HERZOG | MUCHE | NILLESEN – TON meets RYOSUKE KIYASU

HERZOG | MUCHE | NILLESEN – TON is a trio dedicated to advanced improvisation at the intersection of contemporary music, experimental playing styles, and free sound exploration. Using trombone, double bass, and snare drums, the three musicians create highly concentrated music that is physically and acoustically precise, with a focus on timbre, resonance, and microtonal friction.

The instruments are conceived and played beyond their traditional roles. Breath, friction, overtone fields, and subtle movements form dense, intertwined sonic spaces. The focus is not on effects or virtuosity, but on a carefully balanced whole that unfolds slowly and demands a special quality of listening.

The music moves between intimate reduction and expansive, ever-changing soundscapes. Dynamics, form, and tonality emerge from the moment and remain deliberately open, creating space for individual perception and focused attention.

“It must be impressive to experience the space filled with the omnipresent sounds of this adventurous trio.” – Dolf Mulder

Ryosuke Kiyasu – Solo Snare Drum

Ryosuke Kiyasu is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary experimental percussion. He works almost exclusively with the snare drum and has developed a radically personal playing style that goes beyond conventional notions of rhythm and drumming, focusing instead on sound, physicality, and the acoustic properties of the instrument itself.

Kiyasu has been active internationally for more than two decades and is known both for his solo work and for collaborations in the avant-garde and noise music scenes, including performances with the legendary Japanese group Fushitsusha led by Keiji Haino and the long-standing ensemble SETE STAR SEPT.

A live performance in Berlin in 2018 garnered worldwide attention when a video of the concert went viral, reaching millions of viewers and attracting coverage in international media outlets such as BBC News and VICE. Since then, Kiyasu has continued to expand his artistic reach through performances at contemporary music festivals, in experimental art contexts, and through collaborations beyond the traditional music world.

His work has been recognized by the international percussion scene, leading to invitations to major festivals such as Germany’s Überschlag Festival. With more than 200 concerts annually in Europe, Asia, and North America, Ryosuke Kiyasu continually challenges and redefines the possibilities of the snare drum as a solo instrument.