The Squid's Ear Magazine


Casserley, Lawrence / Emil Karlsen: Aspects Of Memory (Bead)

A first-time collaboration between signal-processing pioneer Lawrence Casserley and percussionist Emil Karlsen, exploring the intersection of memory, time, and gesture through real-time electroacoustic transformations and dynamic percussion, resulting in a richly textured and temporally fluid dialogue of spontaneous sonic architecture.
 

Price: $15.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Lawrence Casserley-signal processing instrument

Emil Karlsen-drums, percussion


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 5904224874605

Label: Bead
Catalog ID: 52
Squidco Product Code: 36547

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: UK
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded at Huddersfield University, in Huddersfield, UK, on October 13th, 2025, by Joe Christman.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Aspects of Memory is the first meeting between Lawrence Casserley (signal-processing instrument) and Emil Karlsen (percussion).

Casserley has devoted his professional career to the creation and performance of real-time electroacoustic music, culminating in the development of his own unique device-The Signal Processing Instrument. This instrument allows him to use physical gestures to control the processing and to direct the morphology of the sounds.

Casserley writes: "A key element of the Signal Processing Instrument is the manipulation of musical time, and the Signal Processing Instrument might be likened to a kind of musical time machine. Time is at the core of our understanding of the world; and memory is at the core of our understanding of time. Both are fundamental to our perception of music. What happens to this understanding when "artificial memory" interferes with our perceptions?"

Casserley and Karlsen both have a history with Bead. Casserley released Garuda with Philipp Wachsmann in 2012, while Karlsen has been involved in a range of collaborations with Wachsmann, John Butcher, and Mark Sanders since joining the label's administration more than five years ago."-Bead


Artist Biographies

"Lawrence Casserley (born UK, 1941) has devoted his professional career, as composer, conductor and performer, to real time electroacoustic music. In 1967 he became one of the first students of Electronic Music at the Royal College of Music, London, UK, on the new course taught by Tristram Cary. Later he became Professor-in-Charge of Studios and Adviser for Electroacoustic Music at the RCM, before taking early retirement in 1995.

He is best known for his work in free improvised music, particularly real-time processing of other musicians' sound, and he has devised a special computer processing instrument for this work (picture above). He has worked with many of the finest improvisers, particularly Evan Parker, with whom he works frequently as a duo partner, in various larger groupings and in the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble. He also works as a soloist, processing sounds from voice, percussion and home-made instruments. CDs have been released by ECM, Konnex, Leo Records, Psi, Sargasso and Touch.

Much of Casserley's work has involved collaboration with other art forms, including poets, eg Bob Cobbing, and visual artists, including Colourscape artist Peter Jones. He is a Director of the Colourscape Music Festivals, presenting contemporary music in the unique environment of the Colourscape walk-in sculpture. He also collaborates with Peter Jones on sound/light installations.

Casserley's "instrumental" approach to live computer sound processing is the hallmark of his work; the Signal Processing Instrument allows him to use physical gestures to control the processing and to direct the morphology of the sounds. This is the culmination of forty years of experience in the performance of live electronic work; his earliest live electronic pieces were performed in 1969, and he has performed many of the live electronic "classics" of the 20th century; he has also collaborated with other composers to realise their electronic performance ideas. He is noted for the breadth and variety of his collaborations, which cross styles and generations."

-Lawrence Casserley Website (http://www.lcasserley.co.uk/biography.shtml)
9/3/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Emil Karlsen is a Norwegian improvising drummer currently based in the UK. Described as a "significant addition to the UK free jazz scene" and an "exceptional improv drummer", he's establishing himself on the improvised music circuit working the span from free improvisation to free jazz. Occupied with the exploring timbral possibilities of the drum kit, he performs with Philipp Wachsmann, Matthew Bourne, Phil Durrant, Maggie Nicols, Ed Jones, and the London Improvisers Orchestra to mention some."

-Emil Karlsen Website (https://emilkarlsen.com/)
9/3/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Imagining 06:10

2. Discerning 10:49

3. Embodying 18:53

4. Evoking 05:23

5. Experiencing 12:48

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Duo Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
Bead.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Various Artists (Bauer, Casserley, Florodos, De Joode, Kujala, Narvesen, Taramontana, Schiaffini, Wachsmann)
SoundScapes Festival # 3 - Munich 2021 Schwere Reiter [2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
14 musicians from 9 different countries in various collaborative groupings performing acoustic & electronic free improvisations, the focus on soundscape and limited to 15 minute performances, developed by saxophonist Harri Sjöström in 2013 as "SoundScapes Festivals" and presented in Helsinki and now in Munich as part of the art-project "Aspects of Free Improvisation 2021".
Valid Tractor (Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Lawrence Casserley)
On The Validity Of Tractors
(FMR)
Each track on this album is named for a tractor brand (Eicher, Kubota, &c.) and the liner notes are directions regarding a tractor's maintenance, as the ea-trio of UK improvisers Pat Thomas on piano & electronics, Dominic Lash on double bass, and Lawrence Casserley on a signal processing instrument provide 10 inventive improvisations that validate a sound working condition.
Corringham, Viv / Lawrence Casserley
Anemoi
(FMR)
Lawrence Casserley is a pioneer of real time electroacoustic music, since the 60s working with other artists and developing his Signal Processing Instrument, using physical gestures to process and morph sounds; here he works with British vocalist and Deep Listening teacher Viv Corringham in an other-worldly collaboration of voice and electonics.
light.box (Bonney / Tremblay) + Tom Challenger
Eyre
(Bead)
For their fourth album and second on Bead, the duo light.box — Alex Bonney (trumpet, electronics) and Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (bass guitar, electronics) — join tenor saxophonist Tom Challenger for their first-ever performance as a trio, traversing cinematic drones, microtonal detail, rapid-fire exchanges, and waves of distortion in an immersive, exploratory session.
Jones, Ed / Emil Karlsen
Liminal Spaces
(Confront)
Recorded live at Saint Augustine's Wrangthorn in Leeds, UK, the duo of saxophonist Ed Jones and drummer Emil Karlsen bridge free jazz and free improvisation in a dynamic, low-key but deeply interactive session, emphasizing collective phrasing, evolving structures, and subtle momentum in an hour-long exploration of nuanced, expressive dialog.
Sveio
Latent Imprints
(577 Records)
A fascinating exploration of human-machine collaboration from UK trio Sveio — James Mainwaring on saxophone, Federico Reuben on laptop improvisation and live coding, and Emil Karlsen on drums — using AI in real-time to generate uncanny textures and forms, resulting in a spontaneously composed and constantly evolving electroacoustic sound world.
MouthWind (Van Schouwburg / Casserley)
Corps Et Biens - Hommage à Robert Desnos
(Creative Sources)
A surreal and visceral homage to French poet Robert Desnos, this collaboration between Belgian vocal improviser Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg and British electroacoustic pioneer Lawrence Casserley transforms the human voice through expressive physicality and real-time electronic processing — fifteen vivid episodes unfolding as a dreamlike, humorous, and haunting exploration of language, body, and sound.
Spaces Unfolding + Pierre Alexandre Tremblay
Shadow Figures
(Bead)
Performing together as Spaces Unfolding since 2021, the trio of Neil Metcalfe on flute, Philipp Wachsmann on violin, and Emil Karlsen on drums expands their initial focus on acoustic exploration, as heard on this debut album, with the addition of Pierre Alexandre Tremblay on electronics, blending acoustic and electronic elements to reflect on the evolving influence of technology in their sound.
Edwards, John / Emil Karlsen / Dominic Lash
Action Theory
(Spoonhunt)
A new take on the classic guitar, bass & drums trio line-up, bringing together three generations of improvising musicians--John Edwards on double bass, Emil Karlsen on drums and Dominic Lash, more typically a double bassist, here on a Telecaster electric guitar--in five studio recordings of great intensity and varying direction fueled by a minute attention to detail.
Sjostrom, Harri / Floros Floridis / Guilherme Rodrigues / Lawrence Casserley
Fields
(Creative Sources)
Two reeds, a cello and a signal processing instrument in this live electroacoustic improvisation session captured at Petersburg Art Space, in Berlin, Germany between cellist Guilherme Rodrigues, saxophonist Harri Sjostrom on soprano & sopranino using selected mutes, clarinetist Floris Floridis and electronic improvising legend Lawrence Casserley.
Butcher, John / Dominic Lash / Emil Karlsen
Here and How
(Bead)
Impeccably recorded in the studio, the long-running and varied collaborations of saxophonist John Butcher, double bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Emil Karlsen come together for the first time as a trio, recording eight succinct improvisations of remarkable technique and nearly telepathic dialog, allowing space for each player to display their masterful skill.
Sanders, Mark / Emil Karlsen
Muted Language
(Bead)
Steering far from pyrotechnics or histrionics, the drum duo of UK legend Mark Sanders and Norwegian residing in the UK and part of the new direction of Bead Records, Emil Karlsen, present six percussion improvisations that focus on textural interaction, melodic progression, polyrhythms, and sonic excitement through percussive elements; an exceptional duo.
Light.Box + Emil Karlsen
The Undanced Dance
(Bead)
The improvising duo light.box of Alex Bonney (trumpet) and Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (bass), using expansive electronic processing at the intersection of dark ambient, gestural improv and electronic environment, is expanded through the drums and percussion of Norwegian improviser Emil Karlsen, heard in these 2021 recordings at University of Huddersfield, UK.
Spaces Unfolding (Metcalfe / Wachsmann / Karlsen)
The Way We Speak
(Bead)
All three having met in the London Improvisers Orchestra, Neil Metcalfe on flute and violinist Philipp Wachsmann each worked with drummer Emil Karlsen in separate projects including Tern, and then at Karlsen's suggestion creating this new Spaces Unfolding trio, heard in their first album, recording in the natural resonance of St. Mary's Old Church in Stoke Newington.
Wachsmann, Philipp / Lawrence Casserley
Garuda
(Bead)
Both members of Evan Parker's Electro Acoustic-Ensemble and Colourscape, the ea-improv duo of Philipp Wachsmann on violin & viola and Lawrence Casserley using a signal processing instrument and percussion, are heard in these 2012 studio recordings in Buckinghamshire in 9 wide-ranging dialogs exploring permutations of playing, processing and transforming their instruments.
Bourne, Matthew / Emil Karlsen
The Embalmer
(Relative Pitch)
First meetings between British pianist Matthew Bourne and Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen, two intrepid and like-minded improvisers using unusual techniques, preparations, inside playing and unusual percussive sources that fuel technically superb performances from both musicians, heard in six improvisations informed by masterful skill and creative drive.
Arcturus (Jean Nichel Van Schouwburg / Lawrence Cassserely / Yoko Miura
Sverdrup Balance On Tour
(FMR)
A collection of live recordings from Sverdrup Balance, the trio of Lawrence Casserley on signal processing instrument, Yoko Miura on piano & Melodeon, and Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg on voice, recorded during their 2019 autumn tour in U.K., Belgium and North Italy, a skewed but generally optimistic group of ea- and voice improvisers with a wealth of creative inspirations.
Durrant, Phil / Emil Karlsen
Grain
(Noumenon)
A wonderfully assertive acoustic dialog between London improviser Phil Durrant on mandolin and octave mandolin, and Norwegian percussionist living in Leeds, UK, Emil Karlsen, the two focusing on a quick flow of ideas that ebb and flow naturally, each complementing the other in tightly defined interactions, creating a consistent sound of rapid texture and impetus.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Rogers, Paul
Peace And Happiness
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)
On a custom 7-string double bass, Paul Rogers delivers a powerful eight-part solo recital where deeply melodic lines and harmonically rich textures meet commanding technique — bowed chords, ringing harmonics and agile counterpoint — shaping fluid narratives that balance intensity and lyricism into a remarkable, satisfying journey.
Mimmo, Gianni / Ove Volquartz
Say When
(Aut)
A transcendent duo improvisation between soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo and low-reed multi-instrumentalist Ove Volquartz, who sculpt spontaneous sound into shifting forms and textures, crafting an immanent and unadorned expression that unfolds in dynamic interplay, breath, and resonance without narrative, embracing the moment with unwavering intensity.
Brice, Olie Quartet (Brice / Musson / Hawkins / Glaser)
All It Was
(West Hill Records)
Rooted in personal loss and global sorrow, this powerful quartet album from bassist Olie Brice stands apart from many of his collective projects by featuring his own compositions — deeply emotional pieces shaped by grief, love, and resilience — dedicated to mentors, loved ones, and poetic voices and performed with lyrical intensity and free jazz spirit by Brice, Musson, Hawkins, and Glaser.
Butcher, John / Phil Durrant / Mark Wastell
Poznan: Appropriate Density
(Confront)
A trio of iconic UK improvisers — John Butcher on saxophones, Phil Durrant on electric mandolin and electronics, and Mark Wastell on percussion — perform at Poland's Spontaneous Music Festival in a richly textured set of acoustic and electronic interplay, where density, space, and responsiveness converge in a uniquely dynamic and nuanced session of free improvisation.
Zorn, John / Dave Lombardo
Memories, Dreams, And Reflections
(Tzadik)
A fierce and unrestrained duo of pure improvisation from longtime collaborators John Zorn on alto sax and Dave Lombardo on drums, merging seemingly telepathic interplay, raw intensity, and deep mutual respect in a freewheeling session that channels decades of creative friendship into a powerfully assertive and unpredictable musical dialog
Deupree, Jerome / Sylvie Courvoisier / Lester St. Louis / Joe Morris
Canyon [2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Recorded at Firehouse 12 Studios, Canyon brings together four exceptional improvisers — drummer Jerome Deupree, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, bassist Joe Morris, and cellist Lester St. Louis — for a double album of fluid, high-stakes interaction, balancing volatility and restraint as they carve out richly detailed sonic terrain with spontaneous precision.
Lava Quartet feat. Almut Kuhne / Jordina Milla / Goncalo Almeida / Wieland Moller
Ethereal Chant
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
The debut from the international Lava Quartet — Almut Kühne (voice), Jordina Milla (piano), Gonçalo Almeida (bass), and Wieland Möller (percussion) — capturing the ensemble's dynamic interplay and fearless improvisation across two European venues, blending extended techniques, expressive freedom, and unconventional sonic textures in a deeply creative and spontaneous journey.
Niblock, Alan / John Butcher / Mark Sanders
Tectonic Plates
(577 Records)
A formidable trio debut from Irish double bassist Alan Niblock with British improvisers John Butcher on saxophones and Mark Sanders on drums and percussion, recorded live at The Black Box in Belfast and unfolding across five tectonically inspired pieces that channel collective intuition, dynamic interplay, and seismic shifts of intensity and form.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC