musiques tourbes
Sound artist, instrument builder and field recordist, Diane Barbé makes their return on forms of minutiae with “musiques tourbes”, a weaving of wetland soundscapes and biomimicking synthesis.
Concerned with interspecies conjunctions while nurturing the planet as a finite verdant space, Diane Barbé plays with experimental music, listening practices and activism to bring attention to delicate environmental phenomena, that, despite their minute size, translate profoundly the effects of the Anthropocene while celebrating the living. Over the last years, in search of sonic signs in the landscape, Barbé followed murmurs in Europe’s wetlands which lead them to the “musiques tourbes” (French for “bog musics”). Musics made of animal rhythms, blown hums, and electronic simulacra that transport us, listeners, with Barbé into the humid zones of the planetary garden. (…)
With “musiques tourbes” Diane Barbé offers a peculiar map into the bog. A sonic cartography that matches the tentacular sprawl of drifting algae. As listeners, caught between the organic and the electronic, the real and the imagined, we are left with little choice but to forgo our contours and melt into the surprises of these humid zones. Gifted with new planetary garden perspectives, we may begin to sense a possible world. One where listening practices and technology come together to nurture the collective imaginary in an attempt at resetting our environmental norms and reversing the shifting baseline. Field recording is at the core of “musiques tourbes”, yet what ultimately seeps through is an act of field remembering.
Words by Pablo Diserens.
musiques tourbes releases on 22 November via forms of minutiae
12” LP 45rpm— limited edition of 200
recorded and composed by diane barbé
“le grand jardin de Coupigny” and “le petit jardin de Coupigny” were recording during a residency at the INA-GRM studios in Paris (2022-2023).
“les hululées” was recorded in a meadow in Brandenburg during the Grabowsee residency (2023) with Alien Kin instruments played by Ebb Bailey, Jonathan Batomene Braun, Liav Gabay, Lisa Violetta Gass, Mia Oak, Joseph Summers, Çağdaş Sarı, Maria Sécio and Diane Barbé.
“les enlisées” was recorded during a field trip with researcher Jonas Dahm in Spreewald.
mastered by mathieu bonnafous — design by pablo diserens
cut by dubplates and mastering + pressed by object (manufacturing)
drawings by teresa bartůňková — cover picture by pablo diserens — picture of diane barbé at GRM by didier allard © INA —
published by forms of minutiae — fom13 — 2024
Live at Rota Festival, Blanca, Spain, 2022 (video by Nicolas Dardano)
other releases
Live at ROTA festival, Blanca, Spain, 2023
Live at Data-Médiathèque Sonore, Marseille, 2022 (video by Borgia Ginz)
Music video by Clémentine Decremps for Something for the Mountains, out on On Board Music, 2020
Live at Sameheads Berlin for Heads Radio, pandemic peaktime, 2020
Live from my old studio, for Q3A festival, pandemic peaktime, 2020
shows
[2024]
06.12 (live) f-o-m release party, 90mil, Berlin
01.12 (live duo ARBORE) Noiseberg, Berlin
23.11 (live) Grnd Zero, Lyon
11.11 (live) Favorit Bar, München
25.10 (live) RAUSCH, Drone Night, Backsteinboot, Berlin
05.10 (live) Hayfilm, Yerevan, Armenia
4-12.10 (install) HayArt Cultural Center, Yerevan, Armenia
21.09 (live) Seanaps festival, Leipzig
01.09 (live) Holsek Contemporary, Berlin
22.08 (live) FRANK with Kim Khan, OFFSITE Wehrmuehle Berlin
16+17.08 (live) Countdown Grabowsee, Brandenburg
18-22.07 (live) “Canicular” performance with Rebecca Journo, Festival d’Avignon, France
22.06 (live) ROTA festival, Blanca, Spain
08.06 (wshop) Field Recording workshop with Landscape, Refuge Worldwide, Berlin
25.05 (live) Les Yeux Fermés, Filature Levasseur, Evreux, France
03.05 (live) “The Alien Kin” collective performance, Instituto Sacatar, Bahía, Brasil
02.02 (live) “Tartamudeos” with Selu Herraiz, B.A.S.E Tsonami, Valparaíso, Chile
[2023]
26.12.23 (live) Collective Session on Cashmere Radio, live from Rota Festival, Blanca, Spain
16.12.23 (live) ROTA festival, Blanca, Spain
17.11.23 (live) The Alien Kin collective performance, Cala Project Space, Berlin, Germany
31.10.23 (live) The Alien Kin collective performance, 90mil, Berlin, Germany
14.10.23 (live) with the True Badours, Grnd Zero, Lyon, France
08.10.23 (live) L’Embobineuse, Marseille, France
04.10.23 (live) The Alien Kin collective performance, Couvent Levat, Marseille, France
27.09.23 (pres) The Schwarzwald Tapes avant-première, Videodrome 2, Marseille, France
15.09.23 (live) Resonate! w/ Laure Boer, Miki Yui, Echo Ho, FFT Düsseldorf, Germany
01.09.23 (live) duo Arbore w/ Laure Boer, Conscious Madness Festival, Germany
11.08.23 (live) Guyenne Festival, France
22.07.23 (live) Strómy Festival w/ Selu Herraiz, Czech Republic
15.07.23 (live) Codex Club, Arkaoda, Berlin
15.07.2023 (live) duo Arbore w/ Laure Boer, Morphine Raum, Berlin
16.06.23 (live) in-animate matters w/ Pablo Diserens, ssabae, Galleria Akusmata, Helsinki, Finland
27.05.23 (live) VESSEL, 90mil, Berlin
19.05.23 (live) CÚKR, warehouse, Prague, Czech Republic
29.04.23 (live) Bruit de Fond dérive w/ collectif Nuit Noire, marseille
09.03.23 (dj) ‘Eternally Frozen’ release w/ Andrea Belfi & Zinc & Copper, arkaoda berlin
28.01.23 (live) CODEX club, studio dB, berlin
26.01.23 (live) with equations collective, OHM, berlin
06.01.23 (live) the alien kin, spatial performance, acousmonium INA-GRM 104 paris
[2022]
09.12.22 (live) ROTA festival, murcia, spain
24.11.22 (live) not a festival, rathaus neukölln, berlin
27.10.22 (live) the alien kin, morphine raum berlin
15.09.22 (live) jungle gym records, kwia berlin
10.09.22 (live) shifting conversations, documenta, kassel, germany
02.09.22 (live) sounds of rest, weisser elefant gallerie, berlin
20.08.22 (live) grabowsee festival, brandenburg, germany
23.07.22 (live) strómy festival, czech republic
14.07.22 (live) f-o-m release party, kwia Berlin
02.07.22 (live) ssabae ensemble, TBA, France
24.06.22 (live) shifting conversations, moos Berlin
04.06.22 (live) WEICH, studio dB, Berlin
29.05.22 (live) climate care festival, floating university Berlin
30.04.22 (live) vogelklang festival, soundtent, Schwarzwald
26.03.22 (live) garden of forking paths, Cashmere Radio Berlin
16.03.22 (dj) Return of the Living Wine Berlin
22.02.22 (dj) Arkaoda Berlin
19.02.22 (live) sentient lands, Arkaoda Berlin
11.02.22 (live) RAUSCH, Backsteinboot Berlin
28.01.22 (live) unfinished fridays, Lake Studios Berlin
07.01.22 (cancelled) INA GRM, Paris
[2021]
03.02.21 (dj) HOER Radio, Berlin
10.02.21 (live) Oneironautics VI. Cashmere Radio, Berlin
23-25.04.21 (performance) The Enclosed Garden, Bangkok
28.05.21 (live) Cosmic Playgrounds, Esslingen
01.07.21 (live) Zenner Open Air, Berlin
22-25.07.21 (installation) STROMY Treehouse Festival, Czechia
04-12.09.21 (installation) Climate Care Festival, Floating University Berlin
23.10.21 (live) Borsig Amp Fest. Kesselhaus Herzberge Berlin
[2020]
19.12.20 (live) Q3Ambientfest, online
16.12.20 (live) Oneironautics V. Cashmere Radio, Berlin
19.09.20 (live) Oneironautics IV. Cashmere Radio, Berlin
23.08.20 (live) Akousmatik Bush, Berlin
29.07.20 (live) Heads radio. Sameheads Berlin
24-26.07 (live) STROMY Treehouse festival, Czechia
23.07.20 (installation) TREES with Salomé Jashi, DAAD Gallery Berlin
17.07.20 (dj) CÚKR ambient stage, secret location
10.07.20 (virtual installation) Passing one loop into another, NBK Berlin
02.07.20 (live) Rising Whisper. ACUD Macht Neu Berlin
27.06.20 Oneironautics III. live collective on Cashmere Radio
07.06.20 (cancelled) PhOEMina festival, Acqui Terme
30.05.20 Oneironautics II. live collective on Cashmere Radio
21.04.20 (cancelled) Music for Cinemas, Rauschpalast Berlin
19.04.20 (cancelled) Anthropocene party, Prague
05.04.20 (cancelled) Q3A Ambientfest, Fabrik Potsdam
28.03.20 (cancelled) Borsig Amp Fest, Kesselhaus Herzberge Berlin
08.03.20 (live AV) Vaguement Ensemble @ Oneironautics I. Arkaoda Berlin
16.02.20 (live) Furry Casino, Berlin
25.01.20 (live) Punktum, Prague
[2019]
06.12.19 (live) Mensch Meier, Berlin
05.12.19 (live AV) Wassertanz preview
with Teres Bartunkova, West Germany Berlin
29.11 – 01.12. (installation) Permanent Wave Machine @ Zwitscher Gallery Berlin
22.11.19 (radio) Cashmere Radio
17.10.19 (live) ADE Dreamland, Klaproos Amsterdam
03-05.10 (installation) Enclosed Garden, Heroines Tbilisi
22.09.19 (live) Amplify, ACUD Berlin
07.09.19 (live) Sononami, LOFFT Leipzig
30.08.19 (live) Sonic Curiosities, Villa Kuriosum Berlin
29.08.19 (live) Tati goes experimental, Berlin
17.08.19 (dj) Mala Junta x MESS afterhours, Berlin
03.08.19 (live) Nachtdigital MINT ambient stage
20.07.19 (live) Summer of Doom, Open air Prague
05.07.19 (dj) UY ZONE afterparty, Kantine am Berghain Berlin
20.06.19 (live) w/ Orquesta Narval, MAZE Berlin
19.06.19 (live) w/ Orquesta Narval, Noizefabrik Berlin
26.05.19 (live) ALERTA secret location
25.05.19 (live) Drone Day, Berlin
14.04.19 (live) Q3A festival, Fabrik Potsdam
28.04.19 (dj) Punktum / Luft, Prague
05.05.19 (live) Noiseberg, Berlin
18.02.19 (installation) Planète Pacifique, UDK Berlin
[2018]
24.11.18 (live) DIETL Archiv, Polygon, Prague
04.09.18 (live) Hystereo, Berlin Community Radio
02.09.18 (live) Tchnienia festival, Poland
26.08.18 (dj) Wildt, Prague
25.08.18 (dj) Polygon Tag 3, Prague
03.08.18 (live) The Lodge, USA
06.07.18 (live) Drone sleepover, Berlin
27.05.18 (live) Seaweed Sonntags, Berlin
19.05.18 (live) Nowhere in particular, Prague
15.04.18 (live) Q3A festival, Fabrik Potsdam
19.03.18 (dj) Liquidation totale, LYL radio
02.03.18 (dj) Blue Panther show, Rinse FM France
15.02.18 (live) Madame Claude Berlin
17.01.18 (dj) Loophole, Berlin
11.08.17 (live) The Lodge, USA