Since it’s formation in 1984 the work of the DSQ has been about building cultural connections through music. From Taipei to Tashkent, Pyongyang to Plymouth, Catania to Cleethorpes and Moscow to Milton Keynes the DSQ has gone that extra mile to engage with a new and sometimes unsuspecting audience beyond that of the classic concert hall. Many of its tours have been supported by the BC and by ACE and PRSF for its UK dates.
The quartet’s diverse collaborative programming and commissioning has seen the DSQ transgress the usual boundaries of musical categorisation, sometimes being inspired by the iconic Prog Rock bands of Soft Machine (Hugh Hopper – bass & Saxophone Quartet) and King Crimson (Gwilym Simcock – piano & Saxophone Quartet ) or delving into the film worlds of the minimal composers of Michael Nyman, Philip Glass and others through their current ACE supported UK tour of ‘Project Flicks’.
In 2018 the quartet explored the iconic and Subterranean world of David Bowie and Brian Eno and the 1970 trilogy releases from their Berlin Years. The release of the DSQ’s CD, ‘Bowie, Berlin & Beyond’ on the FMR label has met with much critical acclaim and has been played on numerous radio stations worldwide including BBC, RTÉ, RadioNZ, ABC, and Rai.
The quartet brings the world of contemporary music into the mainstream. It looks to take the audience on an aural world of discovery blowing away any preconceived ideas about likes and dislikes. Through its careful programming a new dynamic of time and space is created encouraging the listener to experience fresh realisations and inspirations. With this eclectic quartet the ‘feel good’ factor is back.
One of Europe’s most distinguished new music ensembles
The Guardian