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Dear Experimental Intermedia community,
*SAVE THE DAT(S) !*
On this Giving Tuesday we reach out to you with a fundraising appeal *specifically for help with the preservation of the portion of the Experimental Intermedia archive consisting of some 400 DATs, recorded between1986 and 2009, which could completely deteriorate if nothing is done soon.*
EIF is around the corner from getting through its first full year of activities post-Phill Niblock, not without many difficulties, under the curation of new Artistic Director Katherine Liberovskaya and the help of a number of invaluable assistants. While we are looking ahead and contemplating various approaches to continue, and perhaps modify, EIF's programs into the future, we also face the important challenge of finding a worthy home for the extensive EIF archive.
Experimental Intermedia Foundation, founded in 1968 by Elaine Summers, has been presenting performances as of 1973. Since that time, Phill Niblock has produced and curated over 1500 concerts at his NYC loft, opening his doors to hundreds of composers, providing them with a place to explore the use of new ideas and technologies in their music. His original plan had been to choose 20 composers whose work interested him and then present them every year, giving an audience a chance to observe how their careers evolved over time. But each year the numbers grew and soon Experimental Intermedia was producing 35 to 50 concerts a year.
What has made the Experimental Intermedia series different from other concert series is that each evening was typically focused on only one artist's music, as opposed to a musician or ensemble playing the works of many different composers.
Archiving these concerts has been a primary concern for Experimental Intermedia, and each concert since 1978 has been recorded on audio and, as of the 1980s, video. The goal was, on the one hand, to provide the performing artists with high quality recordings of their work, on the other to constitute a physical historical record of work presented at EIF that could eventually find a home in an institution that would make the material available to the general public and for archival research. From 1973 through the late 80s the recordings were analog, and after that, in digital formats. From the late 80s to the mid 2000s the audio format EIF used was DATs.
Since 2017-18 there has been quite a bit of interest in EIF's archive from different institutions, even one informal agreement for it to be taken leading us to believe that it would be off our hands by 2020. But then the pandemic halted everything... to not ever come back to how anything was pre-Covid. And thus, here we are 8 years later with no concrete developments with any previous interested parties, no confirmation for the archive going anywhere... A stand-still.
And the problem is that the entire audio archive from the late 80's to 2008-09 is all on DAT. Some 400 DATs. (See below the impressive list of all artists presented by EIF between 1986 and 2009, most recorded on DAT, except for screenings or other non-music). And DAT tapes are notoriously unstable. They degrade over time. That means you can't rely on them as a long-term preservation tool. In fact, DAT tapes can degrade completely in just 20 years. When you bear in mind that the earliest DAT tapes date back to 1986. And recordings made at that time are now nearly 40 years old. So, they may already have begun to deteriorate. Digitizing them as quickly as possible is vital and urgent to prevent their contents from being lost forever.
Now EIF has been given a very generous estimate for their transfer to digital from a local sound engineer (who was one of Phill’s favorites), and we would like to move forward on this process as soon as possible.
To this end we are hoping to raise $8,000.00 to cover the cost of this process.
But whatever we can raise we will use to start the process of transferring little by little, and seek more funds to continue later.
So, if you were inspired, challenged or moved by Experimental Intermedia Foundation's programming over the past 50 odd years, or if you performed yourself, or have come to see friends perform, or to see any of your experimental music heroes... we hope you will consider supporting this fundraising effort. Your fully tax-deductible donation of any amount can be crucial for SAVING THE DAT(S) or at least some of the DATs !
Donations can be made through the "Donate" button on the landing page of our website:
https://experimentalintermedia.org (PayPal) or by sending a check by mail.
In gratitude, The Elaine Summers Experimental Intermedia Foundation 224 Centre Street, #3W New York, NY, 10013
*EI NYC ARTISTS 1986-2009*
*- 1986 / 1987:* Bonnie Barnett, David Behrman and Angela Greene, Gregg Bendian, Robert Black, David Borden, Warren Burt, Edmond Chibeau, Marek Choloniewski, Tony Conrad, Hawley Currens, Stuart Dempster, Nick Didkovsky and Yves Duboin, Phil Edelstein, James Emery, Ensemble Antidogma, Angelika Festa, Fast Forward, Russell Frehling, James Fulkerson, Ellen Fullman, Michael Gordon, Shelley Hirsch, Earl Howard, The Hub (John Bischoff, Chris Brown, Scott Gresham-Lancaster, Tim Perkis, Phil Stone, Mark Trayle), Julius, Jin Hi Kim, Takehisa Kosugi, Larry Kucharz, Ron Kuivila, Richard Lainhart, Mary Jane Leach, Jackson MacLow and Anne Tardos, Denman Maroney, Ben Neill, Phill Niblock, Michael Peppe, Tom Plsek, Godfried-Willem Raes and Moniek Darge, Peter Rose, Mary Ross, Jeffrey Schanzer and Bernadette Speach, Stefano Scodanibbio, James Sellars and Finn Byrhard, Dan Senn, James Staley, Ushio Torikai, Livio Tragtenberg, and Peter Zummo
*- 1987 / 1988:* K Atchley, David Behrman, Samm Bennett and Takashi Kazamaki, Marion Brandis, Joseph Celli and Jin Hi Kim, Rhys Chatham, Anthony Coleman, Gyula Csapo, Lesli Dalaba, Robert Dick and Steve Gorn, Mark Dresser, Phil Edelstein, David First, David Fulton, Barbara Golden, Malcolm Goldstein, Daniel Goode, Tom Guralnick, Gerry Hemmingway, Ed Herrmann and Bob Beswick, Bill Horvitz, John Bischoff, Kumiko Kimoto, John King and Ed Hynes, Guy Klucevsek, Petr Kotik, Richard Lerman, Robert Mandel, Pierre Marietan, Don Metz and John Toth, Phill Niblock, Morgan O'Hara, Joseph Pinzarrone, Larry Polansky, Ronald Robboy, Herb Robertson, Ned Rothenberg, Norman Salant and Benjamin Bossi, Myrna Schloss, Armand Schwerner and Ellen Zweig, Elliot Sharp, Alan Sondheim, Susan Stenger, Yasunao Tone, Peter Zummo and Stephani Woodward
*- 1988 / 1989:* David Behrman, Warren Burt, Joseph Celli, Joel Chadabe, Rhys Chatham, Phil Corner, John Driscoll, David Gibson, Jon Gibson, Malcolm Goldstein and Simone Forti, Daniel Goode, William Hellerman, Larry Johnson, Guy Klucevsek, Alison Knowles, Takehisa Kosugi, Petr Kotik, Mary Jane Leach, Garrett List, Annea Lockwood, Jackson MacLow and Anne Tardos, Linda Montano, Phill Niblock and Muna Tseng, Wil Offermans and Junko Ueda, Joseph Pinzarrone, Eliane Radigue, Godfried-Willem Raes and Moniek Darge, Don Ritter and George Lewis, Ned Rothenberg, Arthur Russell, Tibor Szemszõ and Peter Forgacs, Lois V Vierk, and Yoshi Wada
*- 1989 / 1990:* David Behrman, Robert Black and Richard Zvonar, Andreas Bosshard and Christian Buess, Joseph Celli, Nicolas Collins and Peter Cusak, Andrew Culver, James Dashow, Laetitia De Compiegne Sonami and Paul DeMarinis, David First, David Gearey, Tom Hamilton, The Hub ( John Bischoff, Chris Brown, Scott Gresham-Lancaster, Tim Perkis, Phil Stone, Mark Trayle) Jin Hi Kim, Larry Kucharz, Ron Kuivila, Bun Ching Lam, Mary Jane Leach, Denman Maroney, Benoit Maubry, Dary John Mizelle, Charlie Morrow, David Myers, Ben Neill, Phill Niblock, Morgan O'Hara, Larry Polansky, Godfried-Willem Raes and Moniek Darge, Don Ritter and George Lewis, Joel Ryan, Jeffrey Schanzer and Bernadette Speach, Stefano Scodannibio, David Shea, James Staley, Emile Tobenfeld, David Weinstein, Reynold Weidenaar
*- 1990 / 1991:* Mary Ellen Childs, Nicolas Collins, Roberto Paci Dalo and Isabella Bordoni, Nick Didkovsky, Russell Frehling, James Fulkerson, Tom Hamilton, Sorrel Hays, Eleanor Hovda, Earl Howard, Brenda Hutchinson, Kumiko Kimoto and Yuval Gabay, Richard Lerman, Bea Licata, Gustavo Matamoros, Diana Meckley, Gen Ken Montgomery, Ben Neill, Phill Niblock, J D Parran, Douglas Quinn, Eliane Radigue, Neil Rolnick, Arthur Russell, Jeffrey Schanzer, Michael Schell, Yasunao Tone and Barbara Held, Livio Tragtenberg, David Watson
*- 1991 / 1992:* Alex Adriaansens and Joke Brouwers, Clarence Barlow, Wolfgang Becker-Carsten, Jens Brand and Andreas Sippel, Joseph Celli, Abigail Child and Ikue Mori with 77 HZ, Philip Corner, Dan Farkas and Matthew Ostrowski, David First, Steven Hall and Johnny Fu, Haruo Higuma, Ulrich Krieger, Mary Jane Leach, Jackson Mac Low and Anne Tardos, Phill Niblock, Larry Polansky, PoMo CoMo, Dieter Schnebel, Dan Senn, David Soldier and Leslie Vosshall, Johan Vercruysse, Stephan Wunderlich, and Krzyztof Zarebski and John King
*- 1992 / 1993:* Johannes Fritsch, Werner Durand and Erik Balke and Silvia Ocougne, Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, Bonnie Barnett, James Fulkerson, Godfried-Willem Raes and Moniek Darge, Elaine Summers, Davidson Gigliotti, Malcolm Goldstein, Phill Niblock, Ellen Band, Paulo Feliciano, Jackson Mac Low and Anne Tardos, Daniel Goode, Morgan O'Hara, Ben Manley, Richard Lainhart, Tom Hamilton, Phill Niblock
*- 1993 / 1994:* Jin Hi Kim, Hans Peter Kuhn, Madelon Hooykaas and Elsa Stansfield, J. D. Parran and Carmen Kolodzey, Eliane Radigue, Rafael Toral, Jane Henry, Jerry Hunt Memorial, Richard Povall, Luc Houtkamp, John Driscoll, Fung Mei-wah, David T. Dienes, Machine for Making Sense, John Bischoff, Ed Osborn, Peter Van Riper, Neil B. Rolnick, Neil Leonard and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Phill Niblock
*- 1994 / 1995:* Kenneth Gaburo and Herbert Brün, Ken Butler, Elodie Lauten, Fast Forward, Andrew Neumann, Nicolas Collins, Jens Brand and Waldo Riedl, David First, Maria Blondeel, Jaap Blonk, Christoph Bangert, Dan Evans Farkas, Arne Deforce, Hans Peter Kuhn, Phill Niblock, Mario van Horrik
*- 1995 / 1996:* Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, Ron Kuivila, Elise Kermani, Michael Vorfeld, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Julian Knowles, Manuel Mota, Kyle Gann, Wade Matthews, Michael Schumacher, Phill Niblock
*- 1996 / 1997:* Shelley Hirsch and Richard Teitelbaum, Tom Hamilton, Roger Kleier, Morgan O'Hara, Volker Staub, Manuel Mota, Kaffe Matthews, Jim O’Rourke and Tony Conrad, Pierre Bastien and Karel Doing, Harald Busch, Matt Rogalsky, Werner Schurmans and Stefaan Smagghe, Paulo Raposo, Peter Wiessenthaner, Pierre Marietan, Phill Niblock
*- 1997 / 1998:* David Gibson, Ken Montgomery with Andrea Beeman, David Maranha, David Means, Pauline Oliveros, Jaroslav Koran and Michael Delia, Nina Goede, Tom Johnson, Victoria Jordanova, Tim Brady, Richard Povall, Phill Niblock
*- 1998 /1999:* David Watson, Martha Mooke, Paul Panhuysen, Ned Rothenberg, Dan Senn, David Behrman, Lukas Ligeti, Phill Niblock, David First, Robert Poss, Paul DeMarinis, Dean Roberts, hans w koch and Andreas Wagner, Adriana Sá, Ron Kuivila, Lois V Vierk, Zbigniew Karkowski and Atau Tanaka and Edwin van der Heide, Ryoji Ikeda
*- 1999 / 2000*: Sam Ashley and Jens Brand, Shelley Hirsch, Hans Breder, Elaine Summers, Judy Dunaway & Dan Evans Farkas, Chris Rice and Ian Nagoski, Marek Choloniewski and Krzysztof Knittel and WLodzimierz Kiniorski, Lou Malozzi, John McGuire, Phill Niblock, Thomas Lehn and Gerry Hemmingway, Elsa Stansfield and Madelon Hooykaas, Alan Licht, Sonia Rodrigues, Norman Yamada, Christof Migone and Alexandre St-Onge, Haruo Higuma
*- 2000 / 2001:* Fast Forward and Michael Evans, Zeena Parkins and Janene Higgins, Annie Gosfield, Harald Busch and Erhard Hirt, Andreas Weixler and Se-Lien Chuang, Jon Abbey and Michael Goodstein, Myriam Gourfink and Kasper Toeplitz, Phill Niblock, Matt Rogalsky, Atau Tanaka, Julian Knowles, Yasuhiro Otani, Joao Pinto, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Lotte Melin, Brandon LaBelle
*- 2001/ 2002: *John Butcher and Phil Durrant, Don Ritter, Richard Lainhart, Annea Lockwood, Robert Poss, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, John Hudak and Bruce Tovsky, Phill Niblock. Guy De Bievre, Jim O’Rourke, Anne Wellmer, Elga Ferreira, Michael Northam, Nicolas Collins
*- 2002 / 2003:* December 2002 - Christian Eloy, Al Margolis, Dafna Naphtali and Hans Tammen, Bruce Gremo, Nick Didkovsky, Amnon Wolman, Phill Niblock; March 2003 - Stephan Mathieu, Thomas Ankersmit and Jason Lescalleet, Jason Kahn, Stephen Vitiello, James Fei and Kato Hideki, John Duncan, Dean Roberts, Margarida Garcia
*- 2003 / 2004:* December 2003 - Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta; Kaffe Matthews; Peter Zummo and Tom Hamilton; Mary Jane Leach; David Behrman; Okkyung Lee; Phill Niblock; March 2004 - Marcus Schmickler and Thomas Lehn; Jo Truman; Robert Engelbrecht, Peter Imig, Moxi Beidenegl, Ignatz Mendez & Jens Rohm; Angie Eng and Dafna Naphtali; Ruben Verdadeiro; Marina Rosenfeld
*- 2004 / 2005:* December 2004 - Janek Schaefer; Emi Maeda; Benny Nilsen and Lary Seven; Guy van Belle and Haeyoung Kim; Melvyn Poore; A special event: Jon Abbey and Tim Barnes DJing; Phill Niblock; March 2005 - Malcolm Goldstein; Shawn Hansen; Screen Compositions; Janene Higgins; Elliot Sharp; Christian Marclay; Adam Kendall; Satoshi Takeishi and Shoko Nagai; Andrew Lampert; Okkyung Lee; Katherine Leiberovskaya; Marie-Helene Parent; Maxime Rioux-De Le Rochefoucauld; Ursula Sherrer; Michael J Schumacher; Casper Stracke; Terre Thaemlitz; Jon Wozencroft; Ryoji Ikeda and Christian Fennesz; Sten Hanson; Florian Hecker and Yasunao Tone; Tom Chiu and David First; Andre Goncalves; George Brunner and Douglas Cohen
*- 2005 / 2006:* December 2005 - Andor Orand; Alessandro Bosetti; Io Casino; Matthew Ostrowski; Aernoudt Jacobs, Alexandra Dementieva and Johan Vandermaelen; o.blaat (Keiko Uenishi); Phill Niblock; March 2006 - Chris Mann; Katherine Liberovskaya curates: Screen Compositions 2; Nathalie Bujold; Gerard Leckeyl; Lary Seven; Tony Cokes; Mike Bell-Smith; Angie Eng; Simon Hostettler; David Weinstein; Katherine Liberovskaya; Al Margolis; Mika Taanila; The User; Sami van Ingen; Petri Kuljuntausta; Fred Worden; Tom Hamilto; Paul Devens; Domenico Sciajno; Ido Govrin & Liora Belford; Yella; Michael Lytle, Nic Didkovsky, Gerry Hemingway; Ulrich Maiss and Butch Rovan; Kasper Toeplitz
*- 2006 / 2007:* December 2006 - Giles Thomas and Patries Wichers; Andreas Weixler & Se-Lien Chuang; Andrea Parkins, Yasunao Tone, Maria Blondeel, Phill Niblock; March 2007 - Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller, Katherine Liberovskaya curates: Screen Compositions 3; Benton-C Bainbridge; Bobby Previte; Betsey Biggs; Scott Smallwood and Stephan Moore; Cedrick Eymenier; Fennesz; Margarida Garcia; Manuel Mota; Kurt Ralske; Micheal Schumacher; Jennifer Reeves; Anthony Burr; Paul Ryan; Annea Lockwood; Shimpei Takeda; Michael Vernusky; Bas Van Koolwijk; Gert-Yan Prins; Ines Wickmann; Ingrid Drese; Johannes Sistermanns, Larry Austin, Michael Fahres, Gerhardt Muller-Goldboom, Luis Miguel Girao, Hans w Koch and Bettina Wenzel, Robin Hayward, Adachi Tomomi
*- 2007 / 2008:* December 2007 - Els Van Reil and Chiyoko Szlavnics, Audrey Chen, Pierre Berthet, Madelon Hooykaas, Marcus Schmickler, Travis Just, Bernhard Gal, Jens Brand, Phill Niblock; March 2008 - Miya Masaoka. Pierre Marietan, Christian Kesten, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, Esther Venrooy, Screen Compositions 4; Liora Belford; Ido Govrin; Kjell Bjorgeengen; Marc Ribot; Yan Breuleux; Alain Thibault; Alexandra Dementieva; Aernoudt Jacobs; Richard Garet; Wolfgang R. von Stuermer; Katherine Liberovskaya; Phill Niblock; Francesca Llopis; Barbara Held; Marlena Novak; Jay Alan Yim; Billy Roisz; Toshimaru Nakamura; Billy Roisz; dieb13; Folke Rabe, Jean Piche
*- 2008 / 2009:* December 2008 - Katherine Liberovskaya and Anne Wellmer, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Jon Abbey and Jason Lescalleet, Stefaan Quix, Andrew Lafkas and Bryan Eubanks, Francisco Janes, Leslie Ross, Phill Niblock; March 2009 - Michael Thieke and kai Fagaschinksi, Andre Goncalves, Margarida Garcia, Barry Weisblat, Kato Hideki and Ursula Scherrer, Screen Compositions 5; Tali Hinkis; Kyle Lapidus; Katherine Liberovskaya; Al Margolis; Lillevan; Fennesz; Lillevan; Vladislav Delay; Van McElwee; Tom Hamilton; Marie-Helene Parant; Jim Bell; Leah Singer; Lee Ranaldo; Fred Barney Taylor; Bradley Eros; Els Van Riel; Julia Eckhardt; Thomas Buckner and Matthias Kaul, Zbigniew Karkowski, Alexei Borisov and Jeffrey Surak, David Daniell; October 2009 - Roberto Paci Dalo and Alexandra Parcaru, Patrick McGinley, Jim Haynes, Brendan Murray, Anna Holmer, Michael Delia, Al Margolis, Katherine Liberovskaya