Nonclassical is partnering with NottFAR to present weekly videos showcasing new experimental music and creative sound practices from the Midlands. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be catching with the featured artists from the series to learn about their practice, influences and lockdown habits.

Helen Papaioannou is a composer and saxophonist based in Sheffield, UK. She has a fascination with the dynamics of group interaction, and often works with game strategies in her collaborations. Helen’s new solo project, Kar Pouzi, intertwines saxophone and synthesisers in tides of pulses and drones, often exploring small groups of sounds across prolonged durations.

What are you listening to this week? What's your track of the day?

This week I’ve been listening to Sarah Hennies’ Casts, as well as live recordings by Rebecca Lee and Marie Thompson. My track of the day is ‘37’ by Svetlana Maraš.

Has the pandemic affected your process? Have you been involved with any new projects?

I’ve unearthed some old projects that never saw the light of day – short pieces made with music box samples and improvisations with a monophonic synth, so I’m looking at doing something with them! I had fun with a new collaboration with Leafcutter John recently – we were lucky to squeeze in a gig before the second lockdown.

What's got you through the second lockdown?

Neighbourhood cats. Baking!

Any lockdown hobbies you'll keep up? And what will you get rid of?

Playing Stardew Valley is a recommended way to lose and use hours of your time – guaranteed to cheer you up, but also not a pastime I aim to keep up!

What's inspiring you recently? Any recommendations for lockdown 2.0?

I’ve recently enjoyed a few things, including new albums from Maurice Louca, Emptyset and Tomaga. I’ve been reading Daphne Oram’s book An Individual Note and watching The Americans too.