João Orecchia

João Orecchia is an artist and self taught non-musician who has been making music for many years. His fascination is in squeezing sounds out of anything and layering them on top of other sounds squeezed out of other things. From guitars to manipulated circuits and banjos to field recordings. He has been exploring ideas of randomness and perceived meaning, composition using found sound and field recordings and creating graphic scores. Through experimentation and improvisation, Orecchia investigates the physicality of sound, seeking a balance between computer technology, hand made electronics and real world sounds such as the human voice and traditional musical instruments.

Orecchia performs with his band Motèl Mari which includes Mpumelelo Mcata and Tshepang Ramoba of BLK JKS, as well as improvised music with the likes of Lukas Ligeti, Jill Richards and Joseph Suchy. The album 'Eternal Peasant' by João Orecchia's Motèl Mari was released on vinyl and download in July 2012 on Other Electricities.

Orecchia also contributes heavily to the building of networks in alternative sound practice in Johannesburg by curating events that engage artists, musicians and public in a collaborative, experimental spatial relationship with the city. 'Invisible Cities' fleetingly inhabits transitional spaces, creating momentary realities and exposing hidden layers of possibility for what life in Johannesburg might be like with a bit of imagination.