DeutschIncense of Music 65
A multisensory concert – Friday, 4. July 2025, 8 pm
Michael Thieke: clarinet
Elena Kakaliagou: French horn
Michael Vorfeld: percussion
Emilio Gordoa: vibraphone
Incense burning: Priprioca
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
Experience a unique convergence of sound and scent featuring Michael Thieke (clarinet), Elena Kakaliagou (French horn), Michael Vorfeld (percussion), and Emilio Gordoa (vibraphone). As these master improvisers weave intricate and exploratory soundscapes, the air will be gently suffused with the earthy, grounding aroma of burning Cyperus articulatus (Piri-Piri). This ancient plant, known for its traditional use in clearing and connecting, will provide an olfactory dimension to the concert, aiming to deepen the listening experience and create a truly immersive, synesthetic environment where Thieke’s nuanced clarinet, Kakaliagou’s evocative French horn, Vorfeld’s innovative percussion, and Gordoa’s resonant vibraphone meld with the subtle fragrance, inviting a profound, contemplative journey.
This ensemble immerses itself in the intimate world of sound and adventure music, seeking to break through its own patterns in order to flood the listener with the fascination of the unpredictable. The quartet — Kakaliagou-Thieke-Vorfeld-Gordoa — was founded in Berlin in 2015 and consists of four active musicians from the European experimental and improvised music scene.
Emilio Gordoa is a Mexican sound artist, percussionist, and composer whose work focuses on sound and performance as primary means of expression. Based in Berlin since 2012, his projects include solo and ensemble performances, sound installations, and compositions for film, theater and dance. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Jérôme Noetinger, Ingrid Schomliner, Yuko Kaseki, Burkhard Beins, Don Malfon, John Butcher and Sabine Vogel. Gordoa’s approach combines experimental percussive techniques with electronic elements, leading to invitations to present his work around Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil among other countries. He founded WildSonic platform for experimental music and he’s artistic director of FILEC Festival in Mexico.
https://www.emiliogordoa.com/
Michael Vorfeld is a musician and media artist, plays percussion and self-designed string instruments and realizes electroacoustic sound pieces. He works in the field of experimental, improvised music and sound art, realizing installations and performances with light and sound, and working with photography and film. In addition to his solo activities, he is a member of various ensembles and collaborates with artists who work in many different art forms. Based in Berlin, his list of activities includes numerous concerts, performances and exhibitions in Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
http://www.vorfeld.org/
Elena Kakaliagou is a Greek-Austrian French horn player based in Berlin. Her work is deeply rooted in contemporary classical music, experimental sound, and free improvisation. Kakaliagou is renowned for her exploration of extended techniques on the horn, pushing the instrument’s conventional boundaries to create a vast palette of sounds, from delicate whispers and multiphonics to raw, textural noises. She is a highly sought-after collaborator and a core member of several prominent ensembles, including the brass trio Zinc & Copper and the renowned new music ensemble zeitkratzer. Kakaliagou has worked with a diverse range of international musicians and composers, and her performances have taken her to numerous international festivals and venues, establishing her as a distinctive and innovative voice in the experimental music scene.
Michael Thieke ia a Berlin-based clarinetist/composer/performer equally at home across a broad range of musical environments, such as experimental song forms, collectively composing projects, improvising collectives, and music on the fringes of jazz. He is exploring the minutiae of sound, timbre and noise, with a particular interest in microtonality and related sound phenomena. The qualities of slowness are another field of his research. He has a preference for long-term collaborations and collective work. Some of his current Projects are: The International Nothing , Voutchkova/Thieke Duo , The Pitch , Der lange Schatten , Splitter Orchester, Magda Mayas Filamental , loading lift and move, Bruine, Porta Chiusa, The Clarinet Trio, The Magic I.D. , Marino/Thieke, milesdavisquintetorchestra!, Mur des Murmures.
Cyperus articulatus, often known by the name Piri-Piri or in German also as Gelenk-Zypergras (Jointed Flatsedge), is a plant species from the sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide and typically grows in moist areas, along riverbanks, or in swamps. Its slender, round, and distinctly jointed (articulated) stems are characteristic. The plant, particularly its rhizomes, has a long tradition in the folk medicine of various cultures, especially in South America and Africa, where various medicinal properties such as fever-reducing, digestive-aiding, or calming effects are attributed to it. For incense purposes, the dried rhizomes of Cyperus articulatus are primarily important, which are often traded as “Piri-Piri roots.” When burned as incense, the roots develop an earthy, woody, slightly spicy, and sometimes also somewhat sweet fragrance, which is often perceived as calming and centering. Traditionally, Piri-Piri is used for energetic cleansing rituals to free spaces or people from negative energies. It is also said to build a protective aura. In shamanic contexts, especially in the Amazon region, it is used to deepen the connection to nature, plant spirits, or the spiritual world and to promote grounding. It can also help to clear the mind and support concentration during meditation or rituals. Furthermore, in some traditions, it is used for love spells or to strengthen relationships, often in combination with other plants. Piri-Piri is thus a versatile incense plant, valued for both its aromatic and its spiritual-energetic properties, especially in indigenous cultures of South America.