A gig held at Strange Brew on Thursday 19th June. The event starts at 19:00.
Ear Trumpet Presents:
Matters Unknown
+ special guests
Standing Show at Strange Brew (with some unreserved seats)
10-12 Fairfax St, BS1 3DB
Ages 14+ (Under 18's to be accompanied by a responsible adult)
Please note this show has been rescheduled from 15th Feb to 19th June. All tickets still valid.
‘Celestial blues, wrapped in contemporary global grooves’ is how Jonathan Enser -multi-instrumentalist, composer and brass contributor for UK afro-jazz merchants Nubiyan Twist - defines his project MATTERS UNKNOWN.
With MATTERS UNKNOWN, Enser fuses deeply spiritual and soulful inspiration with undercurrents that carry grooves from the roots of the Blues to West Coast trap, all evoked through African diasporic influence. The music is uncrowded and languid, finding urgency without restlessness.
To help access his vision, he has put together an ensemble that features some of the most powerful forces exploring music in the UK, each with different languages for conversing with his compositions. MATTERS UNKNOWN draws on the energy of musicians from Nerija, Nala Sinephro, Emma-Jean Thackray’s band, Nubiyan Twist, Noya Rao, Golden Mean and beyond.
t l k is a Bristol-based artist, vocalist and producer. Their practice centres the voice-as-instrument, in live, recorded and hybrid contexts, with palettes formed from found rhythms, analog synths and vocal layers. Their roots are in choral polyphony, blended with soundscape composition, electronics and audio collage. At the core is a deep commitment to the acts of noticing and iterating.
Fluid in genre and form, with a leaning towards cinematic ambient, downtempo electronic, skewed pop, neo-classical and musique concrète sensibilities, their works evolve from memory, dialogue, dreams and ongoing explorations into loss, selfhood, human behaviour and its coalescence and tensions with the non-human.
'Strength In Tenderness 2.0' (2024), 'Primed For Loss' (2023) and ‘Serenia’ (2023) introduced t l k's distinct palette, ethereal live presence and, most notably, a voice of tactile sensitivity to the UK and beyond, offering something gently assertive, ever-evolving and "truly transportive" (BBC6 Music).
In 2024, ‘Legs’ released via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, on Future Bubblers’ annual compilation. Key support has come from BBC Radio 1, 6Music, Radio 3, BBC Introducing and Jazz FM, including radio play, featured appearances and guest mixes.
Between 2023–24, they were part of VOICEBOX, the inaugural cohort of 6 international 'new music' singers, led by Juliet Fraser. In 2025, they are studying with Thomas Fournil of Idrîsî Ensemble, learning the ancient practice and notation of Old Roman Chant and Corsican polyphony, medieval music from as early as the 4th Century. Both of these experiences have had profound impact on t l k's relationship with the voice, and continue to shape their approach to vocal improvisation, composition and technology in tandem with voice.
t l k is currently working on their debut album ‘The Noticing’, set for release in 2025, supported by PRS Foundation.
eartrumpet
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Matters Unknown
+ special guests
Standing Show at Strange Brew (with some unreserved seats)
10-12 Fairfax St, BS1 3DB
Ages 14+ (Under 18's to be accompanied by a responsible adult)
Please note this show has been rescheduled from 15th Feb to 19th June. All tickets still valid.
‘Celestial blues, wrapped in contemporary global grooves’ is how Jonathan Enser -multi-instrumentalist, composer and brass contributor for UK afro-jazz merchants Nubiyan Twist - defines his project MATTERS UNKNOWN.
With MATTERS UNKNOWN, Enser fuses deeply spiritual and soulful inspiration with undercurrents that carry grooves from the roots of the Blues to West Coast trap, all evoked through African diasporic influence. The music is uncrowded and languid, finding urgency without restlessness.
To help access his vision, he has put together an ensemble that features some of the most powerful forces exploring music in the UK, each with different languages for conversing with his compositions. MATTERS UNKNOWN draws on the energy of musicians from Nerija, Nala Sinephro, Emma-Jean Thackray’s band, Nubiyan Twist, Noya Rao, Golden Mean and beyond.
t l k is a Bristol-based artist, vocalist and producer. Their practice centres the voice-as-instrument, in live, recorded and hybrid contexts, with palettes formed from found rhythms, analog synths and vocal layers. Their roots are in choral polyphony, blended with soundscape composition, electronics and audio collage. At the core is a deep commitment to the acts of noticing and iterating.
Fluid in genre and form, with a leaning towards cinematic ambient, downtempo electronic, skewed pop, neo-classical and musique concrète sensibilities, their works evolve from memory, dialogue, dreams and ongoing explorations into loss, selfhood, human behaviour and its coalescence and tensions with the non-human.
'Strength In Tenderness 2.0' (2024), 'Primed For Loss' (2023) and ‘Serenia’ (2023) introduced t l k's distinct palette, ethereal live presence and, most notably, a voice of tactile sensitivity to the UK and beyond, offering something gently assertive, ever-evolving and "truly transportive" (BBC6 Music).
In 2024, ‘Legs’ released via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, on Future Bubblers’ annual compilation. Key support has come from BBC Radio 1, 6Music, Radio 3, BBC Introducing and Jazz FM, including radio play, featured appearances and guest mixes.
Between 2023–24, they were part of VOICEBOX, the inaugural cohort of 6 international 'new music' singers, led by Juliet Fraser. In 2025, they are studying with Thomas Fournil of Idrîsî Ensemble, learning the ancient practice and notation of Old Roman Chant and Corsican polyphony, medieval music from as early as the 4th Century. Both of these experiences have had profound impact on t l k's relationship with the voice, and continue to shape their approach to vocal improvisation, composition and technology in tandem with voice.
t l k is currently working on their debut album ‘The Noticing’, set for release in 2025, supported by PRS Foundation.
eartrumpet
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
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