Extra Power for Live Connections
18th April 2005
INVOLVED IN LIVE MUSIC? THE PRS FOUNDATION FOR NEW MUSIC IS OFFERING INCREASED GRANTS FOR LIVE PERFORMANCES OF INNOVATIVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC.
Artistically-driven funding body, The PRS Foundation for New Music, is offering a new and improved version of its Live Connections scheme to the electronic music sector in 2005.
Live Connections is the UK's only funding scheme focussed on supporting live performances of electronic music. The scheme aims to catapult new electronic music out of the studio and into the public arena to a wider audience. It is particularly targeting writers from this sector who are trying to break new ground with their work - both musically and in terms of presentation.
Since its launch 5 years ago, The PRS Foundation has become widely respected as an approachable and adventurous funding body with a strong track-record of supporting experimental electronic music. It has worked closely with pioneering organisations such as Sonic Arts Network and provided vital support to cutting edge festivals like Futuresonic, Celtronic and the Ether Festival.
As part of its renewed drive to stimulate and support musical creativity The Foundation has now broadened the scope of Live Connections by offering grants of between £500 - £5000 to electronic music artists, for a one-off performance of their work.
This could be used for anything from a live PA as part of a club night or as a small part of the funding towards a grander scale event. Applicants can be individual artists or collaborators but they do need to be working closely with a promoter/organisation/club or with a sound system that will help them deliver their chosen performance.
Previous recipients of Live Connections grants including: Kreepa, Brian Duffy, Plaid, Adam Freeland, London Elektricity and I am the Mighty Jungulator, have been able to put on dynamic and unusual performances, from electro-acoustic installations to full-on techno and breakbeat events.
“Thanks to support from The PRS Foundation we were able to rehearse and promote our show extensively which contributed to us selling out the Jazz Café in Camden on a Tuesday night! We devised a method of playing our drum and bass show completely live, because it became clear when we were rehearsing that relying on playback from computers or sequencers would take away some of the energy and excitement of the live performance. Although I was a bit nervous about delivering a completely live performance I think it really paid off as we had a fantastic response from the audience. We aimed to break new ground in live electronic music with our show and, with the help of the PRS Foundation, we definitely succeeded.”
Tony Colman, London Elektricity
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHEME, PLEASE VISIT www.prsfoundation.co.uk/liveconnections
FOR PR ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SCHEME, PLEASE CONTACT KATE MACDONALD at LUMIN T: 0207 482 1466 / 07813 071 890 E: kate@lumin.org
ENDS
About Lumin (Scheme consultants)
Lumin is a London based company promoting in the UK and Europe. They handle bookings for Mira Calix, Juana Molina, Ceephax, Max Tundra, Kid 606, Bogdan Raczynski, Soundmurderer, Venetian Snares, DAT politics, Quinoline Yellow and Hood. In London Lumin organises parties and events in conjunction with the V&A Museum, Hayward Gallery, ICA, 93 feet East amongst other venues and unusual locations.
About The PRS Foundation for New Music
The PRS Foundation for New Music (PRSF) is the UK's largest independent funder purely for new music, of any genre.
Widely respected as a refreshingly approachable and adventurous funding body, the Foundation supports an amazing range of new music activity - from unsigned band showcases to composer residencies, from commissions for new music to experimental live electronica.
Its main aims are to stimulate and support the creation and performance of new music in the UK and to help audiences understand and enjoy the new music they experience. In addition it aims to motivate public debate about the state of creative music-making in the UK.
The PRS Foundation for New Music is a particularly significant force in supporting creatively adventurous and pioneering musical activity. Its funding and partnership activities have kick-started many unusual collaborations and projects and helped to underpin some of the most original and interesting musical initiatives in the UK over the past 4 years.
In 2004, The Foundation launched The New Music Award: the UK's most financially significant award for the creation of new British music. Widely heralded as the music community's Turner Prize, the £50,000 New Music Award offers a rare 'no strings attached' opportunity to the UK's creative forces.