Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXXI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXXI

Song: Where Have All The Melodicas Gone? [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 29, 2026.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXI - Where Have All The Melodicas Gone? [excerpt]

The year's first fifth-Sunday-of-the-month brought a robust group of droners together to listen to each other and explore some distant zones.

The full ensemble for this occasion was:

• Abigail Trotsky - noise boxes, flanger
• Broken Pink Umbrella - theremin + effects, namer-of-things
• Chris Trotter - synths + pedals
• Dan Friedman - synths, flute
• Diane Roblin - melodica, kalimba [set 1 only]
• Heraclitus Akimbo - karaoke machine + synths
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Jim Davis - bass + fx
• Leslie Partridge - guitar
• Mike Filippov - wave drum
• Nilan - gtr + preparations
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Vic - melodica
• Zack Berwick (Cosmic Clouds) - modular synths

As always, you can dig into the full session over on bandcamp:

[Due to a full-weekend Tranzac booking, Cosmic Homeostasis is being bumped, and will be performing in The Tranzac's Living Room on Sunday, May 17th at noon. However, also keep an eye out for a special offsite fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering!]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXX

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXX

Song: A Gracious Limestone [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), November 30, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXX - A Gracious Limestone [excerpt]

Joining together at the Tranzac for the thirtieth time, this session marked the end of a productive year for the C.H. collective, meeting inside and outdoors to create come drones and community vibes. Keep an eye out in 2026 for a new "studio" album and more gatherings.

The homeostasis crew on this occasion included:

• Chris Trotter - radio, pedals, namer-of-things
• Dan Friedman - virtual line hum, flute
• Del Stephen - keyboard synthesizer & keys
• Fahmid Nibesh - contact mic/amp/guitar/pedals/metals
• Heraclitus Akimbo - chimes, Roland S-1, pedals
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• James Bailey - cümbüş, rattle
• Jim Davis - fretless bass gtr
• Jonny Luke - cornet + fx
• Mira Martin-Gray - synthesizer/resonator
• Niamh Girling - tanpura
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - synth/pedals
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo-ukulele

You can check out some more from this afternoon over on youtube:

And, as always, you hear the whole session over on bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

Recorded in the Vale of Avoca (Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip), September 14, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Vale of Avoca (Set 2) [excerpt]

A wonderful and special day out! As part of Ministry of Phonic Services' September-long Back to School Field Trip festival, members of the Cosmic Homeostasis collective gathered underneath St. Clair Avenue, in the Ministry of Phonic Services' Back to School Field Trip excursion to the Vale of Avoca (perhaps the city's most fancifully-named ravine). Feeling a world removed from the city, the expanded group enfolded itself into the space, with several guest performers taking advantage of stones, sticks and other found objects (including the trusses of the bridge itself!) to add some environmental sounds.

The full ensemble for this performance was:

• Allison Cameron - ukulele + NASA recording
• Colin Cudmore - percussion
• Dame Cook - MIDI synthesis/round objects
• Dan Friedman - Kastl Drum, Amp, EQ, mixer feedback, wooden flute
• Grace Scheele - toy melodica, recorder
• Grant Smales - nightjar sounds
• Heraclitus Akimbo - accordion, synth, pedals, water bottle
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Jaz Tsui - rocks
• Jim Davis - digital synth
• Juniper Mitchell - site-specific lithophone
• Karen O'Keefe - vocals
• Kat Estacio - kulintang, rock, bow, dried leaves, boy bawang, found metal, bridge underboob
• Louis Pino - rocks and dirt
• Maks - rocks, camera
• Mike Filippov - wavedrum + found objects
• Mira Martin-Gray - synth, jaw harp, kazoo
• Niamh Girling - tampura, morchang
• Nilan Perera - amplified acoustic guitar
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - guitar + delay
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, vocals
• Sterling McPhedran - rocks in the river

As always, this performance has been archived on Bandcamp:

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Mark your calendar, Cosmic Homeostasis will be back at The Tranzac on the afternoon of Sunday, November 30th.]

photo by Ministry of Phonic Services

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Split Infinitive [excerpt] + Urdu Amphitheatre [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 31, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Split Infinitive [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Urdu Amphitheatre [excerpt]

A vibrant showing for a long weekend with fifteen homeostasisists joining in. An unusually-robust turnout of guitarists gave a unique flavour to the proceedings and a bit of structure for the drift over two sets.

The homeostasis crew on this occasion included:

• Nilan Perera - guitar + preparations, namer-of-things
• Broken Pink Umbrella - Intellijel Vascadia + effects
• Dan Friedman - Wire Hum, real and imaginary
• Fahmid Nibesh - Tranzac house guitar, ebow, vox
• Hilary Martin - pedals
• Jim Davis - bass
• Leslie Partridge - classical guitar
• Matt Collins - guitar
• Mira Martin-Gray - laptop, voice
• Patrick O'Reilly - piano + SK-1
• Paul Newman - tenor sax
• Rob Cruickshank - synth/electronics
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Zack Berwick - OP-1 + effects
• Heraclitus Akimbo - tape loops, Zoia

And, as always, you can check out the complete proceedings from the afternoon over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be closing out the year's activities at The Tranzac on Sunday, November 30th at 2:30 p.m.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII

Song: Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 29, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVIII - Cancel the Wedding [excerpt]

A fine summer afternoon saw a robust group of space-droners out to chill in some cosmic sounds. As usual, there was a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds, new faces and old.

The ensemble for this session included:

• Ian McPhedran - guitar, namer-of-things
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo-ukulele
• Dan Friedman - recorder, Organism 8, Skrewell, Crackle + Dust
• Mira Martin-Gray - vocals, tone generator, kazoo
• Zack Berwick - guitar
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Grant Smales - Buddha Machine
• Andrew Finlay Stewart - violin, kalimba, pedals, celtic whistle, whistling
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Broken Pink Umbrella - Intellijel Cascadia synthesizer
• Phil Johnston - tape + fx
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Ariadna Ortega - cello (#2 only)
• Patrick O'Reilly - Game Boy
• Dame Cook - laptop
• Del Stephen - synth, piano
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland S-1, Bastl Wizard, radio

As usual, both full sets are available over on bandcamp:

And as well, you can check out some the day's full proceedings over on youtube:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Open Tuning [excerpt]

Recorded at Karma Co-op's parking lot (Open Tuning Festival), June 7, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Open Tuning [excerpt]

Heading out from "home court" at The Tranzac, and cutting across the Annex all the way over to Seaton Village, the CH crew joined in as part of the small-scale/hyper-local Open Tuning Festival. As with any excursion like this, a few people were confused and hurried by, a few stopped to listen and the back lane filled up with some heat-shimmying oscillations.

The ensemble for this occasion consisted of:

• Dan Friedman - Bastl Kastle Drum, Korg NTS-1, harmonica
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Del Stephen - synthesizer
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo-ukulele
• Mira Martin-Gray - Bastl Kastle
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland S-1, accordion

You can also head the full set (in its field-recording glory) over on Bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVII

Song: Helium [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 23, 2025.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVII - Helium [excerpt]

Returning to the Southern Cross for teh first residency appearance of 2025, Cosmic Homeostasis was shifted from its traditional fifth-Sunday-of-the-month but still had a robust turnout to generate some drifting space-drones.

You can listen to the full session over on Bandcamp:

The ensemble for this performance consisted of:

• Dan Friedman - Sonicware Liven XFM, Korg NTS-1, Hmong mouth organ, namer-of-things
• Philip Hamilton - oscillators
• %%30%30 - percussion
• Jim Davis - bass sans fret, vox
• Jonny Luke - cornet
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet, recorders, whistles
• Eliza Cinnesealach - clarinet, recorders, whistles
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sarah Peebles - shō
• Del Stephen - radios, tapes, synthesizer, whistles
• Scott M2 - Roland S-1
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Ian McPhedran - kalimba, pedals
• Sterling McPhedran - kalimba, pedals
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Patrick O'Reilly - piano (set 2 only)
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland S-1, effects

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI

Song: I'm Not Bruce [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXVI - I'm Not Bruce [excerpt]

Closing out a busy and productive year (with shows in The Tranzac, in church, and outside) this afternoon saw a record number of homeostasisists gathering together to gently listen and make sounds. A real joy to be in the middle of, with so many strands that one could follow along, until something else grabs one's attention. And as always, you can hear the whole afternoon's worth of sounds over on bandcamp:

The participants this time around were:

• Jim Davis - bass + effects, namer-of-things
• Johan S. - sunvox ipad / UPI sketch
• Mike Filippov - wave drum
• %%30%30 - percussion
• Rosalind Saunders - violin
• Trevor Ablett - guitar
• Christina + Wesley Ablett - wave drum
• Jonny Luke - cornet
• Scott M2 - S-1
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mira Martin-Gray - laptop
• Matt Collins - guitar
• yasmine - synth, shakers
• apple - shakers
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar
• Ian McPhedran - banjo-uke
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Dame Cook - digital synthesis
• Dan Friedman - Moog Mavis, Korg NTS1, flute
• Philip Hamilton - oscillators, contact mic
• Victor O - Yamaha CP Reface
• Mickle32 - clarinet
• Heraclitus Akimbo - lap steel

Mike Filippov shot some really beautiful abstracted video on the day that really captures the spirit of the music. It doesn't look to be embeddable, so I recommend you click here and go watch it!

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Sanctuary Drone [four excerpts]

Recorded at Trinity–St. Paul's Centre (Sanctuary Drone), October 5, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 1]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 2]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 3]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Sanctuary Drone [excerpt 4]

After a couple expansive outdoor performances, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew were ready to make some further explorations into durational drone-making. Holding down the middle stretch of this all-night unofficial Nuit Blanche event, the musicians took over the Sanctuary's balcony, spreading out to give a spacialized mix to the audience down on the floor. Nearly twenty musicans came and went over the course of the night, adding some additional variety to the sonic textures. There was also a nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds — the former especially blooming with the room's beautiful acoustics.

The participants in the Sanctuary Drone were:

• Blash Belmar - erhu, flutes
• Dan Friedman - Korg NTS-1, harmonica, whistling
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Janel Jones - trumpet, voice
• Magick - Magick
• Matt Collins - guitar
• Maxim Gontcharenko- singing bowls
• Michelle Breslin - guitar
• Mickle32 - effects
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Phil Johnston - tape loops, effects, 1-string guitar
• Rosalind Saunders - violin
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Ryan Kinney - electronics
• Sonia Leung - violin, windchimes
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths, effects, accordion

If you want to hear (a lot) more of this, I have archived the bulk of the performance over on bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXV

Songs: Geoff [excerpt] + A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 29, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - Geoff [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV - A Partner for Geoff [excerpt]

In between more exotic engagements, the C.H. crew settled into the Southern Cross for a cozy fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering. A delightful wind section, this time out, as well as more fabulous underlying tanpura drones among some really nice sounds from new and old faces. It's always a treat to be in the middle of these sound-universes, but maybe this time a little more than usual.

The ensemble this time out was:

• Philip Hamilton - pedals, namer-of-things
• Ron Blake - apps, etc.
• Jim Davis - bass, pedals
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Mira Martin-Gray - synthesizers
• Sterling McPhedran - banjo/ukulele
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Phil Johnston - oscillators, contact mic, voice
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinet, percussion
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - tanpura
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Pluto synth, Zoia, chimes

And as usual, you can check out the afternoon's full proceedings on Bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: Busking [two excerpt]

Recorded at The Bloor Annex BIA Stage, September 1, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Busking [excerpt 1]

Cosmic Homeostasis - Busking [excerpt 2]

Kudoes to the Bloor Annex BIA for animating the corner of Bloor and Brunswick this summer with their specially-constructed bucker stage — and special kudos to booker Sarah Greene who brought some variety to the space, including an unexpected turn from this drone ensemble. Often found down the street at The Tranzac, the group has played outside before, but a busy street corner is rather a different thing than a peaceful park. Here, cars passing by (and occasional planes from the airshow roaring past overhead) gave more of a gritty backdrop to the proceedings, but the assembled players still managed to embroider some fitting sounds into the landscape.

The performers at this event were:

• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - tanpura
• Mira Martin-Gray - Bastl Kastle
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar
• Ian McPhedran - uke/banjo
• Fahmid Nibesh - mandolin, lyre, percussion, cellphone synth + amp
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Michael Lynn - double bass
• Mike Filippov - ocean drum
• Rod Campbell - trumpet
• Heraclitus Akimbo - EWI, lyre, Donner MEDO

You can hear some extended edits from the day's field recordings over at Bandcamp. Three recorders in play capturing this action, so most of the instruments are audible. Did some work to trim out the worst of the wind-on-mics sounds:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be bringing their regular fifth-Sunday-of-the-month gathering to The Tranzac on Sunday, September 29th. Also, stay tuned for an announcement of an exciting unoffical Nuit Blanche event!]

Monday Roundup #191

Community notes:

• Nilan Perera's second (and final!) record sale pop-up is happening in The Tranzac's Living Room this Sunday (September 15th) from noon 'til 4:40. Come dig for some sounds, hang out, have a beer, maybe hear a story or two.

• The Music Gallery has reminded us all to block off October 15th to the 19th on our calendars for X Avant XIX: TeXture. Lineup accouncement coming soon!

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Concert announcements:

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip 2024 – "the stadium" (feat. Brian Ruryk & %%30%30 / Louis Pino / Em Wright / Owen Kurtz) / "location details will be revealed day-of" 2024-09-19 (Thursday). $pwyc, outdoors. [more info]

Makam Nights (feat. Arjang Seyfizadeh) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2024-09-19 (Thursday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Exit Points #53 (feat. Ray Sun/Rick Sacks/Anne Amores/James Pugliese/Daniel Ramjattan / Dave Clark/abby silvera/Cheryl Duvall/Patrick O'Reilly/Veda Hingert-McDonald/ Michael Palumbo / Switchemups!) / Array Space 2024-09-27 (Friday). $15 (early bird) / $20 (advance) / $25 (door). [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip 2024 – "the UFO" (feat. Ecotone Orchestra / Colin Fisher / Important Hair / xodkaar / Kurt Newman / Hit Play) / "location details will be revealed day-of" 2024-09-28 (Saturday). $pwyc, outdoors. [more info]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXV / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-29 (Sunday – 2:30 p.m.). $pwyc. [FB event]

P?roject Nowhere presents (feat. Eliza Niemi / N Nao / Blue Light) / The Baby G 2024-10-05 (Saturday). $20.66, 19+. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Cowbird Composer Collective Meta-Residency ["new chamber music composed by Brian Abbott"] (feat. Michael Palumbo [solo modular synth] / Ryan Kinney & Meghan Cheng / Manuel Morales / Naomi McCarroll-Butler) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-09 (Monday) [FB event]

No Octopus Dancing [Allison Cameron/Stephen Parkinson/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-10 (Tuesday – early)

Josh Cole presents (feat. Josh Cole/Rob Clutton/John Oswald/Brodie West) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-10 (Tuesday)

Brodie West Quintet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-11 (Wednesday – early)

Dave Bidini / Sellers & Newel 2024-09-11 (Wednesday). $20 minimum donation. [more info]

Context, NA [solo] (No Frills [solo]) / 918 Bathurst – Sun Room 2024-09-11 (Wednesday). $10/pwyc. [FB event]

Never Was [Adrian Russouw/Naomi McCarroll-Butler/Racha Moukalled/Joe Sorbara] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-11 (Wednesday)

Nicolette & the Nobodies / Monarch Tavern 2024-09-12 (Thursday). $21.50, 19+. [FB event]

Ben Gunning (Marc Couroux / New Chance) / Burdock Music Hall 2024-09-12 (Thursday). $15. [more info]

Tania Gill Presents (feat. The Mighty Gill Show [Tania Gill/Mike Overton/Jake Oelrichs]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-13 (Friday – early) [FB event]

Audiopollination (feat. Dan Pitt/Brittany Pitt/Laura Swankey / Matt Collins/Andrew Finlay Stewart/Bri Clarke / Nano Valverde/Tomasz Krakowiak/Nilan Perera / A Hibernating Animal [Aisha Sasha John/Raph Roter/Bea Labikova/MKL32]) / Array Space 2024-09-13 (Friday). $10 [card or cash], livestream available. [FB event]

Second Fridays [new series curated by Josh Cole!] (feat. Phillipe Lauzier's Splendide Abysse / Nick Fraser/Tony Malaby/Josh Cole/Rob Clutton) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-09-13 (Friday). $25 ($20 students). [FB event]

Battle Milk (But Worse [Julie Reich/Brian Abbott/Marilyn Yogarajah] / Pat E) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2024-09-13 (Friday). $10/pwyc/notaflof. [FB event]

Musica Universalis (feat. C'est la fête [William Hunt/Adrian Russouw/Mateos Labbe-Phelan/Maxwell Cecil Stover with Colin Fisher) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-13 (Friday). $pwyc/$10 suggested donation

Liquid Architecture (feat. David Sait / Jonny Luke / Yasmine / Ryan Kinney) / Mischief Makers 2024-09-14 (Saturday). $10 (adv. tickets or cash at door), $12 (card at door). [FB event]

Martin Bisi Collective [performance/documentary screening/Q&A] (Flake) / Collective Arts 2024-09-14 (Saturday). $20.01, 19+. [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: Back to School Field Trip 2024 – "forest" (feat. Nevada-Jane Arlow & Adrian Russouw / Gladys / Dame Cook / Wilderness Adventure Ride) / "location details will be revealed day-of" 2024-09-14 (Saturday). $pwyc, outdoors. [more info]

Duff Thompson and Steph Green (Curtis Bowman) / Monarch Tavern 2024-09-14 (Saturday). $17.50, 19+. [FB event]

Michael Palumbo & Friends #7 (feat. Allison Cameron/Wei En/Stone He/Raphael Roter/Stefan Hegerat/Louis Pino/Michael Palumbo] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-14 (Saturday). $pwyc

Pete Johnston’s Stranger Still [Mim Adams/Randi Helmers/Rob Clutton/Pete Johnston] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-09-15 (Sunday)

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It happened this week...

• ...on September 13, 2016 at Array Space.

Cameron/Cole/Perri/Rampersaud - [second piece]

• ...on September 14, 2016 at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge).

Cosmic Homeostasis - [first movement]

• ...on September 15, 2016 at LP's LPs (4th Anniversary Party).

Castle If - Operating System

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV

Songs: 100,000,000,000,000.1 Neutrinos [excerpt] + Elegy for Monstera [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), June 30, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV - 100,000,000,000,000.1 Neutrinos [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIV - Elegy for Monstera [excerpt]

Once again, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew gathered on a fifth Sunday of the month for some expansive space-drift. Playing on an unusual Canada Day long weekend, when the city felt a little emptied-out, saw a slightly smaller than usual crew in attendance — but with ten performers on hand, "small" is relative, and there was still plenty of sounds and plenty of spaces between sounds.

The performers this time around were:

• Phil Johnston - tape loop + 1-string guitar, namer-of-things
• Jonny Luke - cornet
• Michael Lynn - bass/clarinet
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar
• Ian McPhedran - uke/banjo
• Eric Cinnesealach - clarinets/percussion
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Jon Kereliuk - piano
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Medo + Bastl synths

As always, the full session is available as a name-your price album on Bandcamp:

Plus, you can also check out both sets (and some informative space facts) over on youtube:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Eclipse Drone [excerpt]

Recorded at Christie Pits, April 8, 2024.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Eclipse Drone [excerpt]

Well, a total solar eclipse isn't something that happens every day, and even if Toronto was limited to a mere 99.9% of totality this was an event worth getting outside for. So, returning to the scene of previous park gatherings, a robust crew gathered to experience the unsettling gloom that manifested even under cloudy skies. There was a visual score offered as a suggestion at structure, but as is usual with this ensemble, the sounds were satisfactorily self-regulating. And even with such a large group, it was still an intensely quiet experience — the zone of sounding attracted some notice from passers-by, but wasn't disruptive outside its bubble.

What an amazing turnout! The full ensemble consisted of:

• Ian McPhedran - prepared guitar
• Kai Schmidt - child's keyboard
• Helen Lhazan - monotron synth
• Elka Cruz - wrist bell + cyborg pancreas + kalimba
• styrofoamNosebleedPrincess - wrist bell, jaw harp, flexitone
• Mira Martin-Gray - synth, harmonica
• Simon Webb - tambourine + bell
• Eric Cinnsealach - bass clarinet
• Dame Cook - haunted laptop
• Alex Simons - harmonicas, bell
• Chris Price - voice
• Max Donaldson - voice
• Ivy Carroll - voice
• Daisy Betlej - bowed flexitone
• Kaya McGregor - tongue drum (soprano)
• Marius / Lenny / Adriano - stuff & vibes
• Naomi McCarroll-Butler - jaw harp
• Matthew + Anna - harmonica, whistle, thumb piano, pistachios
• Sara Constant - flute
• Kat Estacio - cymbal, Tibetan singing bowl
• Abigail Trotsky + Chris Trotter - DIY resonance box + bow w/ reverb + multi-effect
• Erin Corbett - cello + mandolin
• Mickle32 - bass
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths, Zoia

You can listen to a (lightly-edited) version of the full experience over on bandcamp:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII

Songs: Moving [excerpt] + Top of the Mountain [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 31, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII - Moving [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XXIII - Top of the Mountain [excerpt]

With the calendar withholding a fifth Sunday of the month until March, this was the first manifestation of this ever shifting/growing collective in the calendar year, but even competing calls of Easter weekend couldn't stop a robust group of droners from gathering together. With birthday celebrant Diane Roblin considering the names of the pieces, there was a nice mix of gentle clatter and spacy drift over these two selections.

The full ensemble this time out was:

• Diane Roblin - Yamaha Reface, melodica, namer-of-things
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Carly H - voice
• Dame Cook - plastic, cup, laptop
• Eric Cinnesealach - bass clarinet, percussion
• Mira Martin-Gray - tone generator, voice
• Mike Filippov - percussion
• Victor O - melodica, salt packets
• Marilyn Yogarajah - trumpet, piano
• Jesse Clark - percussion
• Phil - static apparition
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mickle32 - bass
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Roland J-6, Bastl Kastle, radio, lyre

And as always, you can hear/download the entire performance over at bandcamp:

#mfs15 playlist: Ian McPhedran

MFS has turned fifteen! My introductory thoughts on this landmark can be found here, but long story short: I asked some folks from the MFS community to help me celebrate by picking some selections from the archives, and possibly sharing some thoughts or stories.

Today's list is from Ian McPhedran.

Fifteen years is an unfathomable milestone for most endeavours and yet here we are. Joe’s tireless effort to build and preserve this archive is no small feat, and still he makes it look easy. While searching the archive to prepare the list, I was surprised at times to find that recordings I assumed would be there were not, mainly because it has always felt like he was at every single show ever (I really wanted to find the recording of DAS RAD at the Silver Dollar when Bo shouted “The power of Christ compels you!” and then cut his hand with a razor blade and blood ran all over the stage resulting in a later hospital trip, but does that even exist?). The collection is a testament to the fantastic and diverse body of work created by the city’s music communities since 2009. That it is freely searchable and accessible is a gift and an opportunity that we should all take advantage of. As with your curation work and your own musical endeavours, it captures a spirit of openness, inclusivity, and support that encourages exploration and risk-taking, which are vital for fostering new projects and ideas. Thank you Joe.

Doing a deep-dive in the archive reminded me how strongly music is tied to memory, so I have organized my list around shows that had a significant impact on me as “footnotes” for the collection.

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Easy Targets - Secret Door

Recorded at The Silver Dollar (Canadian Music Week), March 13, 2010.

The Targets were always great, but I’m glad Joe recorded this one. There was always something menacing just lurking under the surface with the band, and it really explored that territory that night, which I think translates into the recording. Playing CMW or NXNE is always a somewhat frustrating endeavour for bands and that night was no exception, and this in part fueled the energy and the overall vibe in the room, which the Targets picked up on. The one downside to Nick Kervin being such an incredible drummer is that his great skills as a songwriter and guitar player are sometimes forgotten. The crucible of this project directly led to some other great projects that also produced stellar work, namely, Mimico, B-17s, Cellphone (and pretty much everything else Colin has done), and of course Scott Hardware.

The Hoa Hoa's - Going Out With Her

Recorded at The Boat, April 29, 2011.

Going out with Her is an underappreciated song from one of the finest groups this city has ever produced. Performed on the first night of their weekend of final shows, there is something about the quality of Richie’s voice that always gets me, and that night, made me teary. It really punctuated the bittersweet feeling of the evening.

Nidus - the gauzy meshwork of an invisible thought [excerpt]

Recorded at Cedarvale Ravine, September 11, 2021.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and sometimes yield the most exciting results. As a safety-workaround during Covid, Nidus brought a generator and an impressive amount of gear into a cavernous section of Cedarvale Ravine and proceeded to blow minds. The mosquitos were terrible and the police showed up to end the evening at the behest of the owners of the multi-million dollar homes that line the ravine (although some of their children seemed to enjoy what was going on). You can’t make this stuff up. It also features the contributions of my absolute favorite Toronto composer Jason Doell.

Beard Closet - Compassionate Fascism

Recorded at Holy Oak Café (Taking drugs to play music for kittens to take drugs to – Chi Chi Fundraiser), September 30, 2012.

I wanted to include one of Phil Hamilton’s projects and my first choice, the Samesex performance at the Holy Oak on September 26, 2014 was MIA (I swear this was posted at one point). [Ed note: possibly this one? From a time when project names were in flux.]
This is vintage Dissolving Parliament era Beard Closet that still makes my skin crawl in the best possible way. The fact that Phil played a benefit for a cat despite clearly being a “dog person” demonstrates all of the warmth, love and generosity of spirit lurking beneath that rough exterior. The recording captures Beard Closet’s fearless sense of experimentation that made the evening so much fun.

Cosmic Homeostasis XV - Blah, Blah, Blah [excerpt 1]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), May 29, 2022.

I tried to avoid picking any recordings I played on, but as both a frequent participant and as an observer, I think Cosmic Homeostasis is one of the most fascinating gatherings in the city. It presents a real challenge to the conventional privileging of the role of the performer in live music since the listeners and participants both play an equal role and intermingle throughout the room. Every ambient sound captured as a treasured part of the piece. This one was special because it was the first show I played with my son Sterling and he got to name the songs. I was nervous, but everyone was very patient playing alongside a four-year-old.

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You can always click on the tags below to look for more stuff from these artists. Has there been five or so songs posted here that made an impact on you? If you'd like to get in on the action and make a list, feel free to send me an email: mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com.

#mfs15 playlist: Chris Trotter

MFS has turned fifteen! My introductory thoughts on this landmark can be found here, but long story short: I asked some folks from the MFS community to help me celebrate by picking some selections from the archives, and possibly sharing some thoughts or stories.

Today's list is from Chris Trotter.

Thank you for all the wonderful and good work that you put into this project!
It's astounding and amazing.
Here's some selections for the playlist.

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David Jones + APA - [excerpt]

Recorded at Dundas Video (Track Could Bend #13), April 5, 2016.

wonderful space and sonic entanglement

Within - Balkan Song

Recorded at Holy Oak Café, July 2, 2015.

such a joy to have this moment captured

Cosmic Homeostasis XI - Out Among the Reeds [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge, June 30, 2019.

amazingly delicate work by so much interplay

iderdown + abigail trotsky - unknown

Recorded at The Steady Café (Track Could Bend #31), October 3, 2017.

Greatful for the archive of such a fun night!

Cares - [excerpt]

Recorded at 1161 Dundas St W. (Endless City: Invoking The Spirit), January 31, 2016.

carried off on a dark fractal

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You can always click on the tags below to look for more stuff from these artists. Has there been five or so songs posted here that made an impact on you? If you'd like to get in on the action and make a list, feel free to send me an email: mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com.

#mfs15 playlist: core

MFS has turned fifteen! My introductory thoughts on this landmark can be found here, but long story short: I asked some folks from the MFS community to help me celebrate by picking some selections from the archives, and possibly sharing some thoughts or stories.

Today's list is from core.

please accept this quiet drifting ode to the incomparable JOE STRUTT - citizen, writer, listener, maker, musician, fan, devotee and enthusiast, group drone organizer, promoter of improvised offshoots, and possibly the nicest most generous inclusive person in the whole modern tkaronto/toronto music scene. also, in the running for best name award.

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Scott M2-kat estacio-Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis & Audiopollination: Pre-NYE gathering + celebration), December 30, 2023.

a recent show by some local favourites that i missed but was delighted to listen to safely from home

Germaine Liu/Mira Martin-Gray/Karen Ng - [first piece, part 3]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Music Hosted by Karen Ng), September 17, 2019.

playful dynamic experimentations on full display

Cosmic Homeostasis - She Sells Moondust Down by The Sea of Tranquility [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis VIII), September 30, 2018.

shout out to the cosmic homeostasis crew, this afternoon was memorable for the guest appearance of my friends' kids, wolfgang and annika whose improvised vocal contributions can be heard in the mix xo

Abigail Trotsky/Chris Trotter/Mike Spears - [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination #53.1), April 8, 2017.

a rare and treasured collaboration with my longtime partner and our longtime friend xo

Brigitte Bardon't + SlowPitchSound - Sylvia Anne Virginia [forest noise scene redux] [excerpt]

Recorded at Double Double Land (NASA – Noise Against Sexual Assault), July 10, 2016.

with thanks for creating a soundtrack to safer spaces through solidarity and digital noise forests

thanks for everything,
corinne aka core aka abigail trotsky aka lane/louise

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You can always click on the tags below to look for more stuff from these artists. Has there been five or so songs posted here that made an impact on you? If you'd like to get in on the action and make a list, feel free to send me an email: mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXII

Song: Stimulant Sister Comedown Cowboy [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Cosmic Homeostasis & Audiopollination: Pre-NYE gathering + celebration), December 30, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXII - Stimulant Sister Comedown Cowboy [excerpt]

With the regular fifth-Sunday-of-the-month afternoon timeslot reserved for NYE prep, Cosmic Homeostasis took over the Southern Cross for a rare evening drone meetup. That might have brought on some slightly more rambunctious zones, but things were still relatively contained, with a really nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. Rather a pleasant way to gather with friends and celebate the turning of the year.

The participants this time out were:

• Hallelujah Daisy Bettlej - piano, namer-of-things
• Dame Cook - laptop noise
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Sable - dong xao
• Berrett E. Lediard - Refraction
• kat estacio - kulintang, electronics
• Diane Roblin - Yamaha Reface electric keyboard
• Eric Kinsella - percussion, bass clarinet
• Victor O - malfunctioning keyboard
• Del Stephen - FM synthesizer keyboard, pedalboard
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Elliott Chapin - flute
• Mira Martin-Gray - Bastl Kastle
• Grant & Gertie - bowls
• Heraclitus Akimbo - iPad synths, shortwave radio, Zoia

As always, the full session is preserved over on Bandcamp:

Plus, you can check out some footage of the full first set over on youtube:

photo by Vincent C.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXI

Song: Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), October 29, 2023.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXI - Low-pressure Supercollider Sounds [excerpt]

A special day for the Cosmic Homeostasis collective, celebrating the release of a pair of recordings as a new album. Both birthed in a period when gathering at The Tranzac was unfeasible, "Broken Telephone" was a lockdown-era initiative where members of the group built layer upon layer of sounds as the recording passed from one person to the next. "Christie's Transmission" emerged from a period of tentative returning to gathering — in this case, outside on a couple occasions in late summer of '21 in Christie Pits. The latter recordings were beautifully collaged together by Jeffrey Sinibaldi, who also released these sounds on a tape from Vacancy Recordings.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the musicians who gathered to make some sounds together, with electronic sounds mixing with horns, percussion and even some tap dancing percussion. As usual, the full session is available over on bandcamp:

The participants this time around were:

• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Michelangelo Iaffaldano - voice, guitar, software synthesis
• Eric Kinsella - bass clarinet + percussion
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• James Bailey - Roland SE-02 with radios
• Victor O - Casio
• Christina Muratore - harmonica
• Michael Lynn - tap + clarinet
• Maebh Clark/Dame Cook - hauntological experiments
• Shelodyn - improvidence
• Philip - clip mic + oscillator
• Ian + Sterling McPhedran - radio
• Patrick O'Reilly - circuit bent Casio SK-1
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Kaossilator + Zoia
• Jeffrey Sinibaldi - namer-of-things

[Cosmic Homeostasis will close out the year with a special non-afternoon, non-Sunday event, taking over the Southern Cross on Saturday, December 30th in an evening that will be shared with Audiopollination for a special pre-NYE celebration.]