SHAPE+ Talks

As part of the annual gathering of artists represented on the current roster of SHAPE+ platform (Sound, Heterogeneous Art and Performance in Europe), MeetFactory will host a block of lectures that are open to the public. Following up on Wednesday evening is a series of live performances in MeetFactory's courtyard, featuring Abdullah Miniawy, Fujita Pinnacle, mala roza muca & pixel.bambi, Nic Krog, PYUR and Sofi.

Tickets:
lectures 200 CZK / day
Wednesday's concerts are free of charge

Tuesday 27th August

14:00 Lisa Blanning: Booking 101
(Music Hall)

This talk presented by the booking agent, music writer/editor, and lifelong music industry professional Lisa Blanning will detail everything you need to know about the world of booking. We will also delve into artist management, a sphere that overlaps and sometimes collides with booking. Questions and topics for discussion will include, What do agents and managers do? How do they get paid? When is it the right time to get an agent or manager? How do I know if an agent or manager is the right one for me? This session will also include a hefty Q&A period to address, with alarming honesty, any of your specific questions. For a few participants, there will be the opportunity for a brief one-on-one session, where you can describe your personal situation and receive feedback accordingly (first come first served, limited slots).

Lisa Blanning is an American writer and editor on music, art and culture, as well as a booking agent affiliated with DISK Agency. She is a former editor at The Wire Magazine in London, Electronic Beats in Berlin. She is especially engaged in movements in contemporary electronic music and digital art and culture. She has published cover stories for print publications in three different countries and led panel discussions and artist talks for festivals/events/organizations such as Sónar, Unsound, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and Ableton's Loop conference, as well as presenting talks at institutions such as University of East London and Institut für Populäre Musik in Bochum.

14:00 Max Eilbacher (SHAPE+ alumnus): The Graphic Generation and Manipulation of Sound
(Theatre)

In this workshop I will cover the fundamentals of creating sonic materials with Cecilia, an open source digital audio workstation. In addition to learning Cecilia, participants will be engaged with the fundamentals of hearing, sonic art, and musical composition. Through the acts of listening and discussion we will position the creation and arrangement of sound as the central focus of the workshop. The workshop is open to anyone curious about audio synthesis, working with audio, the perception of sound, and the potential of future musics." Limited to 8 atendees.

15:30 Freddie Hudson: How to Write About (Your) Music
(Music Hall)

Ever struggled to put the right words down about your latest EP? Not sure what makes a good press release? This lecture aims to make these tasks (and others) a great deal easier: using theories from communication and linguistics to untangle the subjectivities of informative and creative writing, and advice drawn from over a half decade of experience in the world of music journalism/writing, you'll be well-equipped to approach self-marketing a release by the end of the presentation. 

Your host is Freddie Hudson, a Prague-based music journalist/writer/critic. Freddie spent 4 years as Deputy Editor for Inverted Audio, writes regular articles for Electronic Sound magazine and their own Substack newsletter, Reach, and has guest posts hosted through the likes of Crack Magazine. Freddie also handles international press and communications for Prague's Lunchmeat Festival, and has presented writing masterclasses in Prague and London. 

15:30 Oliver Torr (SHAPE+ alumnus): Glazmo_network_lecture_001
(Theatre)

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In this performative lecture, Oliver Torr will lead you through the Glazmo Network, where %reality warps% and portals open to ^other dimensions^. Expect an experience where the lines between our world and the Glazmo reality blur. The portal is open. Your guides – portal operator Oliver Torr, along with language cryptographer Natalie Mariko – will lead you before it closes in approximately 40 minutes.

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Oliver Torr is a Europe-based multidisciplinary artist, composer, and sound designer. His work draws on impulsive improvisation, technology, AI and the extreme ends of sonixx. Active in gallery environments and performance spaces, he has crafted soundscapes for films and video art, often employing custom-built instruments and software.

Wednesday 28th August

14:00 Emily Moore / Warp Publishing: What Is Music Publishing?
(Music Hall)

A talk that explains what music publishing is and how it can be useful to emerging artists in the realm of experimental music. Emily Moore from Warp Publishing will go through the details of a deal, advise at what stage in your career you might be ready for one, how to approach a publisher, how to make the most out of your publishing team, and how sync can compliment your career.

Emily Moore works in the A&R team at Warp Publishing in the London office. She is also part of 33-33, an independent label, collective and agency providing bespoke representation to composers and artists such as FUJI||||||||||TA, Still House Plants and Amosphère. She is also a DJ and radio host and has played on Balamii, NTS, Reprezent and Clyde Built Radio. Additionally she works with UK promoter Goodness, running and launching their label this year.

14:00 Pjoni / Isama Zing (SHAPE+ alumnus): Composing for Film and Theatre
(Theatre)

Despite being just over 30, Jonatán has composed music for several feature length films, documentaries, podcast series and theatre plays at both Czech and Slovak National Theatre. In this lecture, he will explain how to get into and survive in the ecosystem of film industry and theatre, work with director’s ideas while maintaining your own artistic integrity. 

Jonatan Pastircak studied music production and sound engineering to London at the SAE Institute. He then returned to Bratislava where he currently works as a music producer, composer and sound engineer. He has been involved in music since the age of 10, creating music with multiple bands and under several pseudonyms (Pjoni, Isama Zing), producing music for others, theatre and film. He is SHAPE alumnus of 2018.

15:30 Lukáš Turza: DIY or die: Mixing and Mastering Music in 2024
(Music Hall)

Why mastering at home is a bad idea, and why you should do anyway. The mind games our brain plays when we listen to music, how to not be triggered by the current 'AI-everything' discourse but co-habitate with it peacefully, & more.

Lukáš does original music production, music-for-picture, site-specific music / sound-design. He has worked with Amon Tobin, Machinedrum, as well as Mári Mákó, whom he met at the previous SHAPE workshop in Prague.

15:30 Bálint Szabó (SHAPE alumnus): Experimental Music Practices Inspired By Non-Western Indigenous Concepts
(Theatre)

In this lecture Bálint will present a selection of his artistic practices that revolves around the issue of non-standard tuning systems and their corresponding instruments that are the embodiments of these tunings. First, his Antipodal Polyphony record will be demonstrated briefly which drew inspiration from the panpipe ensembles of the 'Aré'aré (Solomon Islands). Secondly, he showcases his 3D printed wind instrument project that was inspired by Banda Linda horn ensembles (Central African Republic). Finally, he discusses his sound installation (still in progress), that is based on the Sacred Flute music complex from Amazonia and Papua New Guinea. In each case, musical examples will be shown as well.

Bálint Szabó is a composer-musician, curator and interdisciplinary researcher. His main artistic focus is non-standard musical tuning systems, non-standard musical instrument design, speculative music creation, ethnomusicology, decolonisation of hearing and ritual design. His artistic work is manifested in his solo project Gosheven, and in his band Decolonize Your Mind Society. Gosheven’s debut record was selected as “Best album of the year” by the The Wire magazine, while the records of his former band 12z were released by the US producer Nicolas Jaar’s label. With Decolonize Your Mind Society, he played at important international music festivals like Donaufestival (AT), Kyiv Biennal (UA) or at Fusion Festival (DE).