Rafael Anton Irisarri (USA), Sabw, swanasa

The deep layers of dark ambient, drone, and electronica are revealed in this carefully crafted, audiophile session. Three outstanding machine musicians take the stage: Rafael Anton Irisarri, a peculiar figure in ambient music, whose live performances are considered a sacred spatial experience, characterized by slowly unfolding textures, distorted symphonies, and contemporary classical layering. He will be joined by two remarkable Hungarian performers: Sabw, who dissects the anatomy of emotional disintegration in his dense and dark compositions, and swanasa, who explores the relationship between spirituality and technology through organic sound recordings and delicate synthetic soundscapes, leading the listener into meditative depths.

Rafael Anton Irisarri (live) [Room40, A Strangely Isolated Place]
Sabw (live) [Free Sequence]
swanasa (live) [EXILES, A Strangely Isolated Place]

The concert is seated, and tickets are available in limited numbers. Recently renewed.

Rafael Anton Irisarri

Rafael Anton Irisarri is an American composer, producer, and sound engineer living and working in New York. A self-taught musician, he honed his skills and has released numerous albums on labels like Ghostly International, Room40, Morr Music, and A Strangely Isolated Place. His records hover at the boundary of ambient, drone, and experimental music, often blending contemporary classical and electronic elements.
His music often creates a melancholy, cinematic atmosphere dominated by slow-unfolding soundscapes, deep tones, and dense textures. His compositions reflect the influence of post-classical music, with string instruments, piano, and refined electronic modifications creating a unique, intimate sound space.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with numerous renowned musicians, such as Lawrence English or Simon Scott (Slowdive). Irisarri's meticulous methodology is evident in his works and sound engineering projects, with esteemed clients including Terry Riley, William Basinski, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Grouper, MONO, Devendra Banhart, Eluvium.

His most famous album, The North Bend (2010), evokes the atmosphere of the American Northwest landscapes, while Solastalgia (2019) is an emotional imprint of climate anxiety and environmental changes. His music is particularly popular among creators working in film and visual arts, being excellently suitable for meditation, installations, or as musical accompaniment for moving images. Irisarri's art builds narratives through sound, telling quietly spoken yet deeply poignant and elemental sonic stories.

Sabw
Sabw (Csaba Bognár) explores the liminal spaces of abstract, atmospheric, and dark-toned electronica. He has released materials with the ASAN Music Group, Free Sequence, and Pluto Sound labels, and is a co-founder of the N° Space audiovisual workshop and performance space. Completed Disillusionment is Sabw's deepest and most cinematic work to date. The four movements – including Elephant and Dream Deferral – offer an intense experience both musically and visually: every sound overflows physical boundaries, eliciting strong physical and emotional responses. Beneath the dense textures and grandiose soundscapes lies a surprisingly personal, passionate world, as if Sabw is building a map of survival from a nervous breakdown through sounds. The peculiar pairing of the album is affirmed by Rafael Anton Irisarri's mastering.

swanasa

swanasa is an electronic music creator known for deeply immersive soundscapes that blend elements of ambient and drone with profound transcendent themes. His work employs organic field recordings and synthetic sound design, exploring the delicate interactions between nature and technology. His sound art emerges from the search for "shaping time into space," the fusion of analog and digital, ancient and contemporary elements. He draws inspiration from the worlds of totemism, Jungian psychology, and Taoism.
His first EP, when you need to rest, let the sounds hold you (2023, EXILES), featured in Abul Mogard’s Rinse.fr mix, and was praised by The Quietus. His second EP was released in 2024 on the A Strangely Isolated Place label. These two albums form the basis for his live performance Life, Death, Life.
In 2020, he was one of the winners of the Telekom Electronic Beats competition and performed at several international festivals, including the German Blue Noise, Swedish INTONAL, as well as Hungarian stages like O.Z.O.R.A., DAAD, UH Fest, and INOTA. During his performances, he played before artists like Abul Mogard or Rafael Anton Irisarri himself.