Pianist Pak Yan Lau makes no secret of her love for improvisation, sounds and experimentation. After studying in Antwerp and Porto, she moved to Brussels, where she is a much-loved figure on the local improvisation scene. The list of musicians she has played with is proof that she has earned her spurs: Paolo Angeli, Lynn Cassiers, João Lobo, Nico Roig, Eric Thielemans, Yuko Oshima, Andrea Parkins, Mathieu Calleja, Lazara Rosell Albear, Mathieu Ha, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, Norberto Lobo, Susana Santos Silva, Daysuke Takaoka, Lionel Malric, Gregoire Tirtiaux, Audrey Lauro, Mori-Shige, Giovanni Di Domenico, Manja Ristic, Peter Jacquemyn, Akira Sakata, Tetuzi Akiyama, Toshimaru Nakamura, Rie Nakajima and many more.
composition, chimes, toy piano, metal objects
Pak Yan Lau
chimes, toy piano, metal objects
Giovanni Di Domenico, João Lobo, Mathieu Calleja
harp, chimes, toy piano, metal objects
Vera Cavallin
sound and electronics
Christophe Albertijn
Many rooms
Lau’s musical house has many rooms. It includes minimal sound explorations (Lauroshilau and Stills), toy/noise-pop/rock (The Crappy Mini Band), free impro (in her work with Mette Rasmussen or Chris Corsano) and electro-groove/ambient (Going). As a soloist, she has released her trilogy Books. She takes on a different guise in each of them, playing a specially “prepared” piano (Book of Wood), a synthesizer, sampler and electronics (Book of Star) and, lastly, toy pianos, chimes and electronics (Book of Toy). This 10” triple album was greeted with extreme enthusiasm.
“Lau is more than capable of crafting intriguing soundworlds.”
- The Wire
BAKUNAWA
Now Pak Yan Lau is launching her new project Bakunawa* in co-production with nona arts centre. It is a continuation of her solo project Book of Toy, in which she showed her fascination for the natural overtones she creates with toy pianos and chimes. In Bakunawa she extends her collection of instruments to include metal tubes and a harp, writing for an ensemble of five musicians. Lau intends for the project to evolve into one long, crafted piece inspired by Asian ritual music, minimal music (think Philip Glass and Eliane Radigue) and ambient. Bakunawa promises to be its own world of sound that invites you to become immersed and lose yourself completely.
*Bakunawa is a snake-like dragon from the Philippines.
