Oxford Contemporary Music has lined up another eclectic season of unique sound worlds.

Every OCM season pushes the boundaries a bit further, and the new season, which starts on February 11, is brimming with unusual sounds.

A notable feature is OCM’s collaboration with Modern Art Oxford, the venue for three of their eight main events. “It’s really nice to programme in something that’s got a good following,” says OCM director Jo Ross. “And it allows us to be more adventurous. We’ve picked things that are a bit more hardcore in appeal — quirky.”

First up is the relatively new collaboration of Simon Bookish and Leafcutter John — the former a classically trained musician specialising in experimental pop, and the latter an electronica player perhaps best known as being part of innovative jazz band Polar Bear.

“Simon Bookish is a bit of a Jarvis Cocker character, who dresses flamboyantly and defies all genres,” says Jo. “It’s always got a kind of live art feel, so it crosses over into the visual arts world as well.

“Leafcutter John is a youngish guy who does the most amazing electronica-created landscapes, a very experimental sound world.”

The second MAO event is the improvisational band Snorkel, whose broad musical canvas draws on jazz, afro-beat and electronica. “It’s going to be loud and raucous!” laughs Jo. “What’s fascinating is they have a real attachment to a tight groove, and they play around with rhythm a lot.”

The final, free, MAO event sees Janek Schaefer – last seen in Oxford just over a year ago with Extended Play — in a new project, Local Radio Orchestra. Commissioned by OCM, Beadford Arts and South Hill Park in Bracknell, this interactive project uses 12 vintage Bush radios to transmit sound which audiences can play with. Among the other events, a highlight is the Sambasunda Quintet, a West Javanese group who play the kacapi, a boat-shaped zither, along with a violin, a bamboo flute known as a suling and kendang drums. “The music is based around traditional Javanese music, but with contemporary elements,” says Jo. “You wouldn’t normally hear the kacapi with drums, for example.”

Other highlights include Speech Project devised by composer and producer Gerry Diver, four years in the making and based on the Irish lilt and stories of Irish musicians; oud/ percussion ensemble Double Duo; trumpeter Arve Henriksen with Trio Mediaeval and Audio-Graft with Brookes University.

For full details of the season, visit www.ocmevents.org.