Reidemeister Move

Microtonal tuba and bass duo Reidemeister Move perform a program of long tones in natural harmonies for low instruments, including Arcanum 17 by Christopher Williams & Charlie Morrow and Borromean Rings by Robin Hayward.


Arcanum 17 is a 45-minute piece composed by Christopher Williams and Charlie Morrow for microtonal tuba, contrabass, conch, field recordings, and texts from André Breton’s book of the same name, set in the MorrowSound 8.1-channel immersive 3D sound environment. Binaural recording produced for Deutschlandradio Kultur, 2014.

Borromean Rings is a graphic score for contrabass and microtonal tuba, composed by Robin Hayward. Performing Borromean Rings might be best compared to playing a board game such as chess. Notation is used to define a field of possible moves for navigating within harmonic space. Unlike chess however the idea is not to overcome the other player, but rather to challenge them to explore continually fresh avenues within the harmonic framework and rhythmic, timbral and noise-based delineations laid out by the score.

reidemeister move
Reidemeister Move pushes the possibilities of long tones in natural harmonies for low instruments. Robin Hayward’s self-designed microtonal tuba and contrabassist Christopher Williams’ slow bows meld in an unearthly fusion of overtones, undertones, noise, bodily rhythms, and spatial resonance.

The members’ work with Berlin’s echtzeitmusik scene and LaMonte Young’s legendary Theatre of Eternal Music grounds RM’s precise and immersive sound. Formed in 2011, the duo can be heard on Corvo Records and Recital Recordings, as well as venues across Europe and North America.

Their name is an homage to the mathematical theory of knots.

“Hayward and Williams secrete sedated moods between chest and solar plexus, leaving chakras tingling in puzzlement.” (A Closer Listen (USA))

“Incredibly interesting and precise work which puts listeners into a state of deep, emotionally charged calm. Wholehearted recommendation from me, not to mention the cats!” (Freistil (Austria))