toe-tapping to a piece of music in a café, the calming rhythm of waves at the ocean’s edge, the electrical hum of the city embracing us. Sound is almost inescapable. It chats with us even when we don’t feel like a conversation. Sound can be as rewarding as it is stressful, and as joyful as it is painful. It can enhance or ruin your day, so balance is essential. Scanner will talk about retuning your ears, influencing your space, challenging your minds, and playfully engaging with the world around you.

A reconnaissance mission into the no man’s land where death borders with storytelling. From Presbyterian silence to the colour of the Día de Muertos, Story’s End surveys the gamut of death, and the tales we tell about it. Live music, film and spoken word brought together by folk noir pioneers The Dead Man’s Waltz, alongside a host of award-winning collaborators.

A new commission by the hugely influential American avant-garde composer/produce Jim O’Rourke for the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO), uniquely designed around the ensemble and incorporating improvised music, theatrical surprises and film in collaboration with video artists Too Many VJs. A recent broadcast prompted BBC’s Jazz on 3 to credit GIO as ‘one the best large improvising ensembles in the world’. This new piece contains the passion, surprises, thrills, discipline and life-affirming spontaneity that are hallmarks of GIO’s approach.

Following performances in Bangkok, Scotland and Strasbourg, the Scottish Saxophone Ensemble give another exciting and lively performance combining jazz, folk and classical music. Expect anything from Phillip Glass and Chick Corea to Will Gregory of Goldfrapp. Led by Sue McKenzie (Delphian Records/Salsa Celtica) they will be joined by a rhythm section Including special guest pianist Ingrid Sawers (‘like Schumann on acid!’ Scotland on Sunday), playing music by British jazz composer Dave Stapleton and Japanese classical and film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Last Emporer).

World premiere: a conversation between Samuel Beckett and John Cage over a game of chess, by Victoria Miguel. While drinking, smoking and discussing friends and ideas—punctuated by the narrator’s clumsy interpretations—they play the game of chess described in Beckett’s novel Murphy, providing the structure for the first performances of a new digital version of Cage’s composition Reunion, commissioned for this production by The John Cage Trust. Asking, and answering, the narrator’s question: could the game from Murphy be used as the structure for a performance of Reunion?

Watch it, hear it, read it, stream it. Do it all at once. We’re all plugged in and wired up to the news and its ticker-tape is ticking all day and all night. But is all this news good for us? Hailing from Reykjavik, Iceland, VaVaVoom takes its audience into an inventive and original world of puppets, pop-up sets, live soundscapes and evocative video landscapes. This multimedia devised performance is a journey into our intimate surreality that asks us: when does information become too much information? Music by acclaimed Icelandic artist, Soley.

Pumajaw are chanteuse extraordinaire Pinkie Maclure and musician/sound designer John Wills. Using guitar, concertina, autoharp and cutting-edge technology, this retro-futuristic new show blends classic songs from cult movies - including Night of the Hunter, Kiss Me Deadly and Twin Peaks - with the duo's own sensuous originals and darkly bewitching 'film noir' visuals.

Where exactly is the heart of the piano? Part piano recital, part fantasy lecture, pianist and entertainer Will Pickvance presents the physical, emotional and spiritual anatomy of the piano, with stories about, songs around, the playing on and the dissection of, a piano.

Edinburgh's own übertrio s i n k curate a showcase of their recent work. Who knows what will happen?

The world premier of 'Moko and Loupe', a masterful comic short film by Adrian Hornsby, with a score devised and performed live? for sure.

'Dissection Bar', a tune conceived during an improvised performance in Summerhall two summers ago, featuring the infamous Tim Lane on tuned percussion? - quite probably.

Physical and acoustic entanglement in collaboration with inspired dance artist Emma Snellgrove? - yup.

Lyrical, visceral, ecstatic sound like you've never heard before, weaved together by an accordion, sax and violin? Turn up to find out.

Come in. Settle down. Close your eyes and listen. Are there bees living in your ears? Has the sea stopped crying? Is the house sighing? Let the music caress you (inside a 40’ shipping container).

Combining music and mechanical choreography to spectacular effect, Ecstatic Arc is seductive in its raw beauty. The theatrical installation is based on a dystopian future of masks and sculptures, created using found objects, recording devices and a caged Tesla coil. Ecstatic Arc was commissioned by Cryptic for Sonica 2012 and sold out.

Sonica: sonic art for the visually minded is a programme of events that presents emerging British talent alongside exceptional international artists.

Part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2013

Let Edinburgh’s favourite All-star Big Band take you on a magical mystery cruise, sailing every festival Friday. Channelling the spirit of legendary Fringe institutions like the Bongo Club Cabaret and La Clique, these multi-dimensional voyages of delight will feature aerialists from All or Nothing, with their cutting-edge fusion of circus, ariel theatre and dance , The Miss.Fit Sisters,splicing spectacular aerial antics with sassy retro style, PLUS DJs, swing dancers and a myriad of festive surprises. Prompt embarkation is recommended for the show’s alfresco overture, welcoming you aboard in suitably deluxe style for a truly resplendent night’s revels.

With VERY special guest stars -
Fri 2nd – Electro Bevvy & The Dolphin Boys | Fri 9th – Fionna Duncan | Fri 16th – Flap! | Fri 23rd – Mr McFalls Chamber

A transcription of Krzysztof Penderecki’s compositions performed by An On Bast (live electronics) and Maciej Fortuna (trumpet, live electronics) is a fresh and daring take on musical motifs. The duo is accompanied by VJ Pillow’s visuals inspired by images from the films for which Penderecki composed, creating a unique multi-media experience.

Michael Begg's electronic erosions occupy liminal spaces - thoughts and signals, tender and unresolved, caught at the point of transition.

The Pocket of Resistance is a construct of John Berger's which informed Begg's 2012 album, Dirt On Earth, and this rare solo outing for Begg forms a suitably skewed contribution to Summerhall's celebration of this extraordinary man.

Presented by the Polish Cultural Institute and Summerhall.

GrownUps with Mel & Sue

Resident DJs Kinghorror and The Spotlight Kid are back in black (and Hawaiian shirts) to spin all your favourite vintage vinyl along with special guest DJs – The Great British Bake Off presenters and all-round TV/radio celebs Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins!

Join them for a festival frenzy of fun where they'll be serving up a fine selection of musical sweetmeats including disco, soul, hip hop, indie, R'n'B, ska, 60s pop, New Wave, electro, alt classics and everything in between.

Diving- a world première of cinematic movements for violin by Gavin Evans, performed by virtuoso violinist Richard Moore.

Impulse, pain and loss are exposed with the precision of the surgeon’s scalpel on the 6th and 7th August in Summerhall's Dissection Room. Diving is an explosively beautiful work composed of 9 cinematic movements for violin by uncompromising photographer and film-maker Gavin Evans. A searing shaft of light illuminates the darkest recesses of the human condition as emotion pours onto the frame in slow motion. In a display of unnerving intimacy. Diving explores, reveals and shares suppressed experiences. Every performance is a unique, emotional journey as virtuoso violinist Richard Moore improvises and gives voice to Evans's extraordinary subjects. Diving demands the audience to take a deep breath and look deep within.