Zyggurat, an electronic music project by Pete Grimshaw on modular synthesizer, featuring Piera Onacko on accordion and Nathan England-Jones on drums launch their new project, Broken CIrcle on local label, Clay Pipe at Grow on July 5 🌊
Support on the night comes from Jo Johnson!
The band have received acclaim for their skilful and spontaneous modular synth performances, drawing special praise for the sonic interplay between the synth work and the organic flow of the drums.
“The name ‘Zyggurat’ derives from the inverted ziggurat of Birmingham’s lost brutalist library, designed by John Madin. It was completed in 1974 and demolished in 2016, and ties in with Birmingham’s history for rebuilding and remodelling its architecture and cultural heritage. I treated the album as a journey though this cycle of destruction and regeneration. It comes down to feelings on the passage of time, utopian hopes, journeys, dreams, reclamation, and nostalgia. “ Pete Grimshaw
“This is great, a proper trippy sea of synth-jazz” - James Holden
“Lithe, evolving, lyrical, highly recommended!” - Dan Bean
“I love the Zyggurat album. A flowing cosmic conversation between the modular synth and drums. Who ever knew such beautiful cosmic jazz would come from Birmingham” - Surgeon
“Highly recommend checking out Zyggurat” - Paddy Shine, Gnod
Zyggurat’s Broken Circle is the 5th in the series of Mini CDs on Clay Pipe. Each tiny 8cm disc brings 20 minutes of outstanding music with no filler. Presented in bespoke packaging, that recalls the look of the early releases on the label, these CDs bring new musicians and producers to Clay Pipe and act as a space for more familiar names to experiment. They have released two EPs "Beyond the Breaks" (2018) and "Earth II" (2020), as well as a self titled LP in 2022.
Jo Johnson has been making music and organising events since the early 90s and her explorations in sound have ranged from free-form punk with Huggy Bear, to techno and, for the last 10 years, emotionally-drenched, electronic minimalism. Her 2014 debut, solo album, Weaving (Further Records), has been described as a modern classic. She recently performed in New York to celebrate the release of her latest record, The Wave Ahead, which came out on Brooklyn-based label Mysteries of the Deep in January. Alongside her solo work, Jo collaborates with composer and multi-instrumentalist Hilary Robinson and they have a live album, Session One, on label 9128.live.
Jo is a regular performer at the UK’s Freerotation festival in Wales and a long-term member of the London-based collective Bleep43. Bleep43’s recent “Horizontal” events are designed to create an immersive, deep listening experience and have included UK debut performances by Sarah Davachi, Transcendence Orchestra, Bana Haffar and Jonathan Fitoussi.
“Weaving is less music to be analysed than an experience to submit to. “Submit” might be the wrong term, since it doesn’t take much voluntary effort to be consumed by Johnson’s rippling, radiating music; just open your ears, hit play, and pretty soon you’re swimming in the sonic deep end.” – Marc Masters
“Jo is a pioneer in this field that harkens back to the many greats who started it all.” – Ryan Griffin (A Strangely Isolated Place)
Entry £6 per person to book a premium table and £5 for advance tickets.
To book a table for you and your friends, click on the widget to the right and select the date of the event and pick your time. We accept bookings up till 8pm. There are a limited amount of tables available to book of varying sizes and there are plenty of spaces available for walk ups.
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Food & Drink - Kitchen open till 10pm
Our Spice Trail Menu is predominantly plant based, with some ethically sourced meat options, as part of our conscious drive towards sustainability. Our passion is for the cooking of the Middle East and southern Mediterranean so expect punchy flavours, warm spices and as always the best ingredients we can find to comfort and nourish the soul.
With our drinks, we partner with breweries St Austell and Signature Brew for our lagers and IPAs and serve organic wine and prosecco which help international wildlife charity, Born Free. We design our spin on such drinks as Rum Punch, homemade Hackney Spiced Rum and Espresso Martini.