Frakture History

Frakture was established in 1997 by a group of musicians in Liverpool interested in free improvised and experimental musics. Initially its activities focussed on, a forum for discussion, open improvisation sessions and small scale performances. From this grew the Frakture Big Band, a semi-permanent ensemble exploring large scale improvisation.

The next stage of Frakture's development was the establishment of an annual festival of improvised music and a regular series of concerts throughout the year. These promotional activities have brought a regular stream of national and internationally significant improvising and experimental artists to Merseyside.

Between 1999 & 2005 The Frakture concert promotions and festival were initially hosted by Bluecoat Arts Centre For the last few years Frakture has operated a regular annual programme of concert promotions, using a variety of venues, whilst expanding a range of other activities.

Here is a slide show, posters for our events, full screen slide show here

It is a strength of Frakture that it is led by a group of practicing improvising musicians who have a detailed knowledge of the genre and the wider context of contemporary experimental musics. It actively pursues its own artistic agenda whilst promoting and supporting a wide range of new musics.

From this position of artistic strength, commitment and integrity, Frakture has generated in the 10 years of its existence an extraordinary and diverse range of exciting, high quality, risk-taking new music activity, and is now recognised as a nationally significant promoter and a regionally important agency for new music.

The validity and importance of this work is reflected both by the participant base that has been developed, and the status accorded to Frakture within the wider context of the national and international 'free improvisation' scene.

page updated: May 17, 2011