Sons of the Wind

Recordings from Gypsy villages in Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria Exile and movement are central to the Roma identity. Their history is written in an universal language: music. Played and sung, handed down spontaneously from generation after generation, it ignores national borders. The Soundwalk Collective followed the course of the Danube and of the music of the Roma, with its combination of Eastern and Western influences, from the Black Sea Delta to the river's source in Germany. From ghettos to mahale, on the trail of the Sons of the Wind, recording heart-rending songs, mournful violins, tinkling cimbaloms, the gutsy tones of brass bands. Sounds accompanied by the words of the Elders, the rustling of long skirts, the wind in the delta plain, and, always in the background, the rumbling of the river. This is the origin of the sound poem Sons of the Wind. The Soundwalk Collective is an international art collective based in Berlin & New York City. Since 2000 they have been sonic nomads, embarking on never ending journeys from the desolate land of Bessarabia to the desert of Rub al Khali. By exploring and documenting the world around us through its sounds, the Collective abstracts and re- composes narrative sound pieces through fragments of reality to form distinct audible journeys. The Collective's live performances are diverse and often site and venue specific. They use a combination of custom-cut vinyl records with multiple turntables, tape machines, laptop computers or custom designed modular systems. Although sound and music are the primary forces in the live setting, projection of video specific to each performance piece creates an environment that is unescapable and unique. Live performances are also transformed into temporary or permanent installations. Aesthetic refinement and conceptual narrative is paired with a performative impulse, making Soundwalk Collective's shows intimate and powerful. The Collective's recent installations and performances were shown at Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris); New Museum (New York); National Museum of Singapore NMS; ARMA 17 (Moscow); Berghain Panoramabar (Berlin); MUDAM (Luxembourg); Florence Gould Hall (New York); CTM Festival 2013 & 2014 (Berlin) just to name a few.