Trigger Happy
In Medias Res
A four-member experimental music ensemble, Trigger Happy were formed in Corfu in 2016. In their concerts, they are noted for their intense energy using a blend of cracked media, conventional instruments, electronic and electroacoustic equipment, toys and objects. Each of their performances is centred around idiosyncratic orchestrations and musical objects/instruments.
They have performed both at Greek and international festivals, including Irtijal Festival (Beirut, 2019), Borderline Festival (Athens, 2019), Rhubaba Gallery (Edinburgh, 2018), Embros Theatre (Athens, 2017) and Electric Nights Festival (Athens, 2017).
The original sound work they are going to present at the Subset Festival is specially designed for the New Stage of the Athens Conservatoire. The hybrid In Media Res (running time: 60΄) is a work for 4 performers and a collection of analogue and digital sound recording and reproduction media. Is it based on a combination of aspects of performance and installation, with the musical composition principally guided by the spatial placement of objects, speakers and performers. Furthermore, the two performances of this work are complemented by an artistic workshop presenting the methodology behind its creation.
A study on the reuse and transformation of sound technological means from the past, the work utilizes a great collection of radios, reel-to-reel audio tape recorders, cassette players, CD players, record players, MP3 players and hard drives, exploring all the musical textures these devices can offer, from lengthy sound clouds to sparse pointillistic sound events in different spatial points, from sound collages of found popular music records to abstract sounds of digital errors.
In Media Res is ultimately a ritual of embodying forgotten and “fallen” media, an exploration of traces of sound via their recording, storage and broadcasting, as well as an exploration of the very ontology of objects. Opening up a rupture in the linearity of technological development, briefly suspending time, it gives us the opportunity to listen closely to the significance of technological media in both art and life.