EPIC RICK
MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCES AND INSTALLATIONS
by Richard van Kruysdijk
Richard adopted this tongue-in-cheek alias in 2019, as an umbrella name for his new multimedia work.
In EPIC RICK's manifestation as a live performance act, Richard creates live drone / glitch music, augmented with an interactive video projection / installation.
With an arsenal of cross-connected analogue effects and manipulated electronic sound sources, Richard's haunting drones are dragged through gravel while sounds are mangled, chopped, and regenerated into new entities. The interactivity of his instrumental setup is extended to the video projection, showing manipulated abstract imagery that is generated by and reacts on the audio. Standing behind a transparent screen, Richard becomes part of the visual experience, blending in with the video, thus emphasising the interaction between sound and image.
EPIC RICK is a continuation of Richard's research into minimalist drone music that started with his solo project CUT WORMS, with which he has released 3 albums between 2014 and 2021. 'RGB' is his latest live production.
SLICES
reimagining Giacinto Scelsi
2019
‘SLICES' emphasises the influence of Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) on Richard’s work.
Count Giacinto Scelsi D’Ayala Valva, aristocrat, poet and composer, was one of the twentieth century’s more unusual musicians. He is best known for writing music based around a single pitch, altered in various ways, through microtonal oscillations, harmonic allusions, and changes in timbre and dynamics.
In a different time and place, Dutch musician and composer Richard van Kruysdijk felt the same urge to minimise tonal information in his new intuitive compositions. Later, he discovered Scelsi’s music, recognised his journey, felt a kind of kinship, and started investigating Scelsi’s wondrous music more intensively.
LIVE DATES
23 + 25 Aug. 2019 - TAC - Eindhoven (premiere)
27 Oct. 2019 - DDW - Eindhoven
1 + 25 Jan. 2020 - TAC - Eindhoven
15 Nov. 2019 - Witte Rook - Breda
5 + 6 Oct. 2021 - Hour Zero Festival @ Weelde - Rotterdam
DOGS
2023
The performance DOGS was an exclusive part of the EPIC RICK exhibition 'Ghosts'.
LIVE DATE
22 Apr. 2023 - TAC - Eindhoven
RGB
2025
EPIC RICK's third performance ‘RGB' is a further development of his setup.
Switching from the monochrome red of his performance 'SLICES' to the full RGB colour spectrum, in which different instruments generate different colours.
LIVE DATES
28 Dec. 2024 - Modulab @ POM - Eindhoven (premiere)
31 Jan. 2025 - De Kruisruimte - Eindhoven
21 & 22 March 2025 - Hour One - Baanhof, Rotterdam (NL)