Mute Records will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Frank Tovey — aka electronic artist Fad Gadget, the first act the label signed — by helping stage FG.Ft, a month-long tribute in New York City that will include a group art exhibition, live music performances and a screening of the documentary “Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey.”
The event, March 1 through April 8 and is staged with Envoy Enterprises and the NP Contemporary Art Center, was inspired by Morgan Tovey Frost’s documentary about her father. In a Mute press statement, organizers say, “the documentary incited the possibility of paying tribute to a pioneer of the underground and post-punk music scenes who incorporated innovative electronic textures, Kafka-esque lyrics, and elaborately visceral performances.”
The group art exhibition at Envoy Enterprises will feature new creations inspired by Tovey, including works by Olaf Breuning, Kelsey Henderson, Erika Keck, Robert Knoke, Terence Koh, Alex Rose, Desi Santiago, Matt Sims, Liz Wendelbo, Granth Worth, Una Szeemann and Fischerspooner. An opening reception is set for March 1.
On March 3, Xeno & Oaklander and Ike Yard will perform at Dixon Place as part of the music program. And “Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey” will receive its U.S. premiere at Anthology Film Archives on March 10. In conjunction with the tribute, Mute plans to release a new compilation called An Introduction To… Fad Gadget this spring.
xeno & oaklander do fad gadget. how awesome would that be? pretty awesome.
Glad to see Tovey get the recognition he deserves. I really wish his catalog was remastered and re-released, hopefully something like this will be considered by Mute.