Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Why am I so fascinated by railway enthusiasts but horrified by model train hobbyists? [excerpt] + Excellent Yardarm Strategies (or Massaging the Primordial Catfish's Goiter) [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis II), January 29, 2017.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Why am I so fascinated by railway enthusiasts but horrified by model train hobbyists? [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Excellent Yardarm Strategies (or Massaging the Primordial Catfish's Goiter) [excerpt]

An extension of a sonic experiment undertaken last fall, the goal of Cosmic Homeostasis is not too different than that of the folk circles that can be found in the same room on some other nights: to mix together musicians of different backgrounds and skill levels in a participatory, communal effort. Suggestions for the vibe and some broad methodological hints were provided by a tactical memo circulated in advance, but otherwise, all musical decisions were left to the participants in the moment. The results seemed like a most pleasant diversion for a Sunday afternoon. The participants for this event were:

• Lumi Krysztal - violin
• Craig Renaud - hurdy gurdy, effects
• {AN} EeL - spring coil unit, namer-of-things
• Kat Estacio - gongs, electronics
• Kayla Milmine - soprano saxophone
• Paul Newman - alto saxophone
• Brett Despotovich - electronics
• Joe Strutt - tactical memo, keyb, loops, shortwave radio, percussion, piano

For anyone who wants to drift further than these samples allow, the whole show is available for streaming/download over at bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homoeostasis will be returning at the end of April — keep an eye out closer to the date for further information!]

Recording: Inchoate

Artist: Inchoate

Song: waste [excerpt]^*

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #19), October 4, 2016.

Inchoate - waste [excerpt]

Known for his work as a curator and visual artist, Brett Despotovich has also has a sideline in "sidereal soundtrap" musical processing, currently under the Inchoate moniker. Weaving in a few soundbites from Eliot's "The Waste Land" (especially the poem's closing "O swallow swallow", which becomes this piece's centre) his unforced sound-drift was admirably meticulous and austere. [You can also check out full video footage of this set.]

[Despotovich will be launching "Inch toward a sanctuary", an exhibition of new work, on Saturday, November 12th at 2104 Dundas St W. The event will include live performances from Brigitte Bardon't and Inchoate.]

^* Thanks to Brett for passing along the title to this piece!

Recording: Drone Therapy Collective

Artist: Drone Therapy Collective

Songs: Drone Therapy Prelude + Coda [edits]

Recorded at The Music Gallery's courtyard (National Drone Day: Drone Therapy), May 28, 2016.

Drone Therapy Collective - Drone Therapy Prelude [edit]

Drone Therapy Collective - Drone Therapy Coda [edit]

An interesting variation on the standard-issue concert. For the third annual Drone Day, the Music Gallery took inspiration from Kristel Jax's drone therapy concept to host an afternoon dedicated not only to sonic drift but also a community discussion around mental health issues. That meant that the ratio of talking to music might have varied from the audience's expectations, but on the whole the event's inclusivity did a nice job of subverting the "brone" template.

This was a safe space for open discussion while the mics were on, so that would have been inappropriate to record, but here's a taste of the music as the event started and finished. The musical participants included: Jess Forrest, Allison Cameron, Oriana Barbato, Kat Estacio, Brett Despotovich, Jonathan Culp, Sage Kim, Abigail Trotsky, Chris Trotter, Brian Random, Johan Seaton, Sid Tangerine, David Jones, Katie Jensen, Scott M2, Jamie Todd, Tony Marasco, and Stefan Vladusic (although not all of them were playing in these two sections).