Midway through this performance of her piece Psalms, DJ, producer, musician, and electronic dance music artist AFRODEUTSCHE, aka Henrietta Smith-Rolls, reveals she's been recently diagnosed with autism.
Creating Psalms, she says, has been an exploration of self-discovery: "My journey of discovering love and new ways to love."
If a one-off festival commission is an opportunity to push out the boat she certainly sets sail for deeper waters with this ambitious, episodic piece which eventually marries up with the striking cinematography of Michael England. It certainly shows off the potential of this wonderful new arts space at Factory International.
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Starting in meditative candlelight and banked on each side by the strings of the Manchester Camerata, AFRODEUTSCHE graces the piano for a dramatic, plaintive melody that sets the melancholic tone of the first half.
She wears a robe shaded in golden sand and a striking Afrofuturistic red headdress.
Moving to the microphone she, surprisingly, sings Psalm-like melodies over the Camerata's adagio string lines which throughout often have an eastern harmonic feel to them. The piece follows on from the vision of her first collaboration with Manchester Camerata He Sings Over Me but now adds Henrietta's own vocals.
Her voice is pure and she sings in an ecstatic reverie. The 'songs of worship', with repeated lines such as 'I give you all' or wordless melodies, float across strains that go from brooding to joyful, sometimes dramatically staccato or sometimes gently swaying. Cello and violin lines are also given moments of prominence in what is essentially a classical expression of pure Romanticism.
It's 45 minutes until any beats kick in and when they do Michael England's remarkable footage is eventually projected onto the cinema screen behind. The effect is hypnotic. There are images of metal gears as layered string lines are undercut with simple break beats.
There's a Morricone-esque keyboard line and then joyous spiritual salvation is glimpsed in song over rising piano figures. As the piece draws to a close beats go 808 and squelchy Acid House while the strings maintain their dramatic adagio strains. On screen are images of bodies bondaged and writhing in bicycle inner tubes.
A climax is reached as the screen is overwhelmed and by images of raging flames. The finale is greeted with passionate applause and there's a feeling of catharsis and joy about the performance.
AFRODEUTSCHE has taken quite a journey to reach this point. An itinerant classically trained musician and then adopted Manc who found inspiration in the city's dance and jazz scenes, it's fitting that she's found a personal release in this collaboration with Manchester's most forward thinking and innovative chamber orchestra.
Manchester Camerata's next gig is Hacienda Classical at Castlefield Bowl on Saturday.
