Deemer started life in 2006 as a weekly improvisation session in a warehouse in Hackney Wick. While Dee Byrne and Merijn Royaards put their acoustic drums and sax through various effects pedals and sample triggers at a loud volume, Merijn’s fellow warehouse dwellers watched TV, washed dishes and read books. A tolerant attitude that gave the duo the space to develop their edgy, searching sound. Over the years Deemer has incorporated found objects, reel to reel tape machines, suspended industrial metal plates and stacks of small TV monitors projecting sonic wave patterns. Merijn exchanged his drums for analogue drum machines and Dee shed effects pedals like old skins.

Today Deemer is a leaner, more pared-down version than its previous incarnations and has sought to extend its horizons in other ways, by collaborating with other improvising musicians. Their third album on Luminous sees them join forces with Manchester based improvising drummer Johnny Hunter. Dee has always been curious about working with acoustic drums in the context of this duo. When LUME was invited to curate a showcase on the Barbican Freestage for London Jazz Festival 2019, this seemed a good opportunity to try out the augmented duo with Johnny. Shortly after the performance, they went into the studio to record this album.

DEEMER + 1 – AFTERMATH

Circuit Fried is a track from the third album by electronics duo Deemer (Dee Byrne & Merijn Royaards). Aftermath features the welcome addition of drummer Johnny Hunter and was recorded at Viva Recorders studio, London, shortly after their trio performance at London Jazz Festival in November 2019. Video by Alain Maurel.

Dee Byrne is a saxophonist, composer and improviser based in London occupying the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation deebyrnemusic.com

Merijn Royaards is a sound artist guided by convoluted movements through music, art and architecture merijnroyaards.com

Johnny Hunter is a northern UK-based drummer and composer who comes from a background of both the avant-garde and more mainstream jazz johnnyhuntermusic.com

Luminous is a DIY, artist-run record label established in 2015 by Cath Roberts and Dee Byrne as an offshoot of the live music platform LUME. The label functions as an outlet for their own projects, as well as the ‘Live At LUME’ fundraiser compilation albums luminouslabel.co.uk

Since its formation in 2013, LUME activities have included gig series, tours, residencies, festival stages and two editions of our own LUME Festival. More info on projects so far: lumemusic.co.uk