VIRTUAL @ LOW END | Lea Bertucci and Amirtha Kidambi

The duo of Amirtha Kidambi on vocals and Lea Bertucci on tapes and electronics finds new territory in extending the sonic possibilities of the human voice through electronic manipulation and improvised tactics. Taking a more integrated approach than simply filtering voice through electronic processing, Bertucci manipulates Kidambi’s voice through tactile methods with tape machine including manual speed control by physically touching the reels as Kidambi’s live voice is fed through the machine. Kidambi reacts in turn with a vocal arsenal of timbral techniques, creating a literal visceral feedback loop of noise, processed, and polyphonic voices. Influenced equally by jazz, Carnatic and western classical vocal techniques, the duo takes a thoroughly freely improvised approach. Their pieces command form through looped repetitions, stark dynamic and textural contrasts, slowly unfolding melodic motifs among harmonic beds and a formidable mind-meld in reactivity between Kidambi and Bertucci. For the astute listener, the explorations may conjure a real-time version of postwar musique concrete or the groundbreaking experiments of live electronics pioneer Pauline Oliveros' tape improvisations. Their debut Phase Eclipse featuring studio improvisations along with a full live concert from The Kitchen, was released on Astral Spirits in November 2019.