biography & discography

BIOGRAPHY

Adrian Lim-Klumpes trained as a classical pianist before entering the Conservatorium of Music, Sydney in 1997 to study jazz. Attaining his Bachelor of Music in the 2000’s he largely composed for conceptual improvisation under such project names as Adrian Klumpes’ Homebrand and  90degrees.

In 2001 Adrian joined with fellow Conservatorium jazz students, Ben Waples (bass) and Laurence Pike (drums) to form a jazz piano trio, Triosk. Triosk aimed to broaden the scope and potential of the genre by performing improvisation-based music where electronics were an ‘active and equal’ component. From 2001 - 2007 Triosk gained a reputation as a forerunner of an emerging post-jazz scene that incorporated techniques and textures of minimalism and electronica into the piano trio format. Their first album released in 2003, 1+3+1 was a collaboration with German microhouse producer Jan Jelinek and began a successful series of performances and recordings. The band released two critically acclaimed albums, Moment Returns in 2004 and The Headlight Serenade in 2006 both on UK’s  Leaf Label. After a large-scale tour across Asia and Europe, the trio disbanded in 2007, with a final performance at the prestigious Wangaratta Jazz Festival.

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In 2006, Adrian released his debut solo album Be Still, released on The Leaf Label. Stemming from only one 5-hour session with a grand piano, this album explored the layering of electronic and acoustic sounds in real time and in post-production. In 2007, Adrian performed solo shows in Australia, Japan and Europe, including a solo set for BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction.

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In early 2008, Adrian turned to a deeper exploration of the improvising method with fellow musicians Abel Cross (Pure Evil Trio, Neo-Bop Quintet, Felucca) and Finn Ryan (The Prophets, Splinter Orchestra). Their band 3ofmillions embraced a wider plane of influence adding elements from heavy metal, grunge and punk, as well as electronics to the traditional jazz piano trio sound. In 2008 3ofmillions released the EP Golden Calf (hellosquare recordings) which was soon followed in 2009 by the critically acclaimed full-length album Immediate. The strength of this album assisted 3ofmillions in securing a residency at the Bundanon Trust (the grounds and former home of the artist Arthur Boyd) where they composed and recorded their third album Abstruction, released on Rufus Records in 2011.

In 2010 Adrian joined with musicians Shoeb Ahmad (Spartak) Evan Dorrian (Spartak), Peter Hollo (Fourplay) and Ollie Bown (Icarus) to form an improvising quintet, Tangents. Tangents utilises both traditional elements of drums, piano, tuned percussion, cello and guitar and an electronic looping and processing of those sounds. The first-ever meeting of the ensemble, performing live improvisations at the Megaphon studios in Sydney, became their debut album I (hellosQuare, 2013). The band followed up with another improvised set recorded by the ABC for their Sound Quality sessions in 2014. Their third album, Stateless, marking a shift into a more studio-based production mode, was released on reputable US label Temporary Residence Records. Tangents will release their third album, New Bodies (Temporary Residence) in 2018. They have performed in various venues and festivals across Australia, including Vivid, Unashamedly Original (City Recital Hall, Sydney), Canberra Jazz Festival, NGV Melbourne, WomAdelaide and the Bello Winter Music Festival.

In 2016 and 2017 Adrian returned to his love of solo piano, creating the full length album Yield (Preludes and Fugues for Piano). Composed of a selection of improvised performances captured in one six-hour session on a Steinway piano, he again utilised piano overdubs, digital manipulation and prepared piano to create polyphonic textures. He explores the colour and capacity that the piano has to paint landscapes of sound and to stir emotion. The decision to compose and improvise preludes and fugues was in part, a homage to Bach’s piano work The Well-Tempered Clavier and the album illustrates Adrian’s ability to play with the boundaries of post-classical and post-jazz aesthetics.

Over his career, Adrian has collaborated with many musicians, choreographers and filmmakers in live settings and cross-discipline projects. Collaborators include artists Scott Morrison, Fred Rodriguez and Joanna Logue, choreographer Ivan Perez Aviles (with Nederlands Dans Theatre) and filmmaker James Vernon. On music projects, Adrian has worked with Thomas Bednarczyk, Machinefabriek, Philippe Petit, Shoeb Ahmad, PVT (Pivot), Scott Tinkler, Simon Barker, Andy Fiddes, Reuben Derrick, Dave Goodman and many more.

DISCOGRAPHY