Ensemble
We Spoke is a contemporary-music company based in Lausanne and London and directed by the percussionist Serge Vuille. We Spoke merges “we speak” with “bespoke” and explores the huge stylistic range of contemporary music. Each of the ensemble’s productions focuses on a particular musical language, approaching it in terms of both musical interpretation and live performance. We Spoke collaborates with composers, artists, dancers, stage directors and designers to present an original, virtuosic and lively take on new music. Collaborators include Fritz Hauser, Jacques Demierre, Christian Kesten, Matthew Shlomowitz, Tancredo Tavares (Béjart school), Nefeli Skarmea, the biohacking laboratory Hackuarium and the artist Martin Creed, amongst others.
In addition to We Spoke, Vuille also directs the new-music series Kammer Klang in London. He teaches at the Royal College of Music, is in demand as a soloist and plays as a guest with Plus-Minus ensemble, the London Sinfonietta and Ictus Ensemble. Olivier Membrez specialises in new music and creative education projects and is the co-director of Pumpernickel Company and usinesonore cultural association. Julien Annoni, usinesonore’s other co-director, also performs with a variety of new-music ensembles as well as the singer Olivia Pedroli and in the musical The Lion King. Julien Mégroz performs as a soloist and co-directs numerous new-music ensembles and projects including Too Hot To Hoot, Hyper Duo, neuverBand and the theater group Compagnie du Bouc.
We Spoke has performed extensively in Switzerland, the UK and South America, at festivals and venues including Festival de la Cité and Le Bourg, Lausanne; Cabaret Voltaire, Zürich; Gare du Nord, Basel; Dampfzentrale Bern; Espace Forde, Geneva; Cité Universitaire, Paris; Unerhörte Musik, Berlin; Firenze Suona Contemporanea, Florence; the Lima Contemporary Music Festival; SESC São Paulo; Oi Futuro, Rio de Janeiro; Turner Sims, Southampton; and Cafe Oto, Kings Place, the London Ear Festival and the Royal College of Music in London. Residencies include l’Oriental, Vevey; Théâtre ABC, la Chaux-de-Fonds, Aldeburgh Music and Darmstadt Summer Course.
Different Beat is the result of a long-term collaboration with Fritz Hauser that we are looking forward to continuing in the future. Working with Hauser and Neu Records was a rare treat, which brought together such adventurous and diverse visions of music-making. Inspiring and exhilarating.
