Aho Ssan – the name under which French electronic musician Niamké Désiré works – first came on to our radar thanks to his collaborations with artists that may be familiar to Roadburn attendees, Clipping and Moor Mother among them. But what kept him firmly in our sights was his unique approach to sound – crafting, sculpting, manipulating to create experimental music that is engaging, distinctive and hypnotic all at once. With new material promised for later this year, we’re thrilled to announce that Aho Ssan will make his Roadburn debut alongside violinist ASIA.
Niamké studied graphic design and cinema and has gone on to be a much-lauded, prize-winning artist who has an ability to create immersive experiences that go beyond audio and that become almost a living, breathing, tactile expression straight from his hands and heart. When working in tandem with celebrated violinist Asia Jiménez Antón de Vez – who works under the mononym ASIA – the pair unite to fuse digital sound and contemporary classical instrumentation.
ASIA, internationally renowned violinist. She received outstanding training, graduating with highest honors from the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has performed on prestigious stages such as the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Buckingham Palace, Wigmore Hall and the Barbican in London, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, and the National Theatre of Shanghai in China. Her stay at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris has played a fundamental role in the development of her compositional practice and interdisciplinary creation. ASIA plays a 1740 Genaro Gagliano violin generously loaned by a private benefactor.
With ASIA’s multidisciplinary knowledge and experience, coupled with Niamké’s deft ability to create enveloping sound, this promises to be a show that will engage the brain, challenge our senses and live long in our bones long after it’s over.
– Becky Laverty
