GMEM

Groupe de musique expérimentale de Marseille (GMEM), now officially titled gmem-CNCM-marseille, is a French electroacoustic/experimental music center, one of the six National Centers for Musical Creation in France. It was originally founded by a collective of French composers and free improvisers, including Michel Redolfi, Georges Boeuf, Marcel Frémiot, and Lucien Bertolina, as an 'Experimental Music Group from Marseille' in 1969. Since 2011, GMEM is directed by Christian Sebille. In 1986, under the direction of Raphaël de Vivo, the Group was renamed to Centre de création, de diffusion et de recherche musicales (Center for music creation, research and broadcast) and expanded to several production studios and research/education facilities. From 1991 to '95-96, Christian Calon served as a musical director of Studios GMEM. GMEM released a few LP albums in the mid-eighties, with solo compositions by Boeuf, Bertolina, and Jacques Diennet, and later established Effects Input CD album series in 1992. The Centre accompanies composers and artistic teams, particularly during residencies, in developing and producing music performances, and conducts numerous educational, teaching and training activities. GMEM is active in a wide aesthetic range, commissioning and developing works in all genres of composed/improvised mixed, electroacoustic, electronic, instrumental and vocal music, as well as multidisciplinary projects in digital and visual arts, dance, and theatrical performances. For thirty years, gmem-CNCM-marseille has been curating two festivals, an annual Les Musiques, and REEVOX/Nuit d’Hiver. In 2016, GMEM has merged with Jean-Marc Montera's famous GRIM collective, which continued their artistic activities in the field of experimental and free improv music as DRIM – Département de recherche et d’improvisation musicales (Improvisation Music Research Department). Since 2017, the gmem-CNCM-marseille started moving to a new location at Friche de la Belle de mai (a former tobacco factory near St-Charles station in Marseille). An architect Matthieu Poitevin from Caractère spécial bureau designed Le module – a 1,000 m2 space, comprising several studios and teaching rooms.