Drumming Numbers, a racing percussion piece relying on the resonant body of the viola as a drum, backed by a metronomic click of a D# in the negative octaves, reduced to a clicking saw-wave, structured by a series of punctuated drum breaks with off kilter timing.

Super String Blue, explores the harmonics and double stops of the viola, re-pitched and excited by sound manipulation posed against the 2 meter long Super String, an instrument created by my father, Electronic Music pioneer Rolf Gehlhaar.

Marsh Lullaby, a piece not only made to send you to sleep, but to accompany the drift there itself and the beginning of REM dreaming…

Drumming Numbers For Amplified Viola and Synthesizers

Super String Blue For Amplified Viola and Super String

Marsh Lullaby For Amplified Viola and One Sample

A selection of studio recordings from Sonnen

It has legs

Runner Rubber

Detect Detective

Signaal (Fast Mix)

De Tail

Sonnen are a new experimental electro-accoustic duo with Max Baillie on Viola and percussion and Vahakn Matossian on electronics. Think Colin Stetson meets Stockhausen.

Max’s viola - heard both live and amplified is split and fed into an array of electronic resonators and phase shifters. Vahakn re-sculpts the vibrating strings creating sub-sonics and audible ghosts, creating careful analog synthesis and ‘touchable’ chain and feather-soft
sounds they call ‘grain rain’.
British-German violinist and violist Max Baillie is sought after as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral leader in the UK and abroad.
His musical life reflects his interest in the cross-pollinat
ion of musical styles, having led Bjork’s string orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall, recorded with guitar maestro John Williams, and dueted with Bobby McFerrin in New York. From folk tunes in the Welsh hills to major festivals across the world, Max leads a chameleonic life embracing classical, improvisation, and appearances on stages big and small.
Vahakn Matossian known under his DJ moniker ‘Harky’ live-twists the electro-accoustic world with left-field bleeps and percussion. Son of electronic music pioneer Rolf Gehlhaar (of the
Stockhausen generation), he is one half of the GENTLE MYSTICS SOUND SYSTEM DJ duo. His radio
show LOST TRACK on musicboxradio.co.uk pulls together other-worldly 'music from the other side' and regularly performs with Noemie Ducimetiere in the band NOUM.

Sonnen

Popular tracks