In the Round: Duet Emmo

Duet Emmo at ICA London

ICA presents Duet Emmo as part of our In the Round series.

Duet Emmo, the sole collaboration between The Normal’s Daniel Miller, and Wire’s Edvard Graham Lewis and B.C. Gilbert – will perform their world premiere performance together, nearly 45 years after they first assembled in Blackwing Studio in London to record Or So It Seems.

Miller, Lewis and Gilbert will perform as part of the In The Round series at the ICA this October.

Or So It Seems, an assemblage of electronic sound collage, drone and abstract art pop, was recorded by Daniel Miller (The Normal / Silicon Teens and founder of Mute), Edvard Graham Lewis and B.C. Gilbert (of Wire, Dome and solo projects) in the periods between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in ’81 and ’82 with legendary engineer Eric Radcliffe at their favoured studio, Blackwing in London. All three were incredibly busy with their day jobs, meaning this recording was their only album together.

Duet Emmo’s pioneering hybrid electronics are mirrored in the project name – an anagram of Mute and Dome - and in the album’s striking artwork, a collage by supreme animators and filmmakers, the Brothers Quay redesigned by Bart van Damme.