Recording: Naomi McCarroll-Butler

Artist: Naomi McCarroll-Butler

Songs: Solo Tubulum, in two parts

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Dark Matter Presents), August 23, 2022.

Naomi McCarroll-Butler - Solo Tubulum, Part 1

Naomi McCarroll-Butler - Solo Tubulum, Part 2

This solo set from Naomi McCarroll-Butler saw a variety of intruiging musical approaches, including a long-note meditation for ebowed homemade banjo as well as overtone flutes and mouth harp. But the star attraction was the tubulum, a 15-note just intonation percussion instrument of McCarroll-Butler's creation, offering a variety of resonances mixing together on four layers of metal pipes. Slightly impractical to bring out to a gig, it was a treat to hear it close up in an attentive crowd.

Recording: Sandy Ewen & Allison Cameron

Artist: Sandy Ewen & Allison Cameron

Song: [excerpt, in two parts]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination and Dark Matter present), August 14, 2022.

Sandy Ewen & Allison Cameron - [excerpt, part 1]

Sandy Ewen & Allison Cameron - [excerpt, part 2]

A pleasing return of an annual tradition of a late-summer visit to these parts from New York-based prepared guitarist Sandy Ewen. Playing two collaborative sets, the night closed with an inspired match with noisemaker Allison Cameron, where the pair's sounds and textures rubbed together tantilizingly but left plenty of space.

You can watch this entire set over on Audiopollination's youtube page:

Recording: Ewen/Newman/Maraj

Artist: Sandy Ewen/Kurt Newman/Kieran Maraj

Song: [last section]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination and Dark Matter present), August 14, 2022.

Sandy Ewen/Kurt Newman/Kieran Maraj - [last section]

A pleasing return of an annual tradition of a late-summer visit to these parts from New York-based prepared guitarist Sandy Ewen. Playing two collaborative sets, the first saw her matched with Kurt Newman (electric guitar) and Kieran Maraj (granularized laptop samples) for a densely-packed stereophonic skronk-treat.

You can watch this entire set over on Audiopollination's youtube page:

Recording: Wenderly Park

Artist: Wenderly Park

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination and Dark Matter present), August 14, 2022.

Wenderly Park - [excerpt]

Further electroacostic adventures from this duo, with drone oscillations being agitated by filter resonance feedback and shepard tones. (Along the way there were also some lyre strings being plucked and secret cats.)

You can watch this entire set over on Audiopollination's youtube page:

[Wenderly Park will be joined by saxophonist Bea Labikova for a special trio set at The Tranzac tonight (August 31st), opening for Christine Duncan/Patrick O'Reilly and Estonian special guest Kristjan Kannukene.]

photo by Peter Gough

Recording: Michael Lynn

Artist: Michael Lynn

Song: Canberra

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ornate Presents: Dark Matter Tapes double release celebration), July 22, 2022.

Michael Lynn - Canberra

A night of solo performances to celebrate a pair of solo releases on the Dark Matter label. Community organizer and genial collaborator Mike Lynn closed out the night, celebrating the release of a tape of solo explorations on double bass. The pieces (on tape and live) employ a whole range of extended techniques — including the human voice.

Recording: Kayla Milmine

Artist: Kayla Milmine

Songs: Lonely Woman [composer: Ornette Coleman] + unknown^*

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ornate Presents: Dark Matter Tapes double release celebration), July 22, 2022.

Kayla Milmine - Lonely Woman

Kayla Milmine - [last section]

A night of solo performances to celebrate a pair of solo releases on the Dark Matter label. There's no tape for Kayla Milnine's Moods of Yellow, but there were postcards and paintings on sale to celebrate the release, which documents Milmine's continuing explorations on soprano saxophone. In performance, there were new depths being explored, including a multiphonic low roar that's definitely not what's commonly associated with the instrument.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one (or any of its parts)? Please leave a comment!