ABOUT GMO

GMO - The Gabriola Microsynth Orchestra was formed in 2018, as a collaboration between Dinah Dee, Trevor Gear, Andreas Kahre and Alex Varty, — four seasoned performers with a soft spot for the intimate sonic world of embodied electronics; noise generators, crackle boxes, samplers and synthesizers controlled by human gestures, bananas and other edible objects.

Renowned not only for its sonic ardour, but for the visual splendour of its stage apparel created by Gabriola artist Heather Cameron, the orchestra specializes in creating a caleidoscopic array of sonic textures, and rhythms. GMO first performed in public as the musical feature act of the 2019 Poetry Gabriola ORBITS festival, in a collaboration with the iconic Canadian poet bill bissett and has since performed at events across Gabriola Island.

Individually, the members of GMO are accomplished musicians, improvisers, performers and sonic curators, with experiences ranging from composing for contemporary Gamelan to leading Canada’s premier children’s entertainers the Kerplunks, from free jazz drumming and a highly accomplished level of clowning and physical performance to roadhouse gigs with the Animal Slaves.
 

Gabriolan to the core, GMO is also fiercely transnational in its commitment to build on more than a hundred years of electronic music, and while the whole orchestra fits on a single table (under normal circumstances), its sonic range can only be described as boundless.

Is it Noise Art? Is it a delicate exploration of the exquisite lyricism of pre-digital ambiences? Is it bald-faced sonic anarchy? As out motto states, GMO is definitely on the spectrum.

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