BLOWS

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---BLOWS PROFILE プロフィール---

　サウンドアート界で勢力的に活動していたMIKE BLOW。英国CheltenhamジャズフェスティバルにMikeが出展した際、KAYOKO BLOWも実験的ジャズボーカルとして"Aleatoric Jazzeriser" (2015)に参加したのがきっかけで2015年BLOWSを結成。その出展作品に参加したアーティストには、他にJamie Cullum, Billy Martin, Kit Downes,など英著名ジャズミュージシャン達がいた。芸術祭や音楽イベントにBLOWSとして出演するようになり、2015年11月には映像作家Lewis Sykes (Monomatic)と共にプリマスのImmersive Vision Theatreにおいてドームコンサートを催すなど実験的な演奏を重ねる。 2019年日本の山梨に移住。地元ミュージシャンとセッションを重ねるうちに曲作りを始め、ネオサイケデリックソウルを掲げた現在のユニットスタイルとなる。
　　
　　BLOWS was formed in 2015 after KAYOKO BLOW participated in one of MIKE BLOW’s sonic installation artworks, as an experimental jazz vocalist at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in the UK. Other artists who participated in Mike's exhibit at that time, “Shadowplay a.k.a. The Aleatoric Jazzeriser”(2015), included famous jazz musicians such as Jamie Cullum, Billy Martin,and Kit Downes. BLOWS began appearing at art festivals and music events, and in November 2015, they held a dome concert at the Immersive Vision Theater in Plymouth, with VJ Lewis Sykes (Monomatic). At the experimental live event “Cafe Concrete”, they collected various soundscapes from the venue building and performed an improvisational performance. Mike and Kayo moved to Yamanashi, Japan in 2019. They began writing songs through repeated sessions with local musicians, and the current DUO style, which embraces neo-psychedelic soul, evolved.

-BIOGRAPHY バイオグラフィー : Mike Blow-

　イギリスのブライトン出身。元PHATFISHのギタリスト(英国ジャズファンクバンド)。サウンドアートに傾倒し、オックスフォードブルックス大学博士課程修了、数々の論文を出版する。サウンドアーティストとしてロンドン・テート現代美術館、ロンドン科学博物館、サウスバンクセンター、ロンドン動物園など、英国の主要な会場や芸術祭、ギャラリーで作品を多く発表。観客に反応するインタラクティブなインスタレーション、天候変化に反応する作品、即興パフォーマンスなど新しい音楽芸術を新たな聴衆に届けることに情熱を傾け、特に公共スペース向けの大規模なサウンド アートプロジェクトに情熱を注いできた。サウンドアート作品「コロニー」は特に2016年以来人気を博し、英国中の様々な会場で現在も定期的に上映。英国アートカウンシルやオックスフォード・コンテンポラリー・ミュージック団体とも親交が深い。電気即興音楽家のためのデジタルテラミン楽器デザイン製作・自主販売も手がけてきた。芸術家としての活動の傍ら、ミュージックテクノロジー学で有名なデ・モントフォート大学などの英国大学で音響/レコーディングテクノロジーやデジタルアート分野において教鞭を執り、同僚のJohn Richards（Dirty Electronics)達と次世代の育成にも貢献してきた。現在は山梨学院大学のインターディシプリナリー・アート／ミュージック(Interdisciplinary Arts and Music)学の教授に就任。日本を拠点にしながらHogarth Productions 英国ホガースプロダクションに所属し、グローバルに活動中。BLOWSでは楽器演奏、作曲、プロデュースの全て担当。

Mike Blow - SOUND ART サウンドアート WEBSITE https://www.blowmike.com

　　Originally from Brighton, England. Former guitarist of UK jazz-funk band "PHATFISH". As well as producing music, Mike is devoted to improvisation, experimentation and sound art. He completed a doctoral course at Oxford Brookes University and published numerous papers. As a sound artist, he has exhibited many of his works at major venues, art festivals, and galleries in the UK, including the Tate Modern, London Science Museum, Southbank Center, and London Zoo. Passionate about bringing new music to new audiences, including audience-responsive interactive installations, weather-responsive works, and improvisational performances, he has a particular passion for large-scale sound art projects for public spaces. The sound art piece 'Colony' has become particularly popular since it was made in 2016 and is still shown regularly at various venues across the UK. He has also worked with funding organizations like Arts Council England and Oxford Contemporary Music. He has been involved in designing, producing and independently selling digital theremin musical instruments for electric improvisational musicians. In addition to his activities as an artist, he taught in the fields of audio/recording technology and digital art at British universities such as De Montfort University, which is famous for its experimental music technology studies, and worked with colleague John Richards (Dirty Electronics) to develop the next generation of artists. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Music at Yamanashi Gakuin University. Although based in Japan, he is affiliated with arts company Hogarth Productions (UK) and active globally. In BLOWS, he is in charge of all instrumental performances, composition, and production.

-BIOGRAPHY バイオグラフィー : Kayoko Blow-

　大阪生まれ。4歳で電子オルガン、15歳でギターを始め、18歳で芸術奨学金を得て当時グランジブーム真っ只中のシアトルへ渡米。留学先で大学ジャズクワイアのアルトボーカルに加入、大学ジャズフェスなどツアーを周る。卒業後京都に移り、磔磔などの老舗ライブハウスでサイケロック「QIAA」ギターボーカル、「風来馬人」バックボーカル、クラブミュージックボーカル・スタジオアーティスト等の活動を行う。京都では隣宅に芸者の三味線師範が住んでおり、三味線を習い弾き始める。彼女の歌に、時折小唄のような歌詞や唄い回しがあるのはそのため。その後ニューヨークに渡り、映像芸術やデザインを学びBronxArtSpaceやアートギャラリーなどで映像作品を発表。神戸に移りデザイン職に傾倒、海外を飛び回るなかMikeと結婚、渡英。Mikeのサウンドアート作品出展のためイギリス全土ツアーに同行しながらジャズボーカルとして英チェルトナムジャズフェスティバルに参加、Mikeと共に即興主体の実験音楽的演奏で徐々にステージ出演を始める。ボーカルの他、BOIDS実験プログラムや電子テルミン、エレキノイズギター等の演奏を行う。2019年Mikeと共に日本の山梨へ移住、曲作りを始め現在のBLOWSの形となる。BLOWSでは作詞、メロディー作曲編曲、媒体デザインを担当。日本を拠点に活動中の音楽家、Tim Donahueの楽曲にボーカル参加するなど、ソロ活動も行なっている。

　　Born in Osaka. She started playing the guitar at the age of 15, and at the age of 18 she received a scholarship and moved to Seattle, where the grunge boom was in full swing at the time. While studying abroad, she joined the jazz choir as an alto vocalist, and began touring at university jazz festivals and other events. After graduating, she moved to Kyoto and worked as a vocalist for the psych rock band "QIAA", backing vocalist for "Furaibajin", and as a club music and studio artist at long-established live houses such as Takutaku. In Kyoto, she started playing Shamisen, as her nexr door neighbour was a Shamisen master for Geisha. There are some influences from this music in her songwriting to this day. She moved to New York and studied video art and design, which she was interested in, and presented video art works at BronxArtSpace and other art galleries/venues. She moved to Kobe and focused on her design career, and while traveling overseas, married Mike and moved to England. While accompanying Mike on a tour across the UK to exhibit his sound art works, she participated in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in the UK as a jazz vocalist, and gradually began to perform on stage with Mike, performing improvisation-based experimental music. In addition to vocals, she performs the BOIDS experimental program, electronic theremin, electric noise guitar, etc. In 2019, she moved to Yamanashi, Japan with Mike and began writing songs, forming the current BLOWS duo. In BLOWS, she is in charge of writing lyrics, composing vocal melodies, and all designs. She is also active as a solo artist, performing vocals on songs by Tim Donahue, a musician based in Japan.