Former Ash Ra Tempel guitarist and synth pioneer Manuel Gottsching will be performing the enormously influential E2-E4 in its entirety in Japan this weekend [via The Quietus].
Released in 1984, E2-E4 – and hour-long exercise in pulsing, hypnotic minimalism – was recorded in a single improvised session, but has since echoed through successive decades of electronic music culture. The work is probably Gottsching’s best-known and loved – certainly among techno circles, with the likes of Carl Craig, James Murphy and Basic Channel paying open homage; the expansive synthscapes of more recent operators like Emeralds and Oneohtrix Point Never owe a similarly huge debt to the record.
After a long hiatus from live performance, Gottsching took to presenting the album in full back in 2010. This wekeend, he will present the piece at a charity concert organised by Dommune at Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan, in aid of children orphaned by the earthquake and tsunami suffered by the country last year.
The stream will begin at 8.30pm UK time this Saturday (August 11), and will be accessible through the Dommune site. The promoters are also asking for donations in support of their cause – you can contribute through the same link. Those of you who happen to have a spare hour can stream E2-E4 below.