What is it? It’s vocal pop-electronic-classical-grunge! With KUrKKU Evelien uses live electronics to loop, cut up and manipulate the sound of her voice. All songs are performed with Wii game controllers and five brightly coloured speakers. Tornadoes, industrial machinery and insects seem to surround you, when suddenly you’ll find yourself in the middle of a dreamy choir. Loopers, bouncy delays, heavenly reverb, distortion and live sampling-scratching are some of the effects that are used. Songs about absurd, awkward and obsessive love. About relationships that spiral out of control. With poems by E. E. Cummings and Toon Tellegen, and a letter from an erotomaniac.
In January 2015 the first KUrKKU preview took place, in Cinema 1 of EYE, Amsterdam. Using the massive surround sound system for the occasion, during the premiere of the documentary series Hollandse Meesters in de 21e Eeuw. The complete song cycle premiered at the November Music festival in 2015.
“The performance of singer and composer Evelien van den Broek in the auditorium of the SM’s Stedelijk Museum was exceptionally wonderful. In songs about lost love, she multiplied her voice with electronics that she controlled with the Wii game console, until an insane ghost choir swirled hypnotically through space.” René van Peer – Brabants Dagblad
concept, composition, live electronics, voice evelien van den broek | cable coverings tanya eymann | supported by the performing arts fund NL | thank you jennifer, paul and edo | photos jennifer halfhide