33 presents Tripolar

The album Tripolar sees 33 – which began as a loosely formed collaborative project around artists Billy Bultheel and Alexander Iezzi – develop into a distinct formation, without abandoning the fundamental principle of unpredictability. The band has expanded to include Cem Dukkha and Ivan Cheng as permanent members but continues to remain in a state of productive instability.

The album’s material was created during long periods of improvisation without a specific goal in mind, followed by hours of cutting and reassembling sounds. Acoustic and electronic instruments are used interchangeably, shifting function and focus – percussion and string instruments, hurdy-gurdy and synthesizers as well as CDJs are used as tools for accessing creative states of mind rather than showcasing virtuosity. The music moves closer to song form, without settling into it. Baroque meets post-industrial impressions, interlacing acoustic and electronic textures elude clear genre definition or temporal attributions.

Loosely following a few thematic threads dealing with mental states and their social implication, Tripolar is neither a conceptual album nor a linear narrative, but a collection of references. Psychological dispositions as cultural markers of a fragmented present—from expressionistic approaches to ADHD to a queer reinterpretation of an Irish murder ballad.

Vocal contributions include Astrid Sonne, Olan Monk, Lord Spikeheart, and Golin, who add their unique registers and emotional states. As integral components of the album structure they contribute to Tripolar’s open form. Aesthetics focus on contradictions, which are not resolved but allowed to coexist. The release concert at the Volksbühne is conceived as a situational rearrangement of the album’s material rather than a playback event. The live performance is seen as an open system – multi-layered, full of contradictions, controlled yet free-flowing. Sound, voice, visuals, dramaturgy, and stage presence combine to form a performative field that reflects undiscovered musical and mental landscapes. More info on the line-up and potential guest appearances will follow soon.

Line-up: Billy Bultheel