Olivia Louvel

Olivia Louvel is a French-born, British composer, producer and artist whose work draws on voice, computer music and digital narrative. In 2011, she won the Qwartz Album Award at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards for 'Doll Divider'.
She operates on the frontier of art and electronic music, blurring the boundary between the two. Her work also ranges from video art to live performance. She has opened for artists such as Planningtorock at the Earsthetic Festival Brighton Dome, Japanese avant-garde artist Phew (singer) and Recoil for various concerts on the European 'Selected' tour.

Initially trained in classical singing, she began to work as a singer for the renowned flying trapeze circus 'Les Arts Sauts' performing at 12 metres in the air a Meredith Monk composition 'Madwoman’s vision'. She toured with them for 3 years. From 1996 to 1999, she attended the National Superior Conservatory of Dramatic Arts of Paris, and graduated in 1999.

• Luna Parc Hotel (2006)

In 2003, she bought her first computer and started her digital compositions. Learning from scratch production skills, Olivia Louvel made her debut in 2006 with the release of 'Luna Parc Hotel' on Angelika Koehlermann run by Gerhard Potuznik. The album features Michael J.Sheehy on guitar for the cover of David Bowie's The Motel and Sébastien Libolt. The album was mixed by Paul Kendall at the Thin Line, the studio owned by former Depeche Mode member and current Recoil brain Alan Wilder.

• Lulu In Suspension' (2008)

Inspired by silent-movie star Louise Brooks and her book 'Lulu in Hollywood', released as a digipak CD on Optical Sound Records and Fine Arts run by French artist Pierre BelouÏn. In 2009, she presented an AV performance of 'Lulu In Suspension' at Le Cube, the digital art space in France.

• 'Doll Divider' (2010 + 2011)

Initially released as a digital version on Ototoi Music in 2010. The starting point for 'Doll Divider' was derived from A4 paintings which she made using pages from fashion magazines and repainting on top of the photos of the models. Collectively these paintings are called "Processed Dolls".
In 2010, she supported Recoil for 4 concerts on the European 'Selected' tour, at Kulturkirche Altona Hamburg, Trix Antwerp, Le Bus Palladium Paris and O2 Academy Islington London. Following her Qwartz Album Award in 2011, she created her label Cat Werk Imprint. 'Doll Divider' was re-released as a limited edition vinyl, enhanced and remastered version, catalogue number CW01.

• 'ō, music for haiku' (2012)

She produced a minimal soundtrack based on haiku by poet Bashō (1644-1694), released on Cat Werk Imprint. She also mixed the 7 tracks. The limited Edition CD is adorned with a hand-drawn 'Magic Fish Dog', a character invented by Olivia LouvelThe project 'ō, music for haiku' was originally performed in its first incarnation at Festival En Boite, Lyon (F) in the electronic bandstand designed by Cocktail Designers. The track 'chichi-haha no' was played on 'La matinale', France Musique, Olivia Louvel was 'Le coup de coeur' of Christophe Bourseiller. 'tsuga mo ugoke' was broadcast on Late Junction BBC Radio 3.

• 'Beauty Sleep' (2014)

11 songs complemented by a series of experimental short films shot in West Sussex, reinventing herself as a bird-woman.

'Bats' was remixed by Simon Fisher Turner.

Under the moniker of The Digital Intervention, she worked with Paul Kendall (long term Mute Records collaborator) on the album 'Capture', which was released in 2003.

December 2014, she produced an exclusive mix for Electronic Beats, "odd and fantastic", which features her remix of Antye Greie aka AGF ’s 'Poemproducer'.

In 2016, she contributed a moving audio-visual project 'Afraid Of Women' to #Rojava, a female:pressure campaign curated by Antye Greie-Ripatti that aims to show solidarity and raise awareness for a special de facto autonomous zone in northern Syria.

With Paul Kendall as The Digital Intervention, they produced the piece 'When the sea will rise II' for Acoustic Cameras, a project which invites sound artists to annex the real-time flow of webcams located in various places around the world.

She remixed the track 'Paris' by Fiona Brice released as the ep 'Postcards Reframed' on Bella Union.

Along with Daria Baiocchi, Fiona Hallinan, La Cosa Preziosa, Vicky Langan, Úna Lee, Jenn Kirby, Claudia Molitor, Gráinne Mulvey and Rachel Ní Chuinn, Louvel contributed to the collaborative art project 'Mean Time' with her composition ' 25 minutes and 21 seconds'. The event was broadcast live on Nova, RTÉ Lyric FM from Richmond Barracks clawing back time lost in 1916.

In 2007, with a basic camera she began filming footage she later used for her short films accompanying 'o music for haiku'. An early version was screened at the Festival Electron in 2008.
In 2008, she produced for her album 'Lulu in Suspension', the videoclip 'For Love' in which she carries a rabbit, filming herself within projections of a montage of Louise Brooks'.
In 2011, she produced the video 'Army Of Dolls' in which she appears, her head hidden in a paper bag mask, along with projections of her 'Doll Divider' art, refilming herself in front of a projection.
In 2012, 'Night And Day', cover of the Cole Porter song was published. She is using a pair of animal glove, which was going to be emblematic of the 'Beauty Sleep' artwork/ films. Also she directed a promotional film for Paul Kendall's release 'Angleterror'.
Subsequently, she began to construct her visuals for live show around her Doll Divider art and she presented her first audio visual show based on Doll Divider visuals at the earsthetic festival, Brighton Dome in December 2013.

In 2014, she produced a series of 7 short experimental films for her sound art project 'Beauty Sleep', re-inventing herself as a bird-woman.

LP

• Beauty Sleep. 09.2014. Digipak CD ( DVD size)
• ō , music for haiku. 12.2012. CD with hand drawn artwork & digital
• Doll Divider. 06.2011. 12" Vinyl & digital (Enhanced & remastered version)
• Doll Divider. 02.2010. Digital
• Lulu In Suspension. 01.2008. Deluxe digipak CD & digital
• Luna Parc Hotel. 03.2006. Digipak CD with booklet

EP

• Bats by Night. 02.2015. Digital

Collaborations

• Capture as The Digital Intervention ( with Paul Kendall). 2003. CD

Compilations

• Pussy Riot Freedom by female:pressure
• Music, Awareness & Solidarity w/ Rojava Revolution by female:pressure

• "All-female EDM and digital art collective female:pressure have released a new compilation album in aid of Pussy Riot.". thegirlsare.com. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014. 
• "female:pressure release Rojava Revolution compilation for International Women's Day". factmag.com. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016. 

Awards

• Qwartz Album Award for 'Doll Divider'. Qwartz Electronic Music Awards/ Prix Internationaux des Musiques Nouvelles. 2011
• SACD Laureate / Prix de la SACD. Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques. 2011

Nomination

• Prix Ars Electronica Digital music & Sound Art category for 'ō, music for haiku'. 2013

Grants

• Grant for the Arts. Arts Council England for 'Beauty Sleep'. 2014

• "Qwartz Award Winners Announced". Thewire.co.uk. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2012. 
• "Qwartz Electronic Music Awards – Home". Qwartz.org. Retrieved 1 May 2011. 
• "Qwartz – Paris Réseau international pour les musiques électroniques et nouvelles". Sacd.fr. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2013.