Ikue Mori

Drummer, improviser and composer Ikue Mori began her downtown career as the percussionist for classic No Wave outfit DNA in the late 1970s and early '80s. Following the demise of that influential group in 1982, Mori began focusing on improvisation and Avant-Garde composition. She abandoned her traditional drum set for electronic drum machines, crafting and honing a style both intensely percussive and increasingly electronics-oriented. She has collaborated with an all-star cast of musicians throughout her career, including such luminaries as Zeena Parkins, Tom Cora, Fred Frith and John Zorn. Zorn's Tzadik label has released four of her solo records; each is packed with subtle textures and haunting interplay. Simultaneously romantic and bizarre, the works reinforce her reputation as one of New York's finest musicians and composers.