Audrey Chen started her musical career using a cello, then a voice, and since 2003 she delved deeply into her version of narrative and non-linear storytelling, using her voice in an unconventional way and occasionally analog electronics. For nearly two decades, her predominant focus has been her solo work with the cello, voice, and electronics, but she has more recently, in the last four years, begun to shift back towards the exploration of the voice as a primary instrument. Aside from her solo concerts, Chen performs currently in duo with Phil Minton; as BEAM SPLITTER with trombonist Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø; as MOPCUT with Lukas Koenig and Julien Desprez; as HISS & VISCERA with modular synth player Richard Scott; as a trio in SEN RYO NO with modular synth players Tara Transitory and Nguyen Baly; in duo with electronic music artist Kaffe Matthews; as AFTERBURNER for voice/live electronics/light with Doron Sadja; and as VOICE/PROCESS for voice/live digital process with Mexican sound artist Hugo Esquinca. Notable past collaborators include German conceptual artist John Bock and abstract turntablist Maria Chavez. First of all, I was fascinated by how incredible sounds you can achieve using just voice without adding any effect. Sometimes I even thought a particular sound has to be modulated but there Audrey was performing live in front of everyone. Another aspect, that surprised me, was that any other time high-pitched sounds would put me on edge, however when Audrey made them, I found them highly relaxing. I love Audrey’s connection to the microphone and her point of seeing it as another instrument and not an obstacle or just part of the background. Julien Cowley from The Wire says: “Audrey Chen has created an uncompromising and idiosyncratic music, tightly disciplined yet acoustically wild and heavy with implication. Her ultra-verbal vocalising, often reminiscent of the visceral and emotionally charged sound poetry of François Dufréne or Henri Chopin, exposes physiological aspects of utterance that are concealed within standardised articulation and day to day speech. Fleshy, breath-driven and flecked with spittle, Chen’s voice emanates not just from her mouth but from an ensemble of upper body surfaces, channels, passages, and cavities.”