Option 2026: Neti-Neti

Recorded Live on June 28, 2026 in the ESS garden.

https://ess.org/event/option-2026-06-28/

With Amirtha Kidambi on vocals and electronics and Matt Evans on drums and electronics, Neti-Neti channels the weight of modern atrocities through music that weaves syncopated grooves, cathartic outbursts, and meditative drones, blending South Asian vocal traditions with textured, treated percussion to create a devotional, ritualistic sonic space.

Neti-Neti is the lo-fi ritual music duo of Matt Evans (drums/electronics) and Amirtha Kidambi (vocals/electronics) that formed amidst their mutual experiences surrounding grief after the death of loved ones. Neti-Neti, translated as “It is not this, it is not that” from Sanskrit, is a contemplation on the nature of reality, life, death, birth and rebirth extracted from the Hindu text of rituals The Upanishads. The duo has performed at Skanu Mezs Festival, Latvia; Suoni Per il Popolo Festival, Montreal; and Tone Festival, Toronto, amongst others. Their debut album Impermanence was released with Dinzu Artefacts in 2022.

OPTION is an ongoing music salon curated by Chicago musicians Andrew Clinkman, Lily Finnegan, and Dorothy Carlos and presented by Experimental Sound Studio. Its programming explores contemporary perspectives on improvisation and composition in a ‘salon’ format, enabling local, national, and international artists to publicly discuss their practice and ideas as well as perform.