Talibam!

Diversifying Sonics Since 2003. Talibam!, a 14-year working unit based in New York City, can be described in various ways -- as a classic keyboards/drums expanded-jazz duo, as Dadaist provocateurs with an innate love for the history of music, as a Fluxus-informed theater troupe, as an electronic ensemble inspired by Stockhausen, or as a rhythm section at the cross hair of agility, speed, punctuation, and intention. Since their inception in 2003, Talibam!’s ultimate goal has been to wed disparate ideologies through proficiency, controversy, inquiry, and compassion. Matt Mottel (keys) and Kevin Shea (drums) have remained devoted to their belief that the application of diversity in sound is paramount to the appreciation of diversity among fellow beings. Talibam! delights in creating music that cannot be pinned down within the safe-spaces of existing genres. With each new album, Talibam! reinvents their methodological palette in order to bolster a fresh clarity of joyous auditory surprise, something their fans have come to depend on. Talibam! has worked hard to proselytize their process. Talibam! has collaborated across genre and medium -- for example, performing for artist Peter Coffin at Deitch Projects in 2008; Collaboration with acclaimed choreographer Karole Armitage's Armitage Gone! Dance took place from 2009-2012 (performances at Kitchen NYC 2009 and in Torino Italy '09, Abrons Arts Center NYC '10, Milano Dance Festival and Queen Elizabeth Hall's Dance Umbrella Festival London '11 etc). In 2011, Talibam! spent the greater half of the year in residency at LMCC Swing Space, awarded by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, in an abandoned underground bank vault on WALL ST. In 2012/2013, Talibam! collaborated with legendary Fluxist artist Yasunao Tone at the MoMA, completed 3 theater residencies in NYC — at the IRT Theater, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Swing Space, and at the Incubator Arts Project where they presented their opera Discover Atlantass with collaborator Sam Kulik (http://bellykids.bandcamp.com/album/discover-atlantass) — released 3 albums, completed 6 European tours, collaborated with world-renowned choreographer Karole Armitage, performed at ATP by invitation from TV On The Radio, performed at the Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival in Sardinia, etc. Their 2012 release, Puff Up The Volume, was a bold attempt at rap without having ever practiced or listened to rap before (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/puff-up-the-volume/id565932071). In 2014 they released Polyp, an improv CD about the adolescent qualities of no-wave music with Weasel Walter (http://mnoad.bandcamp.com/album/polyp). 2015 has seen the release of 4 albums and a comp track: Free World is a sound collage cassette extracted from their Launch Pad series (https://korperleib.bandcamp.com/album/free-world), Double Automatism is an electronic/noise 180gram vinyl with Yasunao Tone and Sam Kulik (http://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/double-automatism), Translition 2 Siriusness is an electronic/dance-ish white LP with QR code (http://talibam.bandcamp.com/album/translition-2-siriusness-side-a), The Marimba Files is a tour-only CD extracted from their Launch Pad Series — and finally Talibam! added their track Aufhebong to an Icelandic-based cassette comp (http://ladyboyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lady-boy-records-009). To date, Talibam! has traveled to over 40 countries, completed more than 30 international tours, and released over 40 albums. ... with performances at ATP Festival curated by TV On The Radio, Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall’s Dance Umbrella Festival, Lincoln Center’s Sound and Vision Festival, MoMA’s “Tokyo 1955–1970: A New Avant-Garde” exhibition, Nickelsdorf Jazz Festival, Tarcento Jazz Festival, Milano Dance Festival, Acéfalo Festival in Chile, Suoni Festival in Montreal, Issue Project Room’s Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain Fest, Forthwith Festival in Winnipeg, Whartscape Fest in Baltimore, and ZXZW Festival in Tilburg, to name a few. Talibam! has collaborated across genre with the likes of Yasunao Tone, Cooper-Moore, Tamio Shiraishi, David Watson, Ingrid Laubrock, Shelley Hirsch, Daniel Carter, Alan Wilkinson, id m theft able, Leila Bordreuil, Briggan Krauss, Ravish Momin, Ron Stabinsky, Rick Parker, Lary Seven, Sam Kulik, Micah Gaugh, Jeremy Wilms, Mick Barr, Peter Evans, Ed Bear, Moppa Elliott, Lukas Ligeti, Robbie Lee, Nate Wooley, Kyle Forester, Tim Dahl, Fritz Welch, Danielle Kuhlmann, Chris Pitsiokos, Jon Irabagon, Anders Nilsson, Mike Pride, Chris Forsyth, Sarah Lipstate, Kyp Malone, Weasel Walter, Tom Blancarte, Michael Evans, Jaime Fennelly, Matt Nelson, Tom Smith, Steve Gunn, David Earl Buddin, and Karole Armitage’s Armitage Gone! Dance company. In addition, Talibam! was awarded residencies at IRT Theater, Incubator Arts Project, and at Swing Space by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Currently Talibam! has many albums in production and has released over 50 videos on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGXv0p_jhXwC93O2F4IpAt6TQSY-FF1Bf Talibam! has been producing a Launchpad "cultural improvement" series which you are encouraged to explore here: http://talibam.bandcamp.com/album/talibam-launch-pad-2-frank-ocean Talibam! (NYC) are Dadaist provocateurs with an innate love for the history of music (featuring Matt Mottel and Kevin Shea).