Natural Information Society

Joshua Abrams developed his individual voice in the rich ferment of the 1990s Chicago music scene. From jazz to rock and experimental forms of music: Abrams recorded and toured with a remarkable range of artists including Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Hamid Drake, Matana Roberts and The Roots. As a film composer, Abrams has composed the music for the award-winning films »Life Itself«, »The Interrupters« and »The Trials of Muhammad Ali« among others. And since 2011, he has toured in various lineups with his Natural Information Society formation, which he has assembled around his strong interest in the Moroccan spear lute lute Gimbri. The band combines the hypnotic quality of Gimbri music, such as that known from the Gnawa ethnic minority in Morocco, with a wide range of contemporary music such as jazz, minimalism and Krautrock – creating complex psychedelic environments with traditional and conventional instruments. About their latest album, »Descension (Out Of Our Constrictions)«, a 75-minute meditation recorded with British saxophone legend Evan Parker at London's Café Oto, Pitchfork wrote: »It’s utterly maddening, and to get lost within it feels like the past calendar year: undifferentiated, infinite, and delirious.«