Whether combining the rhythmic timbres of wood, metal and audience claps or duetting with the atmospheric and elegiac echoed sounds of water dripping into a metal basin, Bex Burch is a composer, percussionist, producer and improviser who emphasises space, repetition and aspects of chaos. These themes characterise an ongoing approach she describes as “messy minimalism”.
Burch’s critically acclaimed 2023 solo album, 'There is only love and fear' was released via Chicago’s International Anthem and named The Guardian's Contemporary Album of the Month. She has previously released music as part of Boing! with Leafcutter John, and Flock with Tamar Osborn and The Comet Is Coming’s Danalogue. She runs the label and post-punk band, Vula Viel, and has collaborated with influential artists like Peter Zummo, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney and Macie Stewart.
Bex completed an 18-month instrument-making apprenticeship in Ghana from 2008 with master gyil player Thomas Sekgura, a formative experience that gave her a deep-seated respect for Dagaare music and the confidence to pursue a path that reflected her own voice. A restless, questing spirit has informed her career since, from the open-hearted collaborations of her musical releases to the creation of a new xylophone she handmade under Jamie Linwood’s mentorship, tuning its harmonics to maximise the resonances she wanted to hear. – Bex’s music continues to evolve. More is to come as Bex’s wide-eyed approach continues to break new musical ground.