Jorrit Dijkstra

Tone Dialing’s music has developed into an idiosyncratic language, combining elements of free improvisation, minimalism, and the aesthetics of “glitch” electronica. The trio originated in 2000 with weekly performances at Amsterdam’s alternative ASCII Internet café – blending their sounds with punk hackers tapping keyboards in the background. Stretchy chord landscapes, hesitant guitar picks, subtle feedback effects, sampled drum noises, and analog synth textures are the ingredients for Tone Dialing’s trancey interactions. Dijkstra, Pallesen, and Heather’s carefully structured improvisations often develop slowly with a delayed sense of drama, and respect beat and melody as important musical elements.

After the limited edition CDR Elektrodoki (2001), Tone Dialing’s first official CD release Rigop Me (Evil Rabbit Records 07) features Dijkstra on Lyricon and analog synth, Pallesen on guitar and Heather on percussion and samples. This intensely focused document shows the progress of their long-lasting chemistry in six beautiful improvisations.

Saxophonist and Composer Jorrit Dijkstra spent his formative years in Amsterdam’s vibrant improvisation community, before moving to the United States in 2002. He has received the prestigious Podium Prize and has worked with Willem Breuker, Guus Janssen, Benoît Delbecq, Herb Robertson, Barre Phillips, Ikue Mori and Jandek. His current projects include his Flatlands Collective, with leading Chicago improvisers, and an electro-acoustic duo with New York drummer/composer John Hollenbeck. Dijkstra uses analog electronics – including the Lyricon, a vintage electronic wind instrument from the seventies – to extend his already flexible saxophone style. www.jorritdijkstra.com

Paul Pallesen counts as one of Holland's biggest guitar anti-heroes. He somehow balances a quiet reserve with a broad emotional range. Apart from being a deeply-rooted improvisor, he is a master in African guitar traditions and Celtic folk banjo styles. He composes for his own folk-improv group Bite the Gnatze and plays in the Astronotes and the Gravitones. He has worked in theater productions and with many figures in the Amsterdam improvisation scene, including Cor Fuhler, Jaap Blonk, Wilbert de Joode, and Martin van Duynhoven. http://home.planet.nl/~pallesen.p/

Australian percussionist Steve Heather left Melbourne for Amsterdam in 1994, and currently lives in Berlin. His huge dynamic range, combined with his precise sense of groove, make him one of those drummers that are so hard to find. Apart from his junkyard drumset he uses the percussive qualities of cactuses, chopsticks, shells, and mushroom boxes in combination with a sampler triggered by his drumset. He has worked with Martin Siewert, Boris Hauf, Toby Delius, Jon Rose, Cor Fuhler, Andy Moor, and Axel Dörner, among others. http://www.myspace.com/steveheather