Releases on Afe:
I Will Be the Light [afe114lcd]
On the web:
http://www.myspace.com/chilt
Craig Hilton was born in 1972 in New York and now resides in Raleigh, NC. Has been playing the guitar since he was 10.
His first experimentations in sound began as a teenager with a guitar and a 4 track tape recorder, unknowing of the catalogue of experimental music that came before him.
After intensive study of classical and flamenco guitar for years, he finally started to return to the idea of abstract sound designs and noise with an industrial project called Sixtus V, where he became obsessed with the idea of using electronic means (i.e. samplers, treated tape loops) to achieve sounds he was not able to create with guitar alone.
These experimentations led him down the path of more "stand-alone" pieces, utilizing clusters and creating large walls of sound completely in the electronic domain. As a result, there was a collaboration between his project at the time and the late MSBR.
Since 2001, Craig has been involved with many other projects. He toured Europe for the first time as guitarist/live electronics of the free improv. group The Feraliminal Lycanthropizers, playing in Sweden, Amsterdam, Berlin and in Hamburg as part of the Nozart Improvised Music Festival, sharing the stage with the likes of Franz Hautzinger, Tim Hodgkinson, Hans Koch and others.
Also at this time he was creator and sound designer for The Centre for Transgressive Behaviors, an experimental theatre group built around the ideals of the Theatre of the Absurd and the Happenings.
As a full time thought process, this particular group enabled Craig to really coordinate the interaction between concrete and composed sound with the live action of the performers. The group still has remnants in the US and Europe.
After a few years touring with a band back in the US, Craig once again gave full effort into his electroacoustic pieces. His first release was a collaboration with Yannick Franck (Belgium) entitled "Amatra". A second collaboration happened with Maurizio Bianchi (Italy) entitled "PU94" which is being re-released in late 2008.
A solo CD "The Smoking Mirror", released early 2008, incorporated much of what he wanted to achieve after the long and intensive collaborations with Yannick and MB.
Since early 2008, Craig has began performing live with his guzheng (Chinese zither). He felt the need to once again have the interaction between live acoustic and live electronics.
He has done two tours in Europe since late 2007, performing in Berlin with Derek Houlzer, Marcelo Aguirre and Penelope X, in Brussels with Yannick Franck and most recently in London playing guzheng alongside Steve Beresford.
Another tour of Europe, a solo guzheng release and collaborations with Wyrm and, Tomas Phillips are in the works.
"I Will Be the Light", a collaborative work with Ur was released by Afe in 2008.