This month’s podcast features synthesist David Mason. Its constructed from three sessions recorded en plein air; on my back deck and during a Space Out, Outside in April 2021.
In the electronic music realm, David Mason usually goes by the name of Listening Center and as such employs mostly analog synthesis and tape manipulation. Since 2012, he has released several albums and singles with record labels such as Ghost Box, Polytechnic Youth, A Year In The Country, Castles in Space, Texte und Töne, and Behind the Sky. He sometimes composes film soundtracks and plays electronic percussion in the Danish-US ensemble, Hess Is More.
This month’s podcast features sound artist/therapist Katie Down. It was recorded binaurally in Katie’s loft instrumentarium where Katie played flute, and glass and metal instruments. Its always a treat to play with acoustic instruments and Katie creates some amazing sounds and textures on hers! This one is quite immersive and best experienced in headphones for the full binaural effect.
This month’s podcast features electronic musician Charles Shriner from Indianapolis, Indiana. Unlike previous remote variations, this one was a live, real-time collaboration using the Jamkazam platform, which worked quite well. I think the end result is comparable to collaborations recorded live in my studio.
Charles cleaned up and mixed the files from two Jamkazam sessions then I edited them as I would do for any podcast. (He also provided the image used in the header graphic.)
Here is some Bonus material from the sessions with Charles.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
Sandy Santra was born in Pennsylvania in the late 1950s, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended Reed College in the 1970s, and moved to New York City in 1996. He began playing piano at the age of five, improvising at the age of sixteen, and has recorded and performed as a solo pianist for over forty years. He has played with numerous ensembles on both coasts of the United States, and his new wave band Counter Parts performed all over the Bay Area in the early 1980s. He has also composed and recorded soundtracks for his own short films, and accompanied numerous dance ensembles. Additionally he is a professional photographer [source photo for header image courtesy of Sandy], award-winning filmmaker, and has lectured on technology in New York City and semiotics in London. His videos may be viewed at his YouTube channel, which includes all his performances during the “Play Me, I’m Yours: New York City 2010” piano festival. Sandy currently resides in Hudson Valley and is writing a novel.
This month, having just passed the five year mark, I’m taking a look back with the intent of creating a sea of tranquility for you to submerge yourself in. The source material is from three sessions going back to 2015. This podcast uses previously unreleased parts from those sessions.
It starts by revisiting a collaboration with saxophonist Brad Hubbard (ES Podcast #24) playing the Electronic Wind Instrument. Brad is a fantastic and thoughtful improvisor, and here he brings some nice synth tones and textures to our musical conversation.
The middle section is from an all day solo performance (installation?) in 2015 during Newburgh Open Studios (ES Podcast #6). These durational performances really let me take my time and slow waay down. I try to get to a similar place in my shorter performances, but its always a challenge. This one is cascading and minimal, it reminds me of watching little waves rushing to shore, or gentle raindrops.
Finally there’s more contemplative improvisation this time with vocalist Ella Ray Kondrat (ES Podcast #34). This recording was literally the first time we played together. I think at the time I edited the original podcast I may have thought it was too raw, but listening to it now I find it has a sort of fragile beauty.
Errant Elf, or Quantum Space… whichever you choose, this month’s podcast is from a live performance with Quantum Elf which took place on December 7, 2019 at the Rotunda in Philadelphia as part of the Event Horizon concert series.
Quantum Elf is Karl Fury (guitar, lap steel) and Floyd Bledsoe (synthesizers). It was a real honor to have these guys sit in with me for this show. I think our performance was pretty epic!
This month’s podcast features electronic musician Bastian Void from Worcester, MA. I think this is the first Errant Space Podcast session that took place before noon, and perhaps you can hear that freshness in our collabo. Its chock full of amazing modular synth textures and sounds. Be sure to check out Bastian Void’s recordings on his Bandcamp page. His latest release, Acreage, is fantastic!
And there’s a bonus track from our session HERE, where we went in a different direction and tried a dub-ish experiment.
This month’s podcast is from a Sound/Peace performance at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY on August 2, 2019.
The performers were:
Katie Down: Metal and Glass Instruments Mark Trecka: Piano, Bells and Voice Thom Uliasz: Circuit Bent and Hand Made Electronics
Craig Chin: Guitar/Loops
Sound/Peace, an occasionally recurringseries, is an immersive sonic experience accompanied by the changing light of the setting sun. Musicians occupy the edges of the space, surrounding listeners in sound, the performance ends as darkness falls.
This is a field recording, so there’s a bit of room noise and shuffling about, but it captures the experience well.
For best results: listen in headphones, lying down, starting an hour before sunset.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
Errant Elf, or Quantum Space… whichever you choose, this month’s podcast is from a live performance with 
Be sure to check out Bastian Void’s recordings on his 
