PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Hydrahelia is an experimental music-dance duo based in New York City comprised of Tim Dahl and Azumi OE. Both renowned for their boundary pushing work in each of their fields, they first came together in 2020 for a performance at Ideal Glass in the East Village which set the stage for an electric ongoing collaborative practice.
Azumi, born in Kyoto, Japan, trained in Butoh from a young age, uses costume, lights and dance to explore themes of repression and taboo, often testing both herself and her audience in visceral performances that challenge her body and its limits. Tim Dahl, born in Chicago, Illinois, uses vocals, bass and processed microphone to elicit a unique sonic world developed over 30 years. Known for his abrasive yet delicate tones, he has toured with artists as diverse as Lydia Lunch, Child Abuse and Yusef Lateef, and also performs solo, radically bleeding definitions around instrumentation and genre.
Together Dahl and OE have created a thrilling act that challenges conventions around music and performance today.
TIM DAHL
Tim Dahl is a bassist and vocalist who has been touring the world consistently for the last 28 years covering North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He is most known for playing with Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Child Abuse, GRID, and Pulverize the Sound. He has also performed and/or recorded with many other notable musicians including Yusef Lateef, Archie Shepp, Tatsuya Yoshida(Ruins), Peter Evans, Tyshawn Sorey, Mary Halvorson, Jandek, Kool Keith, Rhys Chatham, Eugene Chadbourne, William Winant, Von LMO. To name a few.
“He (Tim Dahl) has knowledge of the historic approaches to embellishment in the development of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. He is also an extraordinary performing bassist and composer who is a model of a soul and mind in search of ultimate truth in aesthetics.” - Yusef Lateef
"The most ferocious sounding bassist I've ever played with." - Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins)
"Tim Dahl does not "play" the bass- he manipulates it like a mad scientist about to detonate nuclear fusion." -Lydia Lunch
AZUMI O E
azumi O E is a Butoh dancer and performer who has presented her captivating and visceral movements to audiences around the world, exploring the potent connection between the inner and outer human experience. For eight years, she was a key member of Vangeline Theatre and served as Assistant Choreographer/Principal Dancer for Butoh Master Katsura Kan. Within her performances, beyond dance, O E often integrates her own lighting and costume designs, creating fully immersive experiences. Her continuous artistic exploration extends to diverse collaborations, including projects with visual artist MARCK, composer Takuya Nakamura (SPACE_TAK), YUKA C HONDA (Chibomotto), and this duo project with Tim Dahl.