becplexus

[becplexus]

STICKLIP [album]

STICKLIP by Bec Plexus

New Amsterdam Records - Introducing the wildly playful avant electronica of Amsterdam-based Bec Plexus, whose musical mantra is to invite and invert. Her meticulously structured debut recording STICKLIP wanders to unexpected places with each song serving as a channel for a secret to be revealed: an absurdist confessional booth in the “church” of Bec Plexus.

STICKLIP has been released on April 24th 2020 by New Amsterdam Records, featuring contributions by David Chesworth, Ian Chang, Rafiq Bhatia, Arone Dyer of Buke & Gase, Pascal Le Boeuf, Richard Ayres, David T. Little, Tigue, Molly Joyce, Sanne Huijbregts and many others. “I love music that’s adventurous—meaning going unexpected places—and complex while also being inviting and physically appealing. I love when music feels like my native language telling a story I could never have imagined. I try to create a similar foundation in what I write. That often ends up somewhere in between contemporary art music and pop music.” What it ultimately comes down to is that Bec Plexus doesn’t care about measuring up to specific traditions or genres. “All I care about is to notice wondrous ideas, to hold on to them and nurture them into existence,” she explains. However it’s described, Bec Plexus’ STICKLIP is an intoxicating coming-of-age musical journey from one of the most exciting new artists of the second decade of the 21st century.

ALBUM CREDITS

composer // lyricist Amy Beth Kirsten - 6 Arone Dyer - 2, 11 Bec Plexus - 4, 7 David T little - 10 Molly Joyce - 1 Pascal Le Boeuf - 9 Richard Ayres - 3, 8, 12 Sanne Huijbregts - 5

arranger Bec Plexus - 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

performers Arone Dyer // voice and synthesizers - 2 Bec Plexus // voice and synthesizers - 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 // voice - 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 Bianca Gannon // gamelan percussion - 11 Ian Chang // drums - 9 JACK quartet // strings - 9 Kaylie Melville // percussion - 1, 10 Nick Martyn // drums - 3, 6, 8, 12 Tigue // percussion - 2 Tristan Renfrow // drums, percussion - 4, 5

producers Allison Wright - 1, 10 Bec Plexus - all songs David Chesworth - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 Ian Chang - 9, 11 Pascal le Boeuf - 9 Rafiq Bhatia - 9, 11

engineers Andy Taub // recording - 9: strings Dave Darlington // mixing - 9 Jörn Nettingsmeier // recording - 4,5 Nathan Fox & Blake Hoffman // recording - 9: drums Wouter Brandenburg // mastering - all songs

visual artist Mees Joachim - promotional visuals, album art and logo

[becplexus]

mirror image [single and video]

released on March 24th

nominated for the Independent Music Awards 2020: - Song - Spoken Word - Short Form Video - Concept / Experimental -  Short Form Video - Lyric Stereogum - “Plexus delivers her lyrics in tense spoken-word segments backed by frantic electronic production that mostly sticks to percussion, with flashes of harmony creeping in at strategic moments a la Radiohead’s “Idioteque.” With contempt dripping from her voice, she declares, “You wanna be my mirror image,” and then her voice shoots upward at a Björk-influenced trajectory: “A perfect replica!” At one point the music descends into chaos and Plexus furiously cuts loose. It’s electrifying stuff.” 🖤

you heard the gossip about us two. you saw it coming. you always knew which one’s a double? which one is true? all scuffed and beat up

🖤

big hug to Four/Ten, Pascal le Boeuf, Ian Chang, Rafiq Bhatia, and Nicole Patrick

mirror image is the second single of STICKLIP, a record that serves as a confession booth. i asked eight music friends what they wouldn't dare to say out loud. together we turned these stories into a collection of songs to gasp at. songs to jump to. permission to scream. STICKLIP will be released on April 24 by New Amsterdam Records.

[becplexus]

busy making steps [single and video]

released on February 11th on I Care If You Listen and February 15th on all platforms

to ‘go for it’ is a common advice, but to me, it forms a mantra that could become the end of me. i was born in a family and society that thinks and speaks in opportunities. micro-capitalists with the best intentions. this song reflects my life so far. i wasn’t alive if i didn’t move forwards. it took an absurd collision of life threads to make me implode, halt and tune in. may this song be a undeniable reminder that my people, surroundings and body don’t need any progress in order to be embraced and enjoyed. big hug to video artist Xuan and music wizard David Chesworth busy making steps is the first single of STICKLIP, a record that serves as a confession booth. i asked eight music friends what they wouldn't dare to say out loud. together we turned these stories into this, well... wondrous thing. a collection of songs to gasp at. songs to jump to. permission to scream. STICKLIP will be released in April.

[becplexus]

hypernormalization [EP]

living in today's world is incredibly exciting, while being terrifyingly challenging at the same time. Igor C Silva and Laura Nygren managed to capture this experience into this tense, tense song. globalisation, gentrification, the rise of technological omni-presence - it seems to be a bunch of clichés already, but yet, i can’t manage to get past it. an unease that the music certainly won’t hide.

hypernormalization by Bec Plexus

hypernormalization is the prequel to STICKLIP, a record which serves as a confession booth. i asked eight music friends what they wouldn't dare to say out loud. together we turned these stories into this, well... wondrous thing. a collection of songs to gasp at. songs to jump to. a permission to scream. hypernormalization was released on New Amsterdam Records on 10 December 2019. 1. hypernormalization [Igor C Silva's original feat. Bec Plexus] 2. hypernormalization [Mees Joachim's we are floating remix - radio edit] 3. hypernormalization [Bec Plexus & No Compliments remix] 4. hypernormalization [Mr Kapow's front dear remix] Igor C Silva - composition, production, mixing (1), samples (2, 3, 4) Laura Nygren - lyrics (1, 2, 3) Bec Plexus - vocals (all tracks), production, synths (3) No Compliments - production, synths (3) Mees Joachim - production, field recordings (2), cover art Mr Kapow - production, synths (4) João Miguel Braga Simões - percussion (all tracks) Jörn Nettingsmeier - recording engineer (all tracks) Fabian Acuna - mixing (3, 4) Wouter Brandenburg - mastering (all tracks) mostly recorded in September 2018 at EAR, Amsterdam, NL

[becplexus]

PostBlog

I deleted my social media accounts in March ‘19. If you’d like to stay posted on my musical endeavours, you’re welcome to join my PostBlog. Every other month I send out a handwritten newsletter by post. Almost 100 curious people have received it already, in 13 different countries. You’re welcome to write back, or just await the next one. If you’d like to join (YEAH!), please join me on Patreon. With a monthly contribution of 2 bucks, you help me covering the costs of stamps and paper. I'll take care of the rest! Scroll down for a Facebook post I wrote just before I left social media.

I’m deleting my Facebook and Instagram accounts on March 10th, and here’s why. Social media isn’t designed to be social. As Jaron Lanier puts it: It’s extreme socialism (“Everything should be open source and free.”) and extreme libertarianism (As Silicon Valley is mainly run by entrepreneurs.) meeting in one point: the advertising model.

Platforms like Facebook and Google were initially built to be used like Wikipedia; community-driven and community-focused. In the process of turning social media into businesses, improving the user experience continued to be the main aim. However, the underlying reason shifted from serving the public (with your long-term happiness in mind) towards behaviour modification. Now, platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are designed to monetise your attention.

We all know that likes and newsfeeds are addictive. We all know that the overload of online input numbs our curiosity and we all know that online interaction numbs our real-life social skills. For years, I tried to find a wholesome way to work around this, but on a personal level some things just wouldn’t click:

✣ Likes and comments too often are nothing more than a boost of validation. We don’t need and shouldn’t want that validation.

✣ It’s too easy to confuse social media engagement with true engagement. ‘Liking’ isn’t equal to ‘caring’.

✣ When experiencing anything, I don’t want to be thinking of sharing it online. Even if sharing would be for the sake of sharing ideas and joy: Is it worth it if you can’t fully focus on the moment in the first place?

✣ Based on our likes and comments, algorithms fill our newsfeeds with similar content. This doesn’t encourage us to explore, but compresses our perception instead.

✣ Not to forget that the content that reaches us often already is a compressed impression of reality.

As a music maker, I tended to think I need social media to reach out to my peers and listeners. I embraced the practical challenges, like switching between business and personal pages, like making daily posts, like creating more visual and catchy, and so on. But, also on a professional level some things just wouldn’t click:

✣ Music exists in time; to experience music if you need to give it time to be heard. How does that work on a platform that’s scroll-oriented?

✣ Simply sharing what I do (music) leads close to nowhere on social media. Posts solely reach people when combined with visuals and personal, big words (“I am so incredibly grateful for this amazing time I had with …"). Creating visuals and catchy texts are entirely different jobs that deserve their own loads of care if you want to do it right. Especially if you want to be sincere.

✣ People who follow your business page, won’t see your posts unless you pay for “promotion". And even then, you’ll only reach a selection of your followers.

It would be worth all the fuss if social media actually gave me a sense of community. But this is what it comes down to for me: When I organise an event, I have to put so much time and (emotional) energy into promoting it online, that I end up hardly inviting anyone face-to-face. When I look at a kick-ass looking Facebook event with 90 people “attending” of which only 6 show up to the gig, I don’t see a community. I see lost energy and lost chances.

Our attention isn’t endless. I want to spend mine on (actual) connection and creativity. Social media promises to serve that purpose, but simultaneously pursuits entirely different goals that serve the opposite.

Social media isn’t a necessity. It isn’t #bad either. I’m also not dismissing the benefits: especially Facebook has given me wonderful input and connections. But if the minuses outweigh the plusses, that’s that.

I’m happy, because leaving Instagram and Facebook will create mental space for me to explore other ways of communication, and because leaving today’s platforms can be a step towards future platforms that do make us feel good and connected. There is much more to be said. Let’s have that conversation, elsewhere.

Ending with some music - ’#allyouneed’ derived from an earlier urge to reflect on Facebook. Marcos Baggiani wrote the melodies and rhythms, and asked me to add lyrics and orchestration. Embraced by Nieuw Ensemble, we got to perform it in Muziekgebouw Amsterdam. Big hug!

PS // Here are a couple of things that triggered me to take this leap: Jaron Lanier - https://youtu.be/BCTlcj5vImk Dave Morrow - https://youtu.be/qMKZa-yPvUA Vulture - https://bit.ly/2GV1ucX Guardian - https://bit.ly/2MAJYxU

[becplexus]

Letter to a Tardigrade

for mezzo-soprano, two sopranos, fl/picc, con anglais, cl, alto sax, bsn, tpt, hrn, tbn, string quartet, double bass, piano, two percussionists (5'30")

with a text by E.E. Lampman

[becplexus]

Niet De Klucht Van De Koe

a 50-minute opera for 3 singers, recorder/EWI, viola da gamba, harpsichord, electric guitar, drums/perc libretto by Lisanne van Aert directed by Warre Simons commissioned by Grachtenfestival and Kameroperahuis Zwolle

“[…] extraordinary vocal lines, in a context of colorful instrumental music. Brechtje shows some guts with firm, bold and amplified sounds with rhythmical sharp profiles. A black burlesque […]” - Placer de Opera

“[…] one suprise after the other. Something odd is going on with the music, wondrously, beautifully and subtly composed for an ensemble with both baroque and rock instruments.” - Theaterkrant “Bredero meets Zappa. Full of suprises.” - NRC

[becplexus]

Jerboah - Bristly (EP)

Bristly (remastered) by Jerboah

[becplexus]

Jerboah - GNAW (EP)

Gnaw by Jerboah

[becplexus]

#allyouneed

for Nieuw Ensemble (fl, (bass) cl, perc, drums, hrp, el. mand, voice, vlc, db) composition, arrangement | Marcos Baggiani lyrics, arrangement | Brechtje // #allyouneed My gym selfie getting comments More than all the refugees Reminding me to buy sun cream, World cuddling and green   Hashtag we so happy Come join us Surf along Catch the feed Waving friends Hundreds, Here is all you need   Reaching out through the feed Heedless and seedless, drowning in Zuke’s creed   Like here   Like there   Why care Butterflies getting comments Starting a discussion on Trump’s cock Reminding me to buy a new phone   To function Reaching out through the feed Heedless and seedless, drowning in Zuke’s creed Surf along Catch the feed Waving friends Hundreds Here is all you need   When waking up, I need at least one like to feel good When moving on, I need at least ten likes to feel good When I make love, I need at least one hundred likes to feel good When I grow up, I need at least one thousand likes to feel good I need at least one million likes to feel good If I get less, I just refresh my page Gotta love this age

[becplexus]

La Cycle

3 songs for 3 voices and (bass) clarinet: - Lala - Lalala - Lalalala

La Cycle reflects and celebrates female power. By solely using “La” as text, a creative space is opened to explore the voice and to express emotions that words cannot describe. This approach is inspired by the oeuvre of Meredith Monk, especially by her songs called ‘Hey Rhythm’ and ‘Madwoman’s Vision’. Another source of inspiration is the research of Mirjana Lausevic, studying the Bosnian mountain singing tradition.

[becplexus]

EARsessions

This concert and video series celebrates music that both challenges and invites its listeners, that combines what moves the heart with what moves the brain, and that fits at every and any stage.  Dodó Kis and I started the EARsessions in November ‘17. 15 editions with over 30 bands and artists have followed since. Head over here if you’d like to stay tuned.

[becplexus]

Elements

for Nieuw Ensemble & Jerboah: recorders, fl, ob, cl, EWI, mandoline, gtr, el gtr, drums, percussion, vln, vla, vlc, db  (27’) combined with a stage and light plan designed by Brechtje, featuring Gabey Tjon a Tham’s installation 'Red Horizon’

full recording of the performance in Korzo:

Elements is inspired by the rise of the elements after the Big Bang. This was an incredible process in which an extremely hot cosmos core expanded, cooled down and in this way gave a chance for the smallest particles to unite and form the first elements. In my imagination, this has been a process in which the cosmos developed “shells”. Every shell was characterized by a new combination of density and temperature, creating the perfect environment for a new element to originate. Musically this inspired me to compose strongly distinguishable characters that simultaneously have clear mutual connections. A set of musical characters that form each other’s predecessors and successors. It will be exciting to join the forces of Jerboah - strong with grooves and improvisation - and Nieuw Ensemble - super precise and technical. Elements will lead us from the boiling regions where only quarks and gluons are ping-pong’ing around to the outer shells where unimaginably large elements prosper in an ice-cold vacuum. Along the way, we’ll gaze over the stable, almost static landscape of hydrogen and helium and we’ll see light flashing by. The musicians will be playing the in the middle of the hall, surrounded by circles of lights. The entire audience will be watching from the balconies. In this way, a flipped-over starry sky will develop in front of their eyes.

artwork by Manon Wertenbroek

[becplexus]

Marble Grit

for viola, viola d'gamba, piano, percussion (6’)

[becplexus]

Triadic Plays

ballet for violin, harp, philicorda and percussion (40’)

[becplexus]

to part

for choir and two organs (10’)

hearing that someone you know will pass away searching for a way to cope with it feeling desolate as we all do

[becplexus]

The Boat of Myself

for voice, santur, electric guitar, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, ud and tabla (8’)

text by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks