THIS week sees some of the world’s finest musical minds arrive in London for the start of Convergence festival – a 10-day celebration of music, visual art and tech that kicks off in various venues across the capital. We’ve picked out four unmissable highlights from this year’s event and included a playlist introducing some of the creative talents about to set the city alight.
chkchkchk (aka !!!) play at Convergence festival
Euphoric beats
Knighted as Convergence festival’s artist-in-residence this year, Baltimore’s Dan Deacon is renowned for his psychedelic ‘noise-raves’ and the night he’s curating at Village Underground is sure to be one of the event’s standout moments. Elsewhere, expect floor-filling sets from other musical pioneers including Of Montreal, The Herbaliser, !!! and Luke Abbott.
Big tributes
It’s been five years since the death of game-changing US poet, musician and author Gil Scott Heron and Convergence pays tribute to his life and legacy with a day-long celebration. Pieces of a Man, directed by the Invisible’s Dave Okumu, will bring together of stellar roster of musicians – including Kwabs, Jamie Woon and Nadine Shah – for a must-see series of talks and performances that’s sure to be special.
Dan Deacon plays Convergence. Photograph: Frank Hamilton
Global sounds
With previous wide-reaching projects proving his musical mettle far beyond his role in Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood arrives at Convergence with the first UK performance of Junun. Originally recorded in a 15th-century Indian fort, this East-meets-West collaboration also features the 19-piece Rajasthan Express band and Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur in a vivid exploration of contrasting musical traditions.
Of Montreal peform at Convergence. Photograph: Chad Kamenshine
Smart sessions
Proving that Convergence has plenty to offer beyond its big-hitting musical showcases is a wide-ranging bill of visual artists, industry luminaries in conversation and one-off sessions that chart the meeting points of design, art and the digital world. Hot tickets include Py’s audio-visual installation Colour Choir, Seeper’s tech-led exploration of data crunching and a masterclass with the Point Blank Music School.
Light Surgeons Talk
by Ben Olsen
Photo credits: Frank Hamilton, Phil Sharp, Chad Kamenshine
Convergence runs from 10-20 March. Tickets available here