• Ryan Deffet Studio Grant

    Ryan Deffet Studio Grant

    Applications are now open for the Ryan Deffet Studio Grant, an initiative furthering Ryan's legacy of creativity, generosity, and collaboration. The goal of this initiative is to meet artists where they are in a recording project, giving them the time, space, and professional resources to complete production on a discrete project.

    Apply Now

  • Navigations: One's Position (and a route)

    Experimental Sound Studio and Roman Susan are pleased to announce “Navigations: One’s Position (and a route),” a multi-faceted group exhibition opening this spring at ESS’s Audible Gallery. Each week, a different artist is featured on the Audible Gallery sound system, amplifying work that is taking place across the City.

    LEARN MORE

  • Creative Audio Archive

    ESS’s Creative Audio Archive painstakingly preserves and shares pivotal recordings of innovative and experimental sonic arts and music. Our unique collection is growing by the day with crucial collections from Sun Ra, Studio Henry, Fred Anderson, Malachi Ritscher, Links Hall, Tatsu Aoki, and more.

    EXPLORE THE CAA

  • Book Studio Time

    Working on a project? ESS offers comprehensive production facilities and expert support for diverse audio projects, with services that include recording, mixing, mastering, post production, sound design, and more.

    Book Studio Time
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    • We are a community supported non-profit dedicated to the curation, evolution, and exploration of sound.

    For 40 years Experimental Sound Studio has nurtured avant-garde and exploratory artists through production, presentation, education, and preservation.

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    Exploding Star Orchestra at Adler Planetarium

    Events

    Last year we presented 337 artists in 81 different programs in-person throughout Chicago and online.

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    Full-Service Recording Studio

    ESS offers comprehensive production facilities and expert support for nearly 150 artists per year in over 300 sessions.

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    Join the Feed Back Loop

    Support ESS as we embark on the coming year and join the hundreds of folks who have chosen to be part of the aggregate force that makes experimental culture possible.

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    Artist Residencies

    ESS works with local and international partners to create time and space for artistic creation. Details per residency in this link.

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    Creative Audio Archive

    You can now listen access recordings online—we’re adding more every day!

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    Support the Creative Audio Archive

    Help us digitize and share more recordings like this one!