NEWS UPDATE: 13th NOVEMber 2024

Thanks to Martina, Richard, and EnoWeb's own newsbot Tom Boon in no particular order for these news items.

School of Song – an online songwriting school offering workshops with acclaimed artists – has announced that Brian Eno will be leading its January 2025 songwriting workshop. So if you've ever wanted the opportunity to learn from Eno, here it is. Eno will lecture over Zoom on Sundays at 12:00 PT (20:00 GMT), with question-and-answer sessions and song-sharing on other dates. Given the likely number of participants (the workshop classes are unlimited), "we cannot guarantee that you’ll get Brian's feedback on your songs". The course is $160 which is probably slightly less than U2 and Coldplay paid him. Lecture topics include The Role of Surrender, Avant Gardening, Creating a Compelling Sonic World, Oblique Strategies, and Should Music Still Be Called Music? Lectures will be downloadable afterwards for students to revisit [or watch for the first time if the original lecture time is not convenient].

Eno says: "I'm looking forward to the chance to properly articulate some ideas about the creative process that have been fermenting over the last 50 years. To be able to do this with some fresh young minds and imaginations was a chance that I couldn’t refuse." But EnoWeb is sure the workshop will be open to old codgers as well.

BRIEF SNIPPETS

NEWS UPDATE: 27th October 2024

Thanks to Dario, Rory, Bruce, Brian, Richard, Rupert, and EnoWeb's own newsbot Tom Boon in no particular order for these news items.

A mere 16.5 years after Publisher's Weekly reported "musician and producer Brian Eno [...] is writing about art in the tentatively titled 44 Minutes: A Big Theory about Culture", Brian is releasing What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory, a new book written in collaboration with Bette A. A Facebook post says that "the book examines the function of fictional worlds – such as pop songs, detective novels, soap operas, shoe tassels and the hidden language of haircuts – and suggests a new theory of art. Why do we do it? How does it help us? And how does it hold us all together?" The full colour illustrated hardback book will be released first in a limited edition of 777 signed copies and unlimited £/$1 PDFs at the start of December; each copy comes with its own unique slipcase hand-painted by Brian and Bette A in a stencil spray-paint style which will be familiar to some from the Antennae #1 boxes given out to attendees at the Pagan Fun Wear event in aid of War Child in 1995. A follow-up post on 25th October stated "We’ve been humbled by the reaction to What Art Does. Not many left so thanks so much to everyone that’s bought a copy." And not long after that, the limited edition had completely sold out. All profits from the limited edition hardback and the PDFs will be donated to EarthPercent and The Heroines! Movement. In January 2025 the book and ebook will be conventionally published by Faber & Faber.

ENDLESS SUMMER

Upcoming: the climate solutions charity Ashden offers an evening with Brian plus lots of other people at his studio space on 7th November, if you've got 200 quid going begging.

Downgoing:

  • "Stiff" video – from footage unearthed by Gary Hustwit
  • Eno recommended This Is Our Home to Coldplay – performance of "What's Goin' On?" at Eno's studio
  • The September 2024 issue of Sight and Sound included an interview with Brian by Walter Murch
  • On 4th September Brian spoke to Joe Boyd about his new book And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain at Foyles bookshop in London – here are some photos
  • Brian was a special guest at the inaugural Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI) on 12th September
  • He made a donation to his local MP Clive Lewis
  • He promoted a T-shirt
  • He was interviewed by the Institute for Management Development (IMD)
  • On 10th October Brian and Stephen Fry took part in the Pioneer 2024 conference run by AI customer support specialists Intercom; their session is not currently available for viewing but might be summarised as "Come for the AI, stay for the STD" owing to a somewhat fruity anecdote at the end
  • A donation was made to Coalville CAN (unclear whether it was personal or via an organisation)
  • Brian provided a soundscape of flying drones and helicopters for Amos Trust's Requiem event on 21st October at Central Hall, Westminster in London
  • Saint Leonard released a single called "Red Book", co-written with Brian Eno: The Line Of Best Fit

NEWS UPDATE: 15th JULY 2024

Thanks to Martina, Rory, Dario, Paul, Richard, Jim, Patrick, Samantha, Mark, Dean, and EnoWeb's own newsbot Tom Boon in no particular order for these news items.

After a manufacturing delay of a few months the Eno soundtrack album is now available on vinyl and CD. Meanwhile Gary Hustwit is continuing to tour with his generative documentary film Eno, which is also appearing for a run in some cinemas in the Picturehouse chain in the UK, and other cinemas in the US; Chance Operations (Gary's Substack blog) has the latest details about his schedule and the venues. Brian appeared on BBC 6 Music to plug the film and album on 11th July. As well as the soundtrack a series of digital EPs is being released with further tracks from his back catalogue (nothing new though).

BACK TO NATURE

Brian is a key player in Sounds Right, which classifies Nature as an artist for the first time so that the Earth can finally get its grubby hands on some spondoolicks. A series of singles was released, with Brian doing a remix of the Bowie-Eno track "Get Real" which was originally included on the "Strangers When We Meet" CD single. He also worked on a remix of AURORA's "A Soul With No King".

CATCHING UP

Brian has been keeping up his usual hectic pace in the months since EnoWeb's previous update – here's what he's been up to and some forthcoming appearances.

  • The Fête of Britain: Review of FACE TO FACE at the Manchester Union (February)
  • The Fête of Britain: Eno's introduction to the Sunday Service (February)
  • Artnet feature on the Hard Art collective
  • Eno talks about Hard Art
  • Eno will be talking more about Hard Art at the Greenbelt Festival (sometime over 22nd-25th August)
    [The Greenbelt wesbsite later added a note: 'For personal reasons, we’re sad to say that Brian Eno can’t join us at the festival this year. But Brian says he’s “determined” to make it back next year… as, in his words, “Greenbelt is my favourite festival”.']
  • He'll then be talking about EarthPercent at Forwards Bristol (31st August)
    [Not sure if that was cancelled as well]
  • After that, he's at Foyles bookshop in London talking to Joe Boyd about Boyd's new book And the Roots and Rhythm Remain (4th September)
  • MusicTech report on AVA London discussion (February-March)
  • ClashMusic report on the same
  • The most important question to ask podcast with Brian and Yanis Varoufakis (April);
    Eno Spotters' Guide Notes:     Eno says he found The Fête of Britain event "the most exhausting thing I've ever done"
  • FACE TO FACE for Mexico was exhibited in Colegio De San Ildefonso, Mexico City from 8th to 26th May - Festival El Aleph feature - Time Out feature (May)
  • Voices for Gaza: Eno reads a letter from Ibrahim Hassona (May)
  • A short video of Eno for World Localization Day
  • Eno's I Dormienti music accompanied an exhibition by Wallace Chan
  • Brian supported Jeremy Corbyn's (successful) bid for re-election to the UK Parliament (June)
  • Brian read the intoduction to Drawn Without Looking, a book raising funds for Hard Art (June)
  • A recording of the Bloom app
  • "Brian Eno, an artist against genocide" (June)
  • Brian gave one of the keynote speeches for the Institute for Management Development's 2024 Orchestrating Winning Performance week in Lausanne on 27th June. This was his regular talk about Why We Do Art And Culture, and it would be fair to say that the audience was unusually unreceptive to begin with.
    Mustard's Management Notes:     Eno deployed rather more F-words than is normal in a keynote speech – and criticised the audience, which is perhaps not the best way to keep people on side.
    Eno Spotters' Guide Notes:     the speech took in a number of familiar waypoints: a complaint about the sound quality/feedback, art, haircuts, screwdrivers, the two women on the bus, Surrender. In speaking about the importance of context and signs that shape and indicate our worldview, he briefly donned a MAGA hat as a joke.
    Mustard The Tortoise:     "I got the best screwdrivers the like of which the world has never seen before. A man came up to me and he said, Sir, you've got the greatest screwdrivers. I said, I know. And you see this? They got different handles. Steel! We got the best steelmakers. But why can't we make screwdrivers out of marble? My idea, great idea. But they won't let you."
  • David Sheppard's biography of Eno On Some Faraway Beach has been republished by White Rabbit Books in "fully revised and updated" form, with a new introduction by Alan Warner and a fresh chapter looking at Eno's activities since the original publication in 2008 (4th July)
  • Atlas of the Future: an interview from 2022
  • Photo of Eno, Geoffrey Oryema and Peter Gabriel in 1989
  • Eno reads "Oh Rascal Children of Gaza" in 2023
  • Eno writes to Eventide, in June 1992
  • Clips of the Nothing Can Ever Be The Same Dawes/Hustwit installation, in 2023
  • Photo of Eno, Bonn, in 1998
  • Eno on the Eno!

RELATED ARTISTS

A few notes on activities by collaborators/arrangers

NEWS UPDATE: 19th FEBRUARY 2024

Thanks to Martina, Dario, Rory, Veerji, Richard, Dominic, Rupert, and EnoWeb's own newsbot Tom Boon in no particular order for these news items.

Forever VoicelessDirector Gary Hustwit's new documentary film Eno is getting a soundtrack album. Released by UMR on 19th April (or 7th June in North America and Mexico), the official soundtrack is a retrospective of Eno's career with 17 tracks – 14 from earlier albums, plus 3 previously unreleased, including "Lighthouse #429" which can be played now.

The album is Eno's first on the UMR label (Universal Music Recordings, which is responsible for Universal Music UK's catalogue; as its Instagram description helpfully explains, "We drive the continued cultural impact of our songs & artists"). It will be available on CD, digitally, or double LP with two vinyl options – recycled black, or pink and white vinyl (direct sales only).

Attention, Residents of the British Sector: the Eno film will have its UK premiere at the Barbican cinema in London on Saturday 20th April at 8pm, followed by a conversation with Brian Eno, Gary Hustwit and Brendan Dawes. Citizens who pre-order a CD/vinyl copy of Eno the official soundtrack from the Brian Eno Online Store by 4pm GMT on 21st February 2024 will get early access to book tickets for the film, via a unique code and link which they will receive via email by 8pm GMT on 21st February 2024. Ticket sales commence at 10am GMT on 22nd February 2024, although early access does not guarantee that human units will be able to purchase a ticket. As you'd expect, Terms and Conditions apply but we don't have link for them. As you might not expect, no purchase is necessary and you can click here to submit your email address for entry.

iTunes gives the track listing as:

  1. All I Remember
  2. The Secret Place
  3. Cmon
  4. Ho Renomo
  5. Sky Saw
  6. Spinning Away
  7. Motion In Field
  8. There Were Bells
  9. Third Uncle
  10. Everything That Happens
  11. Stiff
  12. Emerald and Lime
  13. Hardly Me (Instrumental)
  14. Regiment
  15. Fractal Zoom
  16. Lighthouse #429
  17. By This River (Live at The Acropolis)

SPIN CYCLE

Paul Stolper Gallery has launched Turntable II, a follow-up to Eno's original colour-changing Turntable. The new Turntable II has a circular base (and platter, obviously), each of which the press release says "change[s] colours independently, seamlessly phasing through combinations of generative ‘colourscapes’. The pattern of lights, the speed at which they change and how they change are programmed, but programmed to change randomly and slowly. It plays both 33 and 45rpm vinyl." Former Roxy Music member Brian Eno says: "When it doesn’t have to do anything in particular, like play a record, it is a sculpture ... It’s the softness of these colours and the way they merge with each other that is so seductive". The edition is limited to 150 dansettes and starts at £20,000 (plus VAT) each with the price increasing as numbers decrease in that mysterious art-world way. You can at least window-shop by gawping at it in the gallery from until 9th March.

FÊTE ACCOMPLI

Brian Eno's Face to Face installation is running from 22nd to 25th February at North Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ. It's part of the four-day Fête of Britain event. Brian will also participate in the Sunday Service on 25th February in the South Warehouse with Jarvis Cocker.

After that, Brian's off to the A Greener Future Conference for the EarthPercent Hour (also with Jarvis Cocker) on 27th February, then AVA London. It's a wonder he gets any composing done!

FILM FOR MUSIC

Following its acclaimed premiere at Sundance, the generative Eno film will be shown in numerous locations worldwide over the coming months, as well as the London date mentioned above. US dates announced so far are May 1 at New York's SVA Theater, May 4 at Los Angeles' Alex Theatre, May 5 at SIFF Cinema Downtown in Seattle, May 8 at Portland Oregon's Tomorrow Theater, May 10 at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Theater, and May 23 at The Music Box in Chicago. Each of these showings will be created "in real time, custom tailored to each audience", Gary Hustwit says on his Chance Operations Substack blog. According to a reply to an Instagram comment, "There are no plans for a physical release (the film is different every time it’s shown). No streaming platform has the technology yet to stream Eno, but we’re working on it!" EnoWeb says: What about a CD-ROM with QuickTime video? They're all the rage these days.

PARALIPOMENA

NEWS UPDATE: 8th JANUARY 2024

Thanks to Martina, Dario, Rory, Veerji, Buck, Michael, Stefano, Freek Rupert, Nicholas, Richard, Rupert, Joseph, and EnoWeb's own newsbot Tom Boon in no particular order for these news items.

Gary Hustwit's documentary film ENO will get its world premiere on 18th January at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. There will be three further screenings in Park City and one in Salt Lake City. Although some Sundance films can be viewed online, these screenings are in-person only. The film description says:

Hustwit and creative technologist Brendan Dawes have developed a bespoke generative software designed to sequence scenes and create transitions out of Hustwit’s original interviews with Eno, and Eno’s rich archive of hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage, and unreleased music. Each screening of Eno is unique, presenting different scenes, order, music, and meant to be experienced live.

There will be further screenings worldwide and a streaming release at some stage.

CATCHING UP

Rounding up the stuff that happened between EnoWeb's August 2023 update and now.

Other news sources

 

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EnoWeb's Newsbot is Tom Boon.