Joshue Ott

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Artist Statement

New York-based visualist Joshue Ott creates cinematic visual improvisations, performed live and projected in large scale. Working from hand-drawn forms manipulated in real-time with superDraw, a software instrument of his own design, Ott composes evolving images that reside somewhere between minimalism, psychedelia, and Cagean chance, delivered with an inescapably human touch. Supple yet digital, ephemeral but instantly memorable, Ott renders sound into vision, yielding an immersive multi-sensory experience that is at once immediate and synergistic, a unique visual narrative born in the moment.

Performing with musicians from all genres between classical and avant-electronica, Ott's visuals have been featured at Unsound festival NY, Mutek, Communikey, the Plateaux festival in Poland, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Yuri's Night Bay Area, Le Cube (Paris), the Playgrounds Audiovisual Art Festival (Netherlands), Boston Cyberarts, and the 2006 Ars Electronica Animation Festival. He has performed with the American Composer's Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; with Son Lux at MASS MoCA; with Gina Gibney Dance at the Baryshnikov Arts Center; and frequently at venues throughout New York City, including Le Poisson Rouge, Roulette, the Knitting Factory, and the Stone.

David Last

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Artist Statement

Bio

David Last is a musician and visual artist living in Brooklyn New York. His tracks range from electronic dance music to cinematic orchestral ambience depending on the setting. This is not surprising, as he has been creating music for a variety of venues; the dancefloor, Imax film, video installation, childrens’ animation, and albums. As a result of a broad curiosity about creative music, each project is considered anew as its own sonic world. There are common features between these worlds, however. Even in quieter pieces a deep sense of rhythm is usually present. Many of his tracks combine dancefloor energy with the deeper-leaning funk of dancehall, dub, latin music and hip hop. All this stuff is probably present in one way or another in his tracks, but it still doesn’t sound like a dry exercise in hybrid style. It’s his own recognizable sound, the result of a natural progression of musical interests.

A new CD release with genius ragga bad-man ZULU was released on Staubgold (Berlin) in spring of 2009, to critical acclaim. David also collaborates with Japanese tech-house producer Segeke on a project called Pocket Pet. Pocket Pet has already hit dancefloors hard with EPs on Goosehound (NYC) and Geometric Deck (Osaka).

David's tracks are currently released in a variety of contexts with labels like Staubgold (Berlin), Goosehound (NYC), and Unfoundsound (Philly). He has remixed for many others including François K’s WaveTec label (NYC), indie psych-rock label The Social Registry (NYC) and Audio.NL (Rotterdam). His downtempo full-length CD "The Push Pull" is now in its second printing with The Agriculture label, having gained respect from tough critics like pitchforkmedia, and generating a sizable cult following. International projects further afield of dance music have included the performance of a commissioned soundtrack for a cavern in Japan, the soundtrack to a computer animated Imax film about talking atoms, and a video/music installation in Amsterdam.

He can sometimes be found playing drums and computer with live instrumental dub groups “Solids” and “Dub-Amp,” a way of bringing his sounds across with the energy of a rock show.

Besides music releases, he creates visual artwork with odd abstract cartoon characters. His artwork has appeared on packaging for music and in animated tv-show intros for MTV-Japan. His handmade books have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum and bought by MOMA. In his spare time he creates a limited edition series of illustrated sneakers and other artworks.

Arnold Steiner

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Artist Statement

Set in a future world, Modern Romance is a meditation on humanity quest for perfection. This post apocalyptic vision show an extreme time where people have sacrificed their humanity in the ultimate quest for freedom from death. The blissful robots dancing celebrate the end of the human spirit and the biological world. Both seductive and repulsive, this image toys with our false hopes a technologically better future.

Bio

Arnold Steiner is an artist living and working in Miami, FL. His work is a complex collision of the technological and natural worlds. As a designer, Surface magazine rated him one of the 10 most important of his generation. He has designed award winning record covers for Tipper, Venetian Snares, Otto Von Schirach, A Guy Called Gerald, Phoenecia and hundreds of others. His photo realistic renderings of surreal landscapes on countless club flyers, posters and tee-shirts have has influenced designers worldwide. He has just released two new compilation fine art books with a third on the way. As a musician, he runs his own record label, Transient Force and releases music under the name AS1.