Experimental Sound Studio

Experimental Sound Studio is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to artistic evolution and the creative exploration of sound.

Calendar
GALLERY HOURS: Lee Blalock, 'I Sing the Body Cybernetic'
Jan 25
GALLERY HOURS: Lee Blalock, 'I Sing the Body Cybernetic'

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.

FLORASONIC: Anne Guthrie 'Hackle 2'
Feb 10
FLORASONIC: Anne Guthrie 'Hackle 2'

For Florasonic, Anne Guthrie presents Hackle 2, an installation that connects with themes of transparency and hidden information.

OPTION: Don Dietrich
Mar 4
OPTION: Don Dietrich

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.


OPTION: Biliana Voutchkova and Jakob Warmenbol
Mar 11
OPTION: Biliana Voutchkova and Jakob Warmenbol

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.

OPTION: Darius Jones
Mar 18
OPTION: Darius Jones

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.


OPTION: Lisa Mezzacappa
Mar 25
OPTION: Lisa Mezzacappa

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.

Keep up with us on INSTAGRAM

This morning we kicked off a new content designated newsletter from the Creative Audio Archive we’re calling Archive Dive! ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ For our first transmission, archives manager Matt Mehlan excavates and digitized some early recordings of Don Dietrich in his group Borbetomagus from the Malachi Ritscher Collection. ⁣ ⁣ Sign our mailing list for exclusive and temporary offerings from the collections at CAA. 🔗Link in bio 🔗 http://eepurl.com/eW5wQ⁣
BIG thanks to the students of Lou Mallozzi’s sound and image class at #schooloftheartinstituteofchicago for learning a bit about Automatic Dialog Replacement for film and foley techniques with us today! Want to learn more about sound for video? We host tutorials and workshops of all kinds! Contact us at info@ess.org 🎙🎞🎛
OPTION is back in two weeks and we're kicking off the series with Don Dietrich on March 4th! "Don Dietrich is an American improviser who is a pioneer on the international noise music scene, a founding member of the legendary Borbetomagus who continues to push forward with new groups like The New Monuments with Ben Hall and C. Spencer Yeh." - OPTION curator @kenvandermark 🎟 Get your tickets! Link in bio 🔗 $10 General / $8 Students/ESS Members Door at 7 | Music at 7:30
The web launch of Light Cycle Repair Clinic’s music video for “On” will go live on Feb 24th at 1pm @ http://leeblalock.com/alwayson.html. This video release is a part of the public/cyber programming for the current Audible gallery exhibition, Lee Blalock: 'I Sing the Body Cybernetic' - on view through April 28th.

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.

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Programs

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

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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.

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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.

Featured
OPTION: Interview with Gerry Hemingway
OPTION: Interview with Gerry Hemingway

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.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Oscillations
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR HIGH CONCEPT LABS’ FALL/WINTER 2018 ARTIST PROGRAMS
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR HIGH CONCEPT LABS’ FALL/WINTER 2018 ARTIST PROGRAMS

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR HIGH CONCEPT LABS’ FALL/WINTER 2018 ARTIST PROGRAMS

IEM Graz Music Residency Program 2019 - Call for Applications
IEM Graz Music Residency Program 2019 - Call for Applications

IEM Music Residency Program 2019 - Call for Applications

Sonic Genealogies: Olivia Block on Harry Bertoia for Radio from Reina Sofia Museum
Sonic Genealogies: Olivia Block on Harry Bertoia for Radio from Reina Sofia Museum

Sonic Genealogies: Olivia Block on Harry Bertoia for Radio from Reina Sofia Museum

Florasonic: Interview With Artist Stephan Moore
Florasonic: Interview With Artist Stephan Moore

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 Reviews Sara Ludy's 'Climates'
Alex Jen Reviews Sara Ludy's 'Climates'

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

Ten x Ten in Process Update: Lou Mallozzi and Joseph Clayton Mills
Ten x Ten in Process Update: Lou Mallozzi and Joseph Clayton Mills

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
OSCILLATIONS 2017: Call for Proposals

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 In-Progress Update: MELINA AUSIKAITIS & AMBROSIA BARTOSEKULVA
Ten x Ten In-Progress Update: MELINA AUSIKAITIS & AMBROSIA BARTOSEKULVA

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