On 15 June 2023, Meers Hall in the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new North Building transforms into a pulsing, experimental ‘lofi’ club for Playback.
This night of live music features American composer and sound designer Dean Hurley and Berlin-based Kenyan ambient musician KMRU making their Sydney live debuts.
With shows at this year’s Tasmanian music festival Dark Mofo, Dean Hurley and KMRU play their only Sydney shows at this one-off ticketed performance at the Art Gallery, where they will be joined by Australian experimental composer and recording artist Megan Alice Clune, who has been receiving critical acclaim throughout the world.
With access to the exhibition Adrián Villar Rojas: The End of Imagination in the Tank (a former wartime oil bunker), the night will be filled with subterranean sonics and dark visuals.
Dean Hurley is an American composer, sound designer and re-recording mixer. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with director David Lynch and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award twice for the series Twin Peaks. In 2019, Hurley composed the score the Art Gallery’s Sydney Festival event Masters of modern sound. He has released multiple solo and collaborative records with last year’s In every dream home a heartache receiving critical and commercial acclaim.
KMRU is the moniker of Joseph Kamaru, a sound artist and producer from Nairobi, Kenya. One of the leading exponents of the burgeoning experimental music scene in that city and beyond, he was listed by Resident Advisor as one of ‘15 East African artists you need to hear’ in 2018. KMRU is a regular performer at the Nyegenyege Festival and presented live performances at CTM festival, Gamma Festival and Mutek Montreal Lab. He debuted with the LP Peel, an exquisite mix of field recordings and electronics, unravelling at a repetitive and leisurely pace to expose a rich tapestry of sound that has been revered for its ability to cross borders with the sheer undertow of emotional content.
Megan Alice Clune is a musician, composer and artist based on Gadigal/Wangal Country, Sydney, Australia. Her work explores the dynamic relationships between music, technology, the body and temporality through composition, performance and installation. She has performed, presented work and undertaken residencies across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, including VividLIVE at the Sydney Opera House, 3331 Arts Chiyoda (Tokyo), Performa15 (New York City), Institute of Modern Art (Meanjin/Brisbane), Substation (Naarm/Melbourne) and more. Her recent records If you do (2021, Room 40), Digital auras (2022, Longform Editions) and Furtive glances (2023, Room40) have been released to critical acclaim.
Thursday 15 June 2023
7pm
Duration 3 hours
Art Gallery of New South Wales
North Building
Lower level 2, Meers Hall
🛈 Find out what you need to know before visiting
$75
$65 concession
$60 member