SlapBang
Lina Andonovska (flutes) and Matthew Jacobson (drum kit) first crossed paths in Ireland’s experimental music scene, bringing together their diverse musical backgrounds: Andonovska’s rooted in contemporary music and Jacobson’s in improvisation. Together, as SlapBang, they challenge traditional genre boundaries, creating bold, genre-defying performances that merge composed and improvised sound worlds. Through their unique combination of amplified low flutes and drum kit, they subdivide rhythms, recite semiotic quotes, and bring entirely new sounds into the ether.
Independently, both are internationally respected soundmakers in their fields. Lina Andonovska has garnered acclaim for her innovative interpretations of contemporary repertoire, while Matthew Jacobson is celebrated for his inventive approach to jazz and improvisation. Together, their collaboration is a meeting of two worlds, resulting in a dynamic artistic vision.
SlapBang is on a mission to commission groundbreaking new works and improvisational frameworks for their unique instrumentation. To date, they have showcased their work at prestigious events and venues, including New Music Dublin, University College Dublin’s ‘text/sound/performance,’ and the Association of Irish Composers. They have held a residency at the Dun Laoghaire Lexicon and have been featured performers at Bottlenote 10, Dublin’s artist-led annual festival of improvised music. Their debut at Brilliant Corners in Belfast featured premieres of two Arts Council-commissioned pieces by Rachael Lavelle and Colm O’Hara.
In addition to these premieres, the duo’s collaboration has led to recordings of two seminal works—Barry O’Halpin’s Hox and Nick Roth’s Bátá—both of which appear on Lina’s celebrated solo album, A Way A Lone A Last, released on Diatribe Records.
Looking ahead, SlapBang continues to push the boundaries of contemporary and improvised music. Their current program features innovative works by a roster of leading Irish composers, including Judith Ring, Nick Roth, Barry O’Halpin, Rachael Lavelle, and Colm O’Hara. Each piece reflects the duo’s dedication to exploring new sonic landscapes and expanding the possibilities of their instrumentation.
As they expand their reach globally, SlapBang is currently booking performances for 2025 and beyond. With plans to bring their groundbreaking work to international stages, they aim to captivate audiences with their fearless approach to sound and their commitment to artistic innovation.
Press:
"The final day of Brilliant Corners 2022 kicked off with a Saturday afternoon performance in the more intimate surroundings of The Green Room. The small but attentive crowd was spellbound by SlapBang, the duo of flautist Lina Andonovska and drummer Matthew Jacobson... To date, this duo has recorded just two tracks, which appeared on Andonovska's album A Way A Lone A Last (Diatribe Records, 2020). Hopefully, there is a lot more to come from SlapBang."
All About Jazz
"A Way a Lone a Last opens with Barry O’Halpin’s Hox. This skittering, intimate piece is a great statement of purpose: it features Matthew Jacobson, the other half of her improvising duo SlapBang, on percussion, and is written with wonderful sensitivity to Andonovska’s and Jacobson’s strengths... Particularly exciting was Andonovska’s use of percussive effects, which, combined with Jacobson’s delicate playing, gave the two instruments a compelling timbral unity when they could easily have failed to blend....What certainly does unify the album are Andonovska’s (and Jacobson’s) incredible performances. Not once does she nod, even in performing music of great difficulty demanding a huge breadth of competence: in extended techniques, free-jazz improvisation, classically beautiful tone, working with electronics – and often in rapid succession. From this point of view, the album is a tour de force, and well worth a serious listen."
The Journal of Music Ireland
"Jacobson and Andonovska are reunited on the grooving 'Bátá', which combines spoken word interjections and driving rhythms. It's not always clear who is playing what, but either side of the ambient sounds of amplified bass-flute feedback and crying cymbals, the duo delves into rhythms that stretch from drum 'n' bass to African ritual grooves. A mesmerizing thirteen minutes concludes on a gentle, though stubbornly pulsing flute note...
It is also evident that Andonovska and Jacobson must surely continue to pursue their fascinating dialog at greater length."
All About Jazz
"The bookend works on this album feature percussionist Matthew Jacobson who together with Andonovska comprise the duo SlapBang. Commencing with Hox by Barry O’Halpin, the curious combination of amplified bass flute and drum kit spins a web of husky rhythmic utterances on bass flute and percussive tapping which is coloured by an electric tapestry of stumbling freneticism, the players in flawless rhythmic unison for much of the work.This work gave me the feeling of having been pocket dialled and being led down the rabbit hole of listening to the rhythmic groove of someone’s daily ritualistic patterns, muffled and fluttering in and out of focus. Techno meets Boulez, this otherworldly kind-of-dance number is a thrilling opener for this excellent record."
Loud Mouth, Australia
Image credit: Laura Sheeran
