The Summer Solstice 2026 episode of Voice Seeker features my friend and former house mate from Portugal, Alice Mantas. Alice is a multi-disciplinary artist focusing on playing modal music with the cello, and conducting materials research with ceramics. She is also a face painter and sometimes clown. ~Dandy
00:00:00 - Introducing Alice Mantas via Portugal
00:01:52 - Our first meeting at a squat in Lisbon
00:11:16 - How freedom zones can ruin freedom
00:15:17 - Rhythms of Resistance, organized anarchy with percussion
00:20:34 - ETHNO, a global cohort of folk artists sharing their craft
00:25:10 - Our second meeting in a squat in Chania, Crete
00:32:04 - The power of the clown
00:38:08 - A dumpster diving band
00:40:57 - Poverty of time vs poverty of money
00:47:11 - Being a multi-disciplinary artist
00:48:41 - Ceramics
00:56:51 - Using Pure Data (Pd) an open source graphical media software toolkit
01:00:23 - A chat about practice
01:03:58 - Modal (makam) music
01:09:13 - Grant writing and cello travel
01:11:55 - Cultural evolution: Asian via North African influence on Portuguese music
01:17:03 - Culture as a mutable identity marker
01:20:49 - Travel
01:26:11 - Soclal media vs IRL
01:33:42 - Final thoughts
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kiILhX8SdL84kpPmZwOnk?si=XA6YaoxlTnOVSc06XCveMw