CONCERT

Erik Alalooga is a hopeless machine addict. Whatever he sets out to do or touches inevitably turns into a machine. His performances with self-built analogue sound machines can be seen as a manifesto critical of technological progress. His machines do not participate in the technological race; instead, they celebrate amateurism and exist meaningfully only within the context of a specific artwork. Musically, his work can be described as psychedelic noise, pseudo-shamanism and neo-industrial sound, created with unusual mechanical instruments.

The cornerstone of Alalooga’s musical expression is an analytical interaction with materials and self-built mechanical objects. The basic unit of composition is not a tonal note, but a periodically repeating noise pattern. Motors set mechanical objects in motion, creating cycles with clearly distinguishable sound patterns. Manual interaction with the objects and materials allows impulses, rhythms, and speeds to be manipulated, providing a foundation for dynamic improvisation during each performance. Electronic loopers make it possible to capture short fragments of these sound patterns and combine them into a larger whole. The imprecision of manually operated loopers introduces an organic human touch into the technology-based work and enables an endless variety of rhythmic foundations on which different layers of sound can be built. While the overall structure of the performances is composed in advance, the deliberate imprecision of the system leaves room for playful improvisation.

In recent years, he has performed with his raw, uncompromising sound machines in Tallinn, Tartu, Riga, Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Helsinki, Joutsa, Saarbrücken, Prague, Berlin, Campobasso, Nijmegen, Tilburg, and Manchester.

https://erikalalooga.bandcamp.com/music

CONCERTS

23/10/2026 at 20.00

University of Tartu Botanical Garden / Tartu, Lai 38

The concerts will take place on 23.10.2026 at 20:00 and 21:00

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