John Berndt
Encyclopedia
John Berndt is a musician and organizer based in Baltimore
, Maryland who is best known as an extended-technique experimental saxophonist and electronic musician. He participated in the second wave of the neoism
cultural movement, the first wave having consisted of Monty Cantsin
, Istvan Kantor
, and Blaster Al Ackerman
, amongst many others. Berndt's participation in Neoism began after the 1st eight Neoist Apartment Festivals (1980 to 1984) during the "64th International Neoist Apartment Festival" in 1986 in Berlin and subsequently in the "One Millionth" in New York City
in late 1988 and the "13th" in Paris in 1994. Conceptual work by Berndt was shown at Documenta
X, in Kassel, in 1997.
As the founder of, and a member of the Red Room
-- a collective of artists and improvising musicians operating much in the spirit of the Los Angeles Free Music Society
that is now called The High Zero Foundation—-Berndt co-curates the Red Room experimental performance series, which has presented weekly events since 1996, as well as the High Zero
Festival of Experimental Improvised Music, a large annual improvised music festival begun in 1999 in Baltimore known for its qualification that improvising performers play in ad-hoc groups organized specifically for the festival.
This group became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, High Zero Foundation, in 2001.
Berndt is the musical creator of the Relabi style. He is also director of the Afro-Germanicist ensemble Multiphonic Choir, Second Nature improvising orchestra, and performance-art group Geodesic Gnome.
In 2009, The Emily Harvey Foundation in NYC held a retrospective show of Berndt's visual, language, audio and installation work. A festival of Berndt's music including collaborations with Elliott Sharp
, Peter Zummo, Katt Hernandez, and Second Nature was held concurrently.
Berndt runs the "Recorded" record label which has issued twenty-five CDs of experimental music, including four discs by Berndt's collaborator Henry Flynt
. Recorded was the first CD publisher of the music of Henry Flynt on CD, issuing four CDs of his music to date.
That Nothing Is Known (Quartet Improvisations), Recorded, 1998
The Hermeneutic Ubermenschen... Sing! (Thus), Field Recordings, 2001
In A Human Mood, Field Recordings 2002
The Montreal Concert, Stereosupremo (Italy), 2002
Tripod Mind (THUS), Recorded,2005
Portzeibe (THUS), Recorded, 2006
Occupation: 1980-1990, Heresee, 2007
The Private Language Problem, Abstract on Black, 2008
New Logic for Old Saxophones, Creative Sources Recordings, 2011
Oliver Marchart Neoismus Edition Selene, Wien, 1997, S. 16
THE ASSAULT ON CULTURE: UTOPIAN CURRENTS FROM LETTRISM TO CLASS WAR by Stewart Home.
Ist edition Aporia Press and Unpopular Books, London 1988. 2nd UK edition AK Press, 1991.
NEOISM
, PLAGIARISM & PRAXIS by Stewart Home. AK Press, London & Edinburgh 1995
Plagiarism: Art As Commodity and Strategies for Its Negation, Stewart Home, AK Press, London, 1987
How to Write a Résumé - Volume II: Making a Good First Impression (1st edition), tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE, Apathy Press, Baltimore, 1989
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland who is best known as an extended-technique experimental saxophonist and electronic musician. He participated in the second wave of the neoism
Neoism
Neoism is a parodistic -ism. It refers both to a specific subcultural network of artistic performance and media experimentalists, and more generally to a practical underground philosophy...
cultural movement, the first wave having consisted of Monty Cantsin
Monty Cantsin
Monty Cantsin is a multiple-use name that anyone can adopt, but has close ties to Neoism. Monty Cantsin was originally conceived as an "open pop star." In a philosophy anticipating that of free software and open source, anyone should perform in his name and thus contribute to and participate in his...
, Istvan Kantor
Istvan Kantor
Istvan Kantor is a Hungarian born Canadian performance and video artist, industrial music and electropop singer, and founder of Neoism....
, and Blaster Al Ackerman
Blaster Al Ackerman
Blaster Al Ackerman is the most commonly used name by an American mail artist and writer who has been active since the early 1970s.Heavily influenced by post-war pulp writers like Theodore Sturgeon, Raymond Chandler and Fredric Brown as well as by modernists like Ray Johnson, Francis Ponge and the...
, amongst many others. Berndt's participation in Neoism began after the 1st eight Neoist Apartment Festivals (1980 to 1984) during the "64th International Neoist Apartment Festival" in 1986 in Berlin and subsequently in the "One Millionth" in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in late 1988 and the "13th" in Paris in 1994. Conceptual work by Berndt was shown at Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
X, in Kassel, in 1997.
As the founder of, and a member of the Red Room
Red Room
is an interactive Adobe Flash horror animation, entirely in Japanese, about an urban legend called "the Red Room". The protagonist searches on the Internet for proof of its existence, only for the results to go horribly wrong...
-- a collective of artists and improvising musicians operating much in the spirit of the Los Angeles Free Music Society
Los Angeles Free Music Society
The Los Angeles Free Music Society has been, since the early 1970s, the banner heading of a loose collective of experimental musicians in Los Angeles, California who were joined by an aesthetic based around radicalism and playfulness...
that is now called The High Zero Foundation—-Berndt co-curates the Red Room experimental performance series, which has presented weekly events since 1996, as well as the High Zero
High Zero
High Zero is an annual festival of Experimental Free Improvised Music hosted in Baltimore, Maryland, US starting in 1999, and is one of the largest Free Music festivals in the US, if not the world. It is hosted by the Red Room Collective, a volunteer group that sponsors weekly concerts in...
Festival of Experimental Improvised Music, a large annual improvised music festival begun in 1999 in Baltimore known for its qualification that improvising performers play in ad-hoc groups organized specifically for the festival.
This group became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, High Zero Foundation, in 2001.
Berndt is the musical creator of the Relabi style. He is also director of the Afro-Germanicist ensemble Multiphonic Choir, Second Nature improvising orchestra, and performance-art group Geodesic Gnome.
In 2009, The Emily Harvey Foundation in NYC held a retrospective show of Berndt's visual, language, audio and installation work. A festival of Berndt's music including collaborations with Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
, Peter Zummo, Katt Hernandez, and Second Nature was held concurrently.
Berndt runs the "Recorded" record label which has issued twenty-five CDs of experimental music, including four discs by Berndt's collaborator Henry Flynt
Henry Flynt
Henry Flynt is a philosopher, avant-garde musician, anti-art activist and exhibited artist often associated with Conceptual Art, Fluxus and Nihilism.-Background:...
. Recorded was the first CD publisher of the music of Henry Flynt on CD, issuing four CDs of his music to date.
Discography
The Recordings, Recorded, 1994That Nothing Is Known (Quartet Improvisations), Recorded, 1998
The Hermeneutic Ubermenschen... Sing! (Thus), Field Recordings, 2001
In A Human Mood, Field Recordings 2002
The Montreal Concert, Stereosupremo (Italy), 2002
Tripod Mind (THUS), Recorded,2005
Portzeibe (THUS), Recorded, 2006
Occupation: 1980-1990, Heresee, 2007
The Private Language Problem, Abstract on Black, 2008
New Logic for Old Saxophones, Creative Sources Recordings, 2011
External links
- John Berndt
- Interview
- High Zero
- Red Room
- Baltimore City Paper Review of "Oddstruments"
- Baltimore City Paper Review of "That Nothing is Known"
- Baltimore City Paper preview of "Second Nature" Orchestra
- Fake Jazz review of "The Private Language Problem"
Book References
A Neoist Research Project N.O. Cantsin, OpenMute, 2010Oliver Marchart Neoismus Edition Selene, Wien, 1997, S. 16
THE ASSAULT ON CULTURE: UTOPIAN CURRENTS FROM LETTRISM TO CLASS WAR by Stewart Home.
Ist edition Aporia Press and Unpopular Books, London 1988. 2nd UK edition AK Press, 1991.
NEOISM
Neoism
Neoism is a parodistic -ism. It refers both to a specific subcultural network of artistic performance and media experimentalists, and more generally to a practical underground philosophy...
, PLAGIARISM & PRAXIS by Stewart Home. AK Press, London & Edinburgh 1995
Plagiarism: Art As Commodity and Strategies for Its Negation, Stewart Home, AK Press, London, 1987
How to Write a Résumé - Volume II: Making a Good First Impression (1st edition), tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE, Apathy Press, Baltimore, 1989