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The mjf digital originals festival ran from January 17-21 2022. Each evening a newly commissioned digital work ranging from AI-interpreted musicians and immersive drum performances to dirty cinematic electronica and a suite of music for audiences to enjoy in their own meaningful location was premiered online.

Find out more about each work and watch back here:

Spacesβ€―by Night Porter – Monday January 17

Led by Leeds saxophonist/composer Emma Johnson and Manchester- based singer/composer Nishla Smith, Night Porter have created a suite of music celebrating outdoor spaces.
Audiences will be encouraged to visit such spaces near to them and to listen to the pieces in the environments for which they were intended, creating a connected yet remote listening experience that each listener can make their own. Audiences can also watch a new video for each piece from the comfort of their own home.

Gandering β€―by Mark Hanslip – Tuesday January 18

A radical audio-visual work in the form of miniatures fusing four solo improvisations from fellow musicians with AI-generated imagery that itself responds in real time to the music being created. Borne out of the surreal dystopia of lockdown and responding to the barriers placed on physical and musical interaction, the resulting pieces are a fitting reflection of our recent collective experience, a breath-taking example of the potential beauty to be co-created by humans and machines and a ground-breaking methodology for creating new work.

Above is just one of Mark’s four works which form his full commission. To view all the works head to the mjf Youtube channel.

Power Outβ€―by Sarah Heneghan – Wednesday January 19

An immersive, powerful duet between solo drummer Sarah Heneghan and contemporary dancer Megan Hatto, in which Sarah’s EDM-inspired Sheffield beats explode with dynamic lighting design, improvisation and movement. Catch the premiere of two recordings from this full-length show that was originally evolved through the mjf hothouse talent development programme.

Meet Me in the Realβ€―by Dirty Freud – Thursday January 20

The unruly prince of electronica, Ninja Tune fave and Glastonbury electronic artist brings together some cutting-edge improvisers and soulful vocalists for a set of anything-goes collaborations, mashing up their jazz lines with infectious grooves, animations and his own personal style of dirty cinematic electronica. As part of the digital festival, audiences can catch the music video premiere of Dirty Freud’s new track Fly Girl and listen to his new EP Meet Me in the Real.

Meet the mjf originals artists – Friday January 21

A short film for audiences to find out more about our mjf originals artists, their creative process and how they made their work. Produced by Badger and Combes and featuring interviews with Emma Johnson, Nishla Smith, Mark Hanslip, Sarah Heneghan and Dirty Freud.