Experimental Sound Studio
Experimental Sound Studio is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to artistic evolution and the creative exploration of sound.
ESS presents an installation and performances by Lee Blalock, in its Audible Gallery from January 25-April 28, 2019. Inspired by both experimental band formats and futurism, I Sing the Body Cybernetic presents mannequins outfitted with wearable electronics that serve as instruments as well as augmentations.
For Florasonic, Anne Guthrie presents Hackle 2, an installation that connects with themes of transparency and hidden information.
Don Dietrich's concert on the OPTION series at Experimental Sound Studio presents one of the founding figures of American improvised music and sonic exploration in a solo context. After his performance he'll discuss his musical history with Ken Vandermark and answer questions from the audience.
Biliana Voutchkova (violin) and Jakob Warmenbol (drums) will each play a solo set of music, and conclude the evening with a short improvised duo piece. Biliana Voutchkova is an essential member of the Berlin music scene and her album Blurred Music was picked as a Top Ten of 2018 by the Free Jazz Blog. Jakob Warmenbol is a principal figure on the Belgian scene and has collaborated with a wide range of improvisers, such as Greg Cohen, John Hollenbeck, and Joachim Badenhorst; this will be his only solo performance during his current residency in Chicago.
Critically acclaimed NYC saxophonist and composer Darius Jones marks his debut performance on the Option stage. Darius (alto saxophone) will perform a solo set, followed by a discussion with Tim Daisy.
San Francisco Bay Area bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa presents a program that showcases different aspects of her far-ranging musical personality—combining improvisation, original compositions, graphic scores, and music for experimental film. She performs solo and in duos with with longtime collaborator, Bay Area drummer Jason Levis, plus a surprise guest or two from the Chicago improvised music community. Throughout the intimate salon-style performance, Mezzacappa will discuss her process composing music for improvisers and collaborating with artists in other media, as well as the (often hysterical, sometimes heartbreaking) trials and tribulations that have marked her artistic journey.
As an international hub for sonic experimentation, ESS nurtures artists, heralds new works, and builds a broad, supportive community of makers, enthusiasts, and creative partners through production, presentation, education, and preservation.
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Founded in 1986 by Dawn and Lou Mallozzi, Eric Leonardson, and Perry Venson, Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) has occupied its Edgewater location since 2006. The facility is home to a full-service recording, mixing, and mastering studio for hire; Audible Gallery, a small public space for exhibitions, meetings, workshops, performances, and artists' projects; and the Creative Audio Archive—an invaluable collection of recordings, print, and visual ephemera related to avant-garde and exploratory sound and music of the last five decades. ESS presents eclectic performance and installation programming, workshops, and artist talks year round—both in the various spaces around the studio (including its beautiful garden) and at various partner venues around Chicago.

Programs
ESS’s public presentation includes weekly and seasonal ongoing concert series in addition to special projects, commissions, and site-specific installations throughout Chicago.

Archive
Creative Audio Archive houses and programs a number of unique collections documenting sonic arts and experimentation over the past 60 years. Collections include the Sun Ra/El Saturn Collection, the Malachi Ritscher Collection, and an archive of all artistic production through ESS from the past 30 years.

Membership
Join the ESS community as a member and receive special access to recordings, show and studio discounts, additional media, and private events. Membership comes at a range of levels to ensure an inclusive community of experimental arts supporters.
Ahead of Gerry Hemmingway’s concert this Monday for Option, we dug through the Creative Audio Archives housed at ESS to see what we have from the percussionist’s many visits to Chicago.
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR HIGH CONCEPT LABS’ FALL/WINTER 2018 ARTIST PROGRAMS
IEM Music Residency Program 2019 - Call for Applications
Sonic Genealogies: Olivia Block on Harry Bertoia for Radio from Reina Sofia Museum
ESS sat down with Stephan Moore, composer and sound artist, for an interview about his Florasonic piece that’s currently up in the Lincoln Park Conservatory Fern Room. A Grid Against the Sky will be up from Sunday, December 10th - Friday, March 2nd, 2018.
Alex Jen review's Sara Ludy's Florasonic work, 'Climates'
Alex Jen is an independent curator and critic based in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He has written for Hyperallergic, Hiram Butler Gallery and ArtDesk, and is currently working on a piece considering space and texture in Robert Irwin's work for Domus. Past projects include an exhibition of sound and visual art by Brian Trelegan at Williams College, where Jen is also a student
We interviewed Lou Mallozzi and Joesph Clayton Smith about their Ten x Ten collaboration, artistic process, and how the idea of narrative plays out in their piece.
Oscillations 2017: Call for Proposals
Deadline for Proposals: October 1st, 2017, midnight
send submissions to oscillations@ess.org
Now in its fifth year, OSCILLATIONS presents concerts by artists selected from submissions received in response to an open call for proposals. ESS will present chosen artists in a series of 3-4 performances between November 4 and November 25th, 2017. (Depending on the nature of the selected projects, we may feature either one or two acts per evening.) Emphasis will not be placed on any particular genre or style; the main criterion for selection is the demonstration of experimentation, exploration, and innovation in the artist’s/group’s chosen idiom.
Ten x Ten 2017 partners Ambrosia Bartosekulva and Melina Ausikaitis tell us a little bit about their collaboration and process for their track recorded in ESS’s Studio A at the end of April.

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EXPERIMENTAL SOUND STUDIO
5925 N RAVENSWOOD, CHICAGO IL 60660