Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Song: Overstimulated Cumulus [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 30, 2026.

Cosmic Homeostasis - Overstimulated Cumulus [excerpt]

A variety of sounds emerging from across the length of the Southern Cross at this edition of Cosmic Homeostasis, with some rhythmic skeletons threatening to emerge.

The full ensemble this time around included:

• Broken Pink Umbrella - Make Noise Tape & Microsound Music Machine
• Dan Friedman - flute, various AUv3
• Del Stephen - bar, glassware, register, keyboard synthesizer
• Heraclitus Akimbo - M-VAVE FM-1 synth
• Hilary Martin - pedals
• Huck Collins - electric guitar
• John Swschkov - theremin
• Matt Collins - acoustic guitar
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Zack Berwick - modular synth

As usual, you can check out the afternoon's entire proceedings over on bandcamp:

[Cosmic Homeostasis will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, November 29th — but more immediately, CH will be convening tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, October 4th at 4 p.m.) at 918 Bathurst to celebrate the release of a new "studio" album.]

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

Song: Fuck this bogus AI garbage, we're going back to punch cards [excerpt]

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, July 26, 2026.

Heraclitus Akimbo - Fuck this bogus AI garbage, we're going back to punch cards [excerpt]

Celebrating a new album of compilation tracks and electronic compositions, this set visited a couple of the album's zones, including a synth-y revisiting of the melancholia-inducing beauty of the glass harmonica, as well as the attempted end-run at James Tenney's electronic concepts heard here.

You can check out the full set over on youtube:

photo by Thomas Evers

Recording: Country Phasers

Artist: Country Phasers

Songs: [1st piece] + [excerpt] (with Heraclitus Akimbo)

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge ("Ayal Senior & Friends"), July 12, 2026.

Country Phasers - [1st piece]

Country Phasers with Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Kurt Newman brought his Country Phasers concept out of hiatus for this special appearance, which found his guitars very phase-y (and synth-y!) indeed, if perhaps less country-ish. In proper "Ayal & Friends" style, guest-host Joe Strutt then proposed an impromptu duo to close things out, adding more synthy layers to the proceedings.

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

[Ayal Senior & Friends will be back at The Tranzac on Sunday, September 13th.]

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis

Songs: [set 2 excerpt] + [set 4 excerpt]

Recorded at St. Matthew's Clubhouse, Riverdale Park (AGA Arts' "Outdoor Gestures" life drawing session), May 31, 2026.

Cosmic Homeostasis - [set 2 excerpt]

Cosmic Homeostasis - [set 4 excerpt]

On a beautiful afternoon to be outside, the Cosmic Homeostasis crew settled in under some big trees in Riverdale Park and served as part of the background sounds for a life drawing session. (Other parts of the background sounds were provided by birds, dogs, passing streetcars and other environmental features.) Drawing takes time, so the session stretched out well over two hours, giving lots of space for sound exploration and drift.

The homeostasisists this time around were:

• Abigail Trotsky - electronics (sets 1 + 2)
• Broken Pink Umbrella - theremin + effects
• Chris Trotter - electronics (sets 1+2)
• Dan Friedman - wood flute, harmonica, oscillators, resonance, feedback, memory
• Del Stephen - keyboard synthesizer, flutes, whistles
• Heraclitus Akimbo - Sound Urchin, lyre, synths, Zoia
• Mira Martin-Gray - laptop (sets 3 - 5)
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Rob Cruickshank - electronics
• Siobhan - OP-1 synth
• Zack Berwick - eurorack sampler
• birds - bird sounds

And as always, the full set is available over on bandcamp:

[The next scheduled Cosmic Homeostasis gathering is at The Tranzac on the afternoon of Sunday, August 30th.]

Recording: Wenderly Park

Artist: Wenderly Park

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Le Monde, May 22, 2026.

Wenderly Park - [excerpt]

A slightly-unusual WP set, with gear being reused from the previous night's playful encounter seeing more tapes and tape loops in play than usual. That allowed a memorial tribute to local cellist/composer Cris Derksen before heading off into percussive bricabrac, feedback bursts, synth squiggles and some nimble guitar ruminations.

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

Recording: Paint, Play Ensemble

Artist: Paint, Play Ensemble

Song: [set 1 excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Playscape Emporium: Paint, Play), May 21, 2026.

Paint, Play Ensemble - [set 1 excerpt]

Duo Cichorium’s Playscape Emporium curatorial residency at Array is "built around storytelling through cross-disciplinary collaboration". This instalment mixed music with visual improvisations from Constant Yen and Rowan Campbell. That gave plenty of ideas for the assembled musicians (Charlee Wielgoz, Fahmid Nibesh, Joe Strutt, Mira Martin-Gray, and Duo Cichorium's Louis Pino) to react to, leading to some really inneresting sounds. The event was livestreamed, so hopefully the archived version of that will become available at some point.

Recording: Cosmic Homeostasis XXXII

Artist: Cosmic Homeostasis XXXII

Song: Stemcell [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Living Room), May 17, 2026.

Cosmic Homeostasis XXXII - Stemcell [excerpt]

Circumstances shifted this gathering from its usual fifth-Sunday-of-the month — and also across the hall into the Living Room. But there was still plenty of room to drift along.

The full ensemble this time out was:

• Broken Pink Umbrella - theremin + effects
• Dan Friedman - EQ feedback, west pest, kastl drum, bamboo flute
• Del Stephen - keyboard synthesizer
• Heraclitus Akimbo - lyre, synth, tapes
• Hilary Martin - pedals
• Ian McPhedran - guitar
• Jim Davis - bass
• Patrick O'Reilly - Pluto
• Paul Newman - tenor saxophone
• Scott M2 - S-1
• Peter G. + Brian G. - namers-of-things

As always, you can listen to the full session over on bandcamp:

Recording: Happy Apple

Artist: Happy Apple

Song: [excerpt, in two parts]

Recorded at Annette Studios (Sonomadic Improv presents), April 12, 2026.

Happy Apple - [excerpt, part 1]

Happy Apple - [excerpt, part 2]

Sonomadic Music is an initiative from Kayla Milmine and Jonathan Kay to support artists and audiences with chances for joyful, focused listening. Their live series has had several shows in Annette Studios, which allows for pro-level documentation. This night opened with a re-emergence of Happy Apple, the occasional joint effort from Allison Cameron (electric mandolin, field recordings, effects and more) and Joe Strutt (synths, processing, apples) — and with both using the mellow chimes of the titular happy apples.

[You can keep an eye out for further Sonomadic Improv events at their instagram — and hear some past sessions over on bandcamp. Joe Strutt will be performing as part of the ensemble at Duo Cichorium's Playscape Emporium (Paint, Play), alongside Charlee Wielgoz, Fahmid Nibesh, and Mira Martin-Gray.]

photo by Heidi Chan.

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: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

Songs: Western Stasis + At the Vilhjalmur Stefansson Monument

Recorded in The Sun Room at 918 Bathurst, January 18, 2026.

Heraclitus Akimbo - Western Stasis

Heraclitus Akimbo - At the Vilhjalmur Stefansson Monument

This afternoon was convened as a celebration of the release of "I know what I have experienced and I know what it has meant to me", an album of music for solo lap steel guitar. Unpacking some of the ideas behind the albums's pieces, some musical ghosts were chased and arctic voyages described.

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: O'Reilly/Strutt/Pitt

Artist: Patrick O'Reilly/Joe Strutt/Dan Pitt

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Track Could Bend #109), October 7, 2025.

Patrick O'Reilly/Joe Strutt/Dan Pitt - [excerpt]

There's an informal rule at TCB that the host doesn't also perform, but on request of guitarist Dan Pitt, that rule was bent enough to reconvene this trio that had played together informally at Patrick O'Reilly's birthday jam. I brought out the Kaossilator, and the ukulele as well to make it a full-on string band. The results seems quite satisfying, blurps and bloops and some nice textured bits.

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

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: Our Way to Fall

Artist: Our Way to Fall

Song: [last section]

Recorded at 918 Bathurst (The Sun Room), August 14, 2025.

Our Way to Fall - [last section]

Sightings of this trio have been rare for a while now, but with vocalist Liz Lima making a swing through Toronto (no clarinet in tow this time around), the group was duly convened to join together for some sounds — tapes, textures, chimes, voices and more. Del Stephen proposed starting off the evening with a trio of solo mini-sets, giving everyone a chance to calibrate their headspace — he started off with some Today Versions, followed by Lima's chatter pulled from the æther, followed by Heraclitus Akimbo's encounter with The Inner Child. In group mode, improvised projections by Kasia Smuga tied the whole thing together, mixing abstraction and geometric precision.

You can check out some more from the solo mini-sets over on youtube:

And the full group set is right here:

Recording: Wenderly Park

Artist: Wenderly Park

Song: [last section]

Recorded at 918 Bathurst (The Sun Room), August 6, 2025.

Wenderly Park - [last section]

Celebrating a new album, Wenderly Park here sported a new division of labour, with Joe Strutt holding down the low end on processed electric bass while Fahmid Nibesh wandered the room harnessing feedback and other sounds from a variety of implements. A bit of a noisier ride, suitable to the company they were keeping on this night.

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

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: Heraclitus Akimbo/Swankey/Zhu

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo/Laura Swankey/Judy Zhu

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination), June 13, 2025.

Heraclitus Akimbo/Laura Swankey/Judy Zhu - [excerpt]

A poignant but celebratory chapter-closing season-ender at Audiopollination, with the community coming out to celebrate founding host Mike Lynn's last night at the helm. Two sets of effected vocals here, tied together by some synths and tape loops.

You can also check out the archived livestream from the night over on youtube:

[It's important to note that Audiopollination will continue, under enterprising new hands! In fact, the sign-up sheet for the fall run of shows (September through December) is already posted and starting to fill up, so now's the time to add yourself to the musical conversation!]

[image snagged from the livestream]

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: Heraclitus Akimbo

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo

Songs: In the Style of 2015 [excerpt] + In the Style of 2025 [edited excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Compilation Release & Ten-Year Celebration Concert), May 18, 2025.

Heraclitus Akimbo - In the Style of 2015 [excerpt]

Heraclitus Akimbo - In the Style of 2025 [edited excerpt]

Heraclitus Akimbo (the musical project) has a very specific (and personally-meaningful) point of origin, so I'd been keeping an eye on the calendar for a good spell ruminating on that launching point's tenth anniversary — enough so that I had the time to carefully construct a reflection/refraction of the decade passed. Both the compilation and the anniversary itself suggested that some sort of event would be appropriate, leading to this timely concert with a warm room full of friends and well-wishers. Two separate sets (and two gear setups) allowed for a zoom from the sounds I was making when I started to the (not altogether different) ones I'm producing today.

None of this would have happened if it weren't for the assistance and encouragement of a lot of folks along the way, a first-person observation that has probably enhanced my opinion that music is rarely authored by a specific person, so much as it emerges from one set of hands situated in a social milieu.

You can check out some the full sets over on youtube:

photo by Tina