With BETTER ME, Vanessa Porter and Emil Kuyumcuyan present an extraordinary duo album that navigates the terrain between contemporary composition, electronic sound art and performative energy. All the works were developed specifically for this project and unfold as a cohesive sonic cosmos in which precise structure and spontaneous freedom coexist on equal terms.
At its heart lies an expanded understanding of percussion: sounds, resonances and impulses become just as significant as harmony, melody and rhythm. Combined with electronics, this creates a multi-layered soundscape that oscillates between archaic directness and delicate fragility. The electronics do not function as a supplement, but as an equal musical partner.
A defining element of the album is the tension between control and openness. Composed passages flow seamlessly into improvisational spaces where decisions are made in the moment. Thus, listening itself becomes a process – characterised by movement, intensification and resolution.
The individual tracks open up different perspectives on this spectrum: from dense electronic textures and pulsating, IDM-influenced structures to purely acoustic soundscapes that work with unusual materials. Melodic moments meet raw energy, repetitive patterns meet fragile soundscapes. Time and again, new spaces emerge – acoustically, emotionally and associatively.
Despite its close connection to performative elements, BETTER ME stands as a standalone listening experience. The album invites listeners to delve into details whilst simultaneously perceiving larger sonic movements. Transitions are fluid, contrasts deliberately established and then dissolved – like individual drops that only reveal their whole when they interact.
In essence, the project reflects central questions of our time: the desire for self-determination, identity and visibility. BETTER ME remains deliberately open – as music in the making, between acoustic physicality and electronic expansion, between the present and possibility.
Programme
Vanessa Porter & Emil Kuyumcuyan
[01] IT IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE (2024)
Sound objects (e. g., clock, spring drum, wah-wah tube), piano & electronics
Text: Rafael Ossami Saidy
[02] CALLS (2024)
Tubular bells, percussion, maracas & electronics
[03] TRIALS (2024)
Marimba, vibraphone & electronics
Vanessa Porter & Emil Kuyumcuyan
[04] FRICTIONS (2024)
Sound objects (e. g., spray, stones, triangles, sandpaper, styrofoam)
[05] LAST DUTY II (2023)
Two drum sets, toy piano, amplified zither & toy glockenspiel
[06] YOUR STORIES Version for percussion duo and electronics
Marimba, vibraphone & electronics
[07] OFFERING (2025)
Toy pianos & electronics
[08] YES IT IS (2024)
Two drum sets, trigger & electronics
Vanessa Porter & Emil Kuyumcuyan Schlagzeug und Elektronik
Sarah Palarczyk Stimme [01]
World premiere recordings
Biographies
Vanessa Porter is currently internationally recognized as one of the most versatile percussionists and is frequently invited to take part in a wide range of projects, concert formats, and programs. As a soloist, she combines contemporary works with improvisation, electronics, and elements of performance art, creating highly focused and compelling sonic environments.
Alongside her close engagement with the instrumentarium, a central aspect of her artistic practice is the development of new programs, both as a soloist and in collaboration with artists from various disciplines. She places particular emphasis on the concert as a holistic experience and consistently situates her work within a broader social context.
Vanessa Porter collaborates closely with leading composers such as Georges Aperghis, Rebecca Saunders, Jennifer Walshe, Marta Gentilucci, Simon Steen-Andersen, Benjamin Scheuer, Alva Noto, Francesca Verunelli, and Samir Odeh-Tamimi, among others.
In addition to guest appearances with international ensembles including Ensemble Modern and Les Percussions de Strasbourg, she has been a member of Ensemble Ascolta since 2025. As a soloist and chamber musician, she appears regularly at major festivals such as the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik, the ECLAT Festival Stuttgart, and the Donaueschinger Musiktage, and performs as a soloist with orchestras including the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, the WDR Sinfonieorchester, and the Staatskapelle Halle.
Her solo programs have been presented at leading concert halls worldwide, including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Cologne Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre London, and the Megaron Athens. Her solo projects include Her solo programs have been presented at leading concert halls worldwide, including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Cologne Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre London, and the Megaron Athens. Her solo projects include folie à deux, cycle.sound.color, and DUST, as well as interdisciplinary programs incorporating dance, video, and live electronics., cycle.sound.color, DUST sowie Programme mit Tanz, Video und Live-Elektronik.
Alongside giving international masterclasses, Vanessa Porter has been Professor of Percussion at the Karlsruhe University of Music since 2024.
Emil Kuyumcuyan (kuːjuːmdʒuːjɑːn) is a percussionist, composer, and electronic musician with Croatian, Greek, Armenian, and African roots.
Born in Istanbul, he won First Prize at the TROMP International Percussion Competition and has performed in renowned venues worldwide, including as a soloist with the Daegu Symphony Orchestra, the Chœur de Radio France, the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble, and the Staatskapelle Halle. He improvises, composes, and performs, actively seeking dialogue with other art forms while developing his own artistic formats.
Emil Kuyumcuyans kompositorische Arbeit verbindet zeitgenössische Klassik, Jazz und anatolische Musiktraditionen. Kompositionsaufträge erhielt er u. a. von der Kölner Philharmonie (KölnMusik), der Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, den Montforter Zwischentönen, SKAM, der Stuttgart Marimba Competition und der IPEA Shanghai. Seine Kompositionen werden weltweit in renommierten Sälen und bei Festivals aufgeführt. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt seiner künstlerischen Arbeit liegt auf interdisziplinären Formaten und der Verbindung verschiedener Kunstformen. Mit ISTANBUL | the roots realisierte er seine erste audiovisuelle Arbeit. Passacaglia verbindet Bachs Musik mit eigenen Kompositionen, BETTER ME verknüpft akustisches Schlagwerk, Visuals und Elektronik.
In parallel, he produces electronic music ranging from IDM to drum & bass and has released several EPs. Emil Kuyumcuyan is a member of Les Percussions de Strasbourg and Trio KDM and collaborates regularly with leading ensembles and artists, including Ensemble intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern, the Boulez Ensemble, Ensemble Ascolta, Slagwerk Den Haag, Ryōji Ikeda, Alexander Schubert, Bastien David, and Martin Matalon.
He gives masterclasses worldwide and has been Professor of Percussion at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt since October 2023.
More information
catalog number: NEOS 12606
EAN: 4260063126062
