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 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: Pigeon Dance

Artist: Pigeon Dance

Song: [excerpt from first piece]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #98), December 3, 2024.

Pigeon Dance - [excerpt from first piece]

I asked Victor O to put something together for TCB and be responded with this should-be-a-full-time-band trio, with Clay on percussion/flute and Lenny on keybs/vox/chaos. Sounding like a late-night out-take from the In a Silent Way sessions when the acid was really kicking in, this was a pretty excellent psychedelic journey.

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

[Track Could Bend is back at Wenona on Tuesday (January 7th) with sets from Lostworldsounds, future proof, and Hex-a-Decimal. And get ready for February, with two big TCB special celebrations!]

Recording: Marilyn Yogarajah & Co.

Artist: Marilyn Yogarajah & Co.

Song: [1st piece, last section]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ayal Senior & Friends), April 14, 2024.

Marilyn Yogarajah & Co. - [1st piece, last section]

There'd be no gentle soundbath from Marilyn Yogarajah this time out — instead, a crew of frequent collaborators (Roya Biazar, synth and kazoo; Nilan Perera, guitar; Victor O, percussion) brought some spiky clatter. Host Ayal Senior dubbed the band "Hectic Space", which captures the vibe pretty well.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior & Friends returns to the Southern Cross tomorrow (May 10th) with sets from Ayal Senior & Kurt Newman, William Davison, Karsten Stryker, and Nick Flanagan.]

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:

Recording: O/Eriksen/Alexis-Abrams

Artist: Victor O/Jamie Eriksen/Zoë Alexis-Abrams

Song: [excerpt]

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

Victor O/Jamie Eriksen/Zoë Alexis-Abrams - [excerpt]

Following on some group drones, this Tranzac edition of the Audiopollination series was a nice opportunity was to gather together with friends for some end-of-the-year festivities. Some truly excellent work in this middle set with three performers finding a sympathetic meeting place right off the bat. Jamie Eriksen's sax and Zoë Alexis-Abrams' cello wove together nicely while Victor O's percussion put a bow on things.

You can check out some back-of-the-room footage of this full set over on youtube:

[Audiopollination is back at Array Space on Friday (January 12), with self-curated sets from Kayla Milmine/Daria Morgacheva/Isaiah Farahbakhsh, Max Donaldson & Nate Robertson, Zack Goldstein/Danny Alexander/Kalina Nedelcheva, and Rod Campbell/Nour Symon/%%30%30.]

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.]

Recording: Ell Trio + 1

Artist: Ell Trio + 1

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 2, 2023.

Ell Trio + 1 - [excerpt]

With Victor O on drumkit and Bob Vespaziani on Wavedrum (plus Eric Kinsella adding some cymbals and shakers to his synth work) it's reasonable to assume that the Ell Trio on their own would be a percussion-centric unit. But with Marilyn Yogarajah (trumpet, piano) as the plus-one, there were plenty of textures to offset the clatter.

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Zoë Alexis-Abrams/Victor O

Artist: Zoë Alexis-Abrams/Victor O

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination), June 9, 2023.

Zoë Alexis-Abrams/Victor O - [excerpt]

Adding a Casio keyb and a delay pedal to piano and voice, this pair found lots of room to explore.

[You can check out the full set on the archived livestream over at Audiopollination's youtube playlist.]

[Audiopollination is on summer break right now — it'll be back in September, and there are still some open slots in the self-curation sign-up sheet.]

Recording: fuZzy n' frenz

Artist: fuZzy n' frenz

Song: [excerpt from 1st piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Living Room (fuZzfest), May 13, 2023.

fuZzy n' frenz - [excerpt from 1st piece]

On the cusp of joining the exodus of artists departing Toronto, Fahmid "fuZzy" Nibesh put together an afternoon of music, good company, and food to celebrate some of the folks he has most enjoyed making sounds with/hearing sounds from. This set perhaps gave some hints of what a promised upcoming solo album might offer — although "solo" concepts were being pre-expanded with a group that included Mira Martin-Gray (electronics), Germaine Liu (percussion), %%30%30 (percussion), Victor O. (bass), and Marilyn Y. (trumpet).

You can check out footage of the full set over on youtube:

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XIX

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XIX

Songs: Disco Whispers [excerpt] + Zero Gravity Bird Ceremony [excerpt]

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

Cosmic Homeostasis XIX - Disco Whispers [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis XIX - Zero Gravity Bird Ceremony [excerpt]

Another fifth-Sunday-of-the-month drone meetup brought out a mid-sized group (a dozen people) for some space-drift, spreading out around the Southern Cross.

The ensemble this time around was:

• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Philip Hamilton - oscillator, contact mic
• fuzzy - guitar, pedals
• Patrick O'Reilly - circuit bent SK-1, piano
• Nilan Perera - prepared guitar + slicer pedal
• Ian McPhedran - guitar + pedals
• Sterling McPhedran - guitar + pedals
• Scott M2 - Animoog
• Ron Blake - iOS apps
• Sheldon - percussion+
• Victor O - toy keyboard + mixer
• Heraclitus Akimbo - synths

And as usual, you can stream/download the full session over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back in the Southern Cross on the afternoon of the fifth Sunday of July — that is to say on July 30th, 2023.]

Recording: Victor O and Friends

Artist: Victor O and Friends

Song: [excerpt from an improvisation]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination), November 25, 2022.

Victor O and Friends - [excerpt]

The night's closing curated set saw bassist Victor O leaning in and focusing on echos and microloops while being surrounded by plinks and scratches from Marilyn Yogarajah (synth, piano, trumpet) and Zoë Alexis-Abrams (cello).

You can also check out the video from this set over on Audiopollination's youtube page:

[Audiopollination will be back at Array Space on Friday, January 13th, with performances from Mike Barber/Daisy Betlej/Tegan Dietsch / Kousha Nakhaei/Owen Kurtz / Jamie Eriksen/Adrian Russouw/Bri Clarke and Kimberly Ivany/Katheryn Merriam.]

Recording: Output 1:1:1

Artist: Output 1:1:1

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at CineCycle (TONE Festival), June 10, 2022.

Output 1:1:1 - unknown

After an appetite-whetting preview last month, the TONE Festival kicked off in earnest with this night out, leading off a frenzy of activity that'll see the bulk of the festival's shows clustered over the next couple weeks.

This trio was originally a solo project from vocalist/guitarist Daniel Janvier, but has now coalesced into a trio with Gene Converse (bass) and Victor O (drums). Janvier's operatic yalp created some interesting tensions with the band's post-punk soundscapes, just as his shimmery guitar tone found an co-habitated restlessly with the rhythm section's lurch.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XIII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XIII

Song: I Can't Find My Phone [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), December 29, 2019.

Cosmic Homeostasis XIII - I Can't Find My Phone [excerpt]

To my surprise and delight, in the midst of that muddled and busy holiday week after xmas we managed to muster a baker's dozen soundmakers to mindmeld into some electroacoustic drift. Maybe folks just needed a calm zone away from the holiday hurlyburly. In any case, an excellent bit of preparation for the collective's first formal recording session — of which, more news soon!

The group on this day consisted of:

• Scott M2 (Animoog Borderlands)
• Paul Newman (tenor saxophone)
• Matt Wells (cymbal)
• Dame Cook (electronics)
• Patrick O'Reilly (Bliptronic 5000 and guitar)
• strofoamNosebleedPrincess (bass guitar and objects)
• Michael Lynn (bass guitar and things, namer-of-things)
• Maggie Keogh (Omnichord)
• Del Stephen (synth, piano, tape, fx)
• NilanX (prepared guitar and fx)
• Mira Martin-Grey (prepared/broken autoharp)
• Stefan Powell (duochord with magnetic wheels)
• Victor O (shakers + noisemakers)
• Heraclitus Akimbo (tapes and electronics)

You can also listen to the full set over on Bandcamp:

Recording: Maraj/Vespaziani/O

Artist: Kieran Maraj/Bob Vespaziani/Victor O

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Karen Ng Presents: The Boxing Day Special), December 26, 2019.

Kieran Maraj/Bob Vespaziani/Victor O - [excerpt]

Karen Ng (away for her regular night at The Tranzac) left things to guest curator Victor O, who assembled a fine night of electroacoustic sounds. He also joined in with this trio, with a tableful of percussive implements being processed by Kieran Maraj's granular manipulations alongside Bob Vespaziani's wavedrum and pedals. This lead to some complicated clattering, relieved by Victor O's piano meditations.

Recording: American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray

Artist: American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray

Song: [excerpt from first piece, in two parts]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Jazz and Otherwise Improvised Musics), July 9, 2019.

American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray - [excerpt from first piece, part 1]

American Standard Trio with Kayla Milmine and Mira Martin-Gray - [excerpt from first piece, part 2]

Short a member for the night, two-thirds of American Standard Trio (Dame Cook and Victor O) enlisted like-minded sonic explorers Mira Martin-Gray and Kayla Milmine to help populate their noise-as-jazz-as-noise soundworld. You know how some nights you can hear feral cats fighting with raccoons in a territorial battle over the green bins? Well, parts of this set sounded like that, only on a planet of robots. Not a Disney soundtrack then, but a lively and joyful ramble nonetheless.

Recording: Rehlinger/Webber/O

Artist: Jakob Rehlinger/Georgia Webber/Victor O

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Track Could Bend #49: Fourth Anniversary All-Star Spectacular!), April 2, 2019.

Jakob Rehlinger/Georgia Webber/Victor O - [excerpt]

For its fourth anniversary, Track Could Bend once more invited back all of the past year's performers to partake in some instant bands, with names being drawn from a hat before each set. A dozen musicians took up the challenge, divided into four trios. Unexpected connections emerged — there were more violins than usual, for example — and once more the results were highly satisfying. A trip into the drone zone here, with Jakob Rehlinger's synthscapes providing the backdrop for Georgia Webber's vocalizations/violin sounds and Victor O's percussion/piano counterpoints.

[Track Could Bend is back at its Wenona home base tonight (Tuesday, June 4th) offering sets from Mike Barber, Ashley Urquhart and Friends plus Pete Johnston's Bog Standards.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis X

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis X

Songs: The Wire Shimmy [excerpt] + Buzzy Bandit Breakdown [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 31, 2019.

Cosmic Homeostasis X - The Wire Shimmy [excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis X - Buzzy Bandit Breakdown [excerpt]

Another afternoon of electroacoustic ambient drift sounds, with a robust turnout that reached fifteen performers by the second set. But for all that, the performers showed admirably restraint, growing the soundfield without becoming too obtrusive and making for a rather-pleasant drifting sensation.

The afternoon's performers included:

• Ron Blake - guitar, kaoss pad
• Matt Wells - guitar
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Randi Helmers - voice
• Aaron Dawson - crappy old synth
• Victor O - water-logged xylo, cello bow, random percussion
• Dame Cook - electronics, xylo
• Del Stephen - keyboard
• Marilyn Y - singing bowl, trio chime
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Mira Martin-Gray - electronics
• Phil Hamilton - guitar, monotribe
• Patrick O'Reilly - piano, namer-of-things
• Scott M2 - electronics
• Heraclitus Akimbo - tapes, pedals, sine wave, guitar

You can also check out the full sets over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back in the Southern Cross on the afternoon of Sunday, June 30th!]

Recording: American Standard Trio

Artist: American Standard Trio

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, November 11, 2018.

American Standard Trio - [excerpt 1]

American Standard Trio - [excerpt 2]

Excellent work here from AST, bigging up their sound to fit a more advanced PA than there was at the last time I saw 'em, and adding a touch of gravitas in creating some low-budget soundtrack-y electroacoustic jams. There was still a joi de vivre in their methodology, mind you, and watching the band in action (water-cooler jug percussion, elaborate pass-the-violin procedures and all) is like witnessing a gang of kids playing scrub on a baseball diamond — a lot of free movement that's still subject to higher principles of co-ordination.