The Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre, aka The B.E.A.S.T., is one of the city’s secret gems. Based at the University of Birmingham’s music department it’s essentially a speaker system taken to an extreme level, comprising of 30 speakers separately amplified and individually controlled from a custom-built desk. This allows the performer to “create an infinite number of possible sound images and sculpt the spatial, dynamic and dramatic implications of the music in a particular concert environment to interpret and realise the composer’s intentions.”
It’s been in existence since 1982 and was recently upgraded. Usually based in the University it also tours the world and is doing a series of concerts at the CBSO Centre on Gas Street from 2nd – 4th March. Following these is a free Sunday afternoon workshop.
The concerts feature “acousmatic music from InvisiblEARts“. Wikipedia has a nice entry on acousmatic music if, like me, you’re new to the concept.
Obviously the whole point of The B.E.A.S.T. is to experience it live, but there are a few audio clips of the sort of sounds it’s used for if you fancy a taster.
Hat tip to D’log