The Lowest Form of Music: The Los Angeles Free Music Society in London

The Lowest Form Of Music
The Los Angeles Free Music Society’s London Weekend
The Lowest Form Of Music is the first ever event in the UK dedicated to the work and
influence of the legendary Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS). This weekend of
performance, film screenings and discussion will explore the legacy of one of the avantgarde’s

great unsung movements.
The missing link between the far-out West Coast freakscene that spawned Zappa and
Beefheart and the worldwide explosion of DIY experimental culture, LAFMS is a must-check
for all those with an interest in underground alternative culture. Using humour, collage and
buckets full of the bizarre, this collective kicked the early 70s out of its post-Manson
nightmare and into the avant-gutter of a pre-punk endzone.
The influence LAFMS has had on the explosion of international DIY culture is immeasurable.
Explicitly acknowledged as a motivation for the emergence of the Japanese noise scene in
the 1980s, as well as being cited specifically by the likes of Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
and John Olson (Wolf Eyes), the collective that emerged in LA in 1973 resulted in countless
adventurous music lovers tasting the delights of a new kind of creative freedom and getting
out there and doing it for themselves.
The Lowest Form of Music will take place over an extended weekend at Beaconsfield in
South London, a venue “distinguished by its history of providing a forum for extraordinary
events and exhibitions”. The programme will feature a host of LAFMS artists and groups
presenting performances, talks, films screenings and workshops.
Confirmed LAFMS artists performing at The Lowest Form Of Music include:
Airway, Le Forte Four, Smegma, Dennis Duck, John Duncan, Ace Farren Ford,
Joseph Hammer, Fredrik Nilsen, Joe Potts, Rick Potts, Tom Recchion, Takuya
Sakaguchi, Jackie Stewart aka Oblivia, Rick Stewart aka Ju Suk Reet Meate,
VETZA and John Wiese.
Special guests also performing over the weekend include the Japanese noise pioneers and
LAFMS disciples Hijokaidan and Incapacitants.
Talks and panel discussions around LAFMS and its worldwide influence will feature artist
and critic David Toop, Incapacitants’ Toshiji Mikawa and artist, composer and original
LAFMS member Tom Recchion.
“The LAFMS recordings (are) experimental rock history at its most historical and
hysterical - a completely bizarro and further-out counterpart to the LA punk scene.”
Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth
“LAFMS people have hybridized avant-garde, experimental, improvisational, punk, pop
and even humorous stuffs. For Japanese fans, LAFMS has become a legend.” ! Takuya
Sakaguchi, Osaka
“LAFMS were the New Weird America when nobody was payin’ attention 25-30 years
ago.” Roland Woodbe, Siltblog
“The monster is back in its original nature! Human synthesizers!! Hijokaidan in its early
days was heavily under (Airway’s) influence. Definitely a must for everyone in this era!”
Toshiji Mikawa, Incapacitants/Hijokaidan
The Lowest Form Of Music
Friday October 22 – Sunday October 24
Beaconsfield, 22 Newport St, London, SE11 6AY
Tickets:
Early bird weekend tickets (limited) £30
Weekend tickets £40
Friday tickets £13
Day tickets £16 each
Tickets are only available from www.wegottickets.com
Notes To Editors
The Lowest Form Of Music is produced by Harbinger Sound, Second Layer Records, No-Fi
and Sound and Music.
www.secondlayer.co.uk
www.no-fi.org.uk
www.soundandmusic.org
www.lafms.com
www.beaconsfield.ltd.uk
Harbinger Sound is one of the longest-running ‘noise’ labels in the U.K, and a major voice
in raising the profile of noise and related musics both here and internationally. It is also
responsible for bringing many notable noise artists to perform in the UK for the first time. A
long-time champion of the LAFMS, the label is notable for its reissuing of Airway’s seminal
‘Live At Lace’ and several key releases from the Smegma back catalogue.
No-Fi began life as a live promoter in Newcastle, UK in 2001, producing over 130 events and
2 festivals in an 8-year period. No-Fi has brought countless artists to the North East that
otherwise might never have performed there, across a diverse and esoteric range. Today,
No-Fi works primarily on tour production, acting as a booking agent to its growing roster,
and production management for festivals and other organisations.
Established in 2004, Second Layer Records started as an independent mail-order
specialising in avant-garde, experimental and fringe musics in general with an emphasis on
the DIY avant-garde and ‘noise’ culture. It has since expanded into a shop, record label and
event promoter having organised shows for Keiji Haino, Emeralds, Pain Jerk, Whitehouse
and more.
Sound and Music promotes fresh and challenging new music and sound through a range of
live events, learning projects and digital content. Its focus is on the growing stature and
appreciation of contemporary music, and its significant scale enables it to make a major
impact on public perceptions.
Beaconsfield has pioneered sound based performance and exhibition projects since the
early 90s. It’s earlier forums for experimental sound work, such as Nosepaint and Mother of
All Parties, have given rise to the annual commission series for new sonic works: Soundtrap,
cementing Beaconsfield’s position as a critical locus for sonic practice in London – a fitting
media partner and host to The Lowest Form of Music.