Super brutal sounds from conductor Ilan Volkov from his support show here in February. Volkov's bow rasps and tears his un-tuned, un-tamed violin into fizzing electronic realms - sample moments of this you could be in power electronics world. Has the ingenuity and playfulness of early AMM, and the timbral breadth and simple gesticular approach of Billy Steiger or Ute Kangeisser. So often heard leading a group or improvising in one, this is a wonderful insight into Volkov's sheer joy and relentless drive to explore sound. --- Ilan Volkov / violin --- Tracklisting: 1. 9:46 2. 6:27 3. 9:08 --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Thursday 16th of February 2017. Mixed and mastered by James McMultitalented Dunn. 

Graham Lambkin / mixing desk, tapes, cardboard, voice, objects Recorded by Mark Jasper at Cafe OTO on Friday 17 October 2014. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. Photograph by Oliver Lambkin.

Slow, quiet and relaxed - Eva-Maria Houben’s first appearance at OTO touched all that heard it. Part of the Wandelweiser collective, Houben creates vast, incorporeal forms from almost nothing - music that lingers long after the last note has dissipated. Includes the premiere of Tiefe – Depth for Piano - a flawless study in decay and resonance. --- Eva-Maria Houben / piano --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Tuesday 30th August, 2016. Mixed by Abby Thomas. Mastered by James Dunn.  --- Transcipt from the evening:  “I’m very glad to be here. I had some very nice days here in London before this night, and I am very glad this night to be here. We spoke about the programme for this night and we decided upon 3 sections, and if you allow I would like to say some words. On the whole, I will play two first performances, and then I will play a few other pieces, and the first section will be a piece form 2014, Loosely Connected. It is not the first performance, it had already been performed in August in Germany, and it was a full experience for me. And then I will play the piece Depth - it’s short, and this will be the first performance. So, both pieces together will come I think, to twenty minutes. Two ten minute pieces. And then we have the first break, and you could take something, and then follows Sonata Number 10 that will have a duration of twenty four minutes, and then, at last, I will finish with Dandelion, a new piece, a first performance, and then The Hanging Garden or The Suspended Garden. Yes. And now, Loosely Connected and Depth. Thank you very much.” — "And now, the second set and it will be Sonata for Piano Number 10. This Sonata has a subtitle - it’s called in French, erm, Le Croche de Soils - Dreambirds. I have dreamt this piece and there were different sounds of birds from different countries and different towers and I listened before to a piece by Enescu, a Roman composer, and it was very impressive. And he imitated real birds by the piano, by sounds and keys which seemed to be wrong but they sounded like birds because there are birds which have disharmony partials - or harmonic partials but disharmonic partials too - and this was very fascinating for me and I tried to be on the traces of different composers. This sonata has 5 movements, and the first movement is dedicated to Mussorgsky, the second movement to Enescu, the third movement to Schumann, the fourth movement to Liszt, and the last and fifth movement to Olivier Messiaen. It is not their sounds but traces, smells, of those composers. Not more. You will listen to 5 movements and the whole sonata will have a duration of 24 up to 25 minutes. Then we will have the second break. Thank you." — "So or the last set we have at first, Dandelion. Dandelion could be a very long piece - it is a collection with many pieces of paper and every sheet is a world on its own, and I will play 3 pages, not more. But I could play many pages and could have played only Dandelion this evening, it’s a collection with many pages, but I play 3. It is a study on partials of the piano. And then follows Les Jardins Suspendus - The Hanging Gardens, yes, and this piece closes the night. And both pieces together I think will last I think 15 minutes. The first perhaps 8 minutes, and then 7 minutes." — "Thank you very much for your kind welcome. And I could play the famous Drei Choräles, they are very short. They have repetitions and I would think I will take about 4 or 5 minutes. Yes." —

Both great improvisers, but even better storytellers, Davies and Lash carve a huge narrative with this simple approach to strings. As soon as their bows hit string they are growing and swelling together until their huge swathe of sound looms over the room and fills OTO's every nook and cranny. And then, all of a sudden, it disappears - leaving just a ticking, a bowing of floorboards under an invisible, shifting weight. Detailed minutiae with gigantic effect from two of the UK's best.  --- Angharad Davies / violin Dominic Lash / double bass  --- Recorded by Mark Jasper on Thursday 5th May 2016. Mixed by Abby Thomas. Mastered by James Dunn.  --- Tracklisting: 1. 22:32 - 22:32

The Two Ronnies, The Pet Shop Boys, Suicide and now Dale 'n' Phil. 6.2.17 marks the first live outing of much new material from these two excellent human beings - and it also marks possibly the only time we’ve seen proper heckling in OTO’s usually library quiet atmosphere. “It’s not Whitehouse definitely!” some blogger shouts, but what is? We can't repeat Dale's real retort - you'll have to download the whole thing for that, but we can say it often sounds like a landscape of embarrassing human phrasing dug up by Dale and slung back at the audience, to be consumed while Phil's bass line slowly shifts out of sync beneath you.  “Language is a nuisance” goes one of their ‘songs’, and they’re right, but if we’re going to keep on using it lets please put Dale Cornish in charge of the dictionary.   --- Dale Cornish / vocals Phil Julian / electronics --- 1. Role (0:00-3:11) 2. Exhibition (3:11-5:43) 3. Chairs (5:43-9:33) 4. Language Is A Nuisance (9:33-12:33) 5. Part Human (12:33-16:14) 6. Chip Shop (16:14-19:45) 7. Laughing Out (19:45-end) (Download comes as one uninterrupted set of 23:15) --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Monday 6th of Febuary 2017 by Shaun Crook. Mixed by James Dunn and mastered by Phil Julian.  ---

Special triple percussion set from this years Corsano / McPhee residency. Flanked by Eddie Prévost and Orphy Robinson, prepare for the kind of radically intuitive and joyously intense interplay that comes along very very very rarely.  --- Chris Corsano / drums Eddie Prévost / drums Orphy Robinson / vibraphone, kalimba Joe McPhee / alto & tenor saxophone, trumpet --- Tracklisting: 1. Set 1 - 46:19 2. Set 2 - 29:16 3. Set 3 - 13:12 --- Recorded by Shaun Crook on the 15th of February 2016. Mixed by Shaun Crook. Mastered by James Dunn.  

Composer, saxophonist and sound artist Antoine Chessex is usually known for playing through distorting stacks of guitar amplifiers to create monolithic walls of noise and texture, but on 12.12.16 he teamed up with free music giants John Edwards and Steve Noble to play an all acoustic trio -  an attempt to deconstruct the ‘classic’ formula of the tenor sax, bass and drums. Right off the bat Chessex's extended technique reaches combustable energy levels, and Edwards and Noble push pace and space to a taut intensity. Fresh, fierce and always under control - we very much hope this trio returns. For now though, dig in to this.   --- Antine Chessex / saxophone John Edwards / double bass Steve Noble / drums --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Sunday 12th December, 2016. Mixed and mastered by James Dunn. Photo by Dawid Laskowski. 

Aggressive and confrontational on tenor sax, Gayle lights up and Edwards and Turner let rip. His piano work hints at bebop and the blues, at Monk and Taylor, but overall he's wholly unpredictable - as likely to bash his whole arm on the keys and wail and he is to tinkle the keys with one finger. Over an hour of heat and sensitivity. £6. Tracklisting 1. January (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 34.14 2. Febuary (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 7.04 3. March (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 23.34 4. April (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 11.34 5. May (Gayle/Edwards/Turner) 10.48 Recorded live at Cafe OTO on 26 May 2015 by James Dunn. Mixed by James Dunn. Mastered by Rupert Clervaux. Photograph Dawid Laskowski.

Art-Punk, Noise-Rock, What-Effing-Ever - Carla Bozulich never does it the same way twice and this is no exception. Featuring the first time release of power medly 'L.A / Underdog', alongside haunting reworkings of traditional Scottish folk song 'MacCrimmon’s Lament', Bozulich's low slung and unwavering vocals flip every binary idea you ever had and whisks up your genre boundaries for good measure. Whether you are pissed off or full of joy by the end of it, Bozulich expends so much energy on a set it is impossible not to be moved.  --- Carla Bozulich  / guitar, voice Don the Tiger / guitar, electronics Sage Charles / drums (on Track 6) --- Recorded by Tom Mudd on Sunday 19th April 2015. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by James Dunn. 

Cameron Deas is one of the few guitarists to emerge from the shadow of John Fahey and present his own radical musical vision. He’s also made a bold transition from the stripped back sonics of his extended suites for solo guitar to an open system of electronics where the guitar becomes the physical interface for a rich and dynamic sound world of flickering electronics, alien tones, tightly controlled attacks and dense, elastic texture. The music initially brings to mind both Gagaku - the glacially paced court music of Japan and the runaway microtonality of the Gamelan in its Javanese counterpart whilst simultaneously generating whole new tongues under Deas expert compositional control. --- Cam Deas / Guitar, Electronics --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Friday 5th June 2015 by  James Dunn. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.

At once remote and then drawn impossibly close, Billy Steiger's playing sits stony faced between the fantastic and the real. Given the chance, his music will lead you out of the live venue, out of your own head, and tell you looped fragments of stories you can't quite put your finger on. Magic. --- Billy Steiger / violin --- Recorded on Thursday 11th August, 2016 by Adam Matschulat. Mixed by Billy Steiger. Mastered by James Dunn.  --- Tracklisting:  1. Minor Things - 17:03

Two slabs of dark ambience from composer, electronic musician and co-founder of MEV, Alvin Curran, and incendiary bassist Massimo Pupillo. The pair’s mutual interest in ritual and spirituality combine with field recordings, live electronics, and improvised piano and bass. Chants whirr in a cloud of electronic static, full kit percussion plays behind locked doors and Pupillo's suspended bass tones build huge shoals of sound which turn and shift on an unseen apogee. 12.10.16 is maelstrom free from dogma - a caustic and consuming collaboration.  --- Alvin Curran / piano, sampler Massimo Pupillo / bass guitar --- Tracklisting: 1. 49:02 2. 51:02 --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Shaun Crook on Wednesday October 12th, 2016. Mixed and mastered by James Dunn. 

Last year we invited flutist, composer and educator Nicole Mitchell to make her London debut at OTO. Though originally lined up to play with semi frequent collaborator Joelle Leandre, Joelle had to pull out at the last minute. Instead, we asked Mark Sanders if he would like to play. Having never met before, Mark’s restrained approach to the kit, with skipping brushes on toms and light touches to a ride, a bell or wooden blocks gives remarkable space and air to Mitchell’s unique synthesis of flute and voice. Together they create  a strikingly sparse and minimal sound, but one which is no less full of joyous melodic hooks and grooves reminiscent of a stripped back Art Ensemble.  --- Nicole Mitchell / flute, voice Mark Sanders / percussion --- Tracklisting: 1. One - 24:10 2. Two - 7:18 3. Three - 10:34 --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Saturday 14th May, 2016 by James Dunn. Mixed & mastered by James Dunn. 

Collection of live performances by free flux improv icons The People Band. Recorded at OTO between 2008 and 2014 and bookended with solos by the late Mel Davis, the clan create a hubbub of frenetic free jazz and chaotic, polyrhythmic thrusts.  The origins of the people band can be traced back to 1965 and the core members of the band had all arrived by 1969 / 70. Although all the musicians involved are playing within other genres - the love and power of this collective has inspired all to maintain and develop the work for over 50 years.  This album is dedicated to the memory of the founder member, pianist, teacher and continued inspiration - Mel Davis - who left us in 2013. Two solo tracks open and close this album by way of our deep respect.  --- Mel Davis / piano, thrumb piano, perc.  Terry Day / percussion, reed pipes etc.  Mike Figgis / pocket trumpet, guitar George Khan / saxes, flute Davey Payne / saxes Paul Jolly / saxes, bass clarinet Charlie Hart / bass, violin Tony Edwards / percussion Adam Hart / piano, trombone  and featuring: Tony Marsh  Maggie Nichols Ed Deane Terry Holman  Ben Higham Dave Chambers Brian Godding and with thanks to: Jim Dvorak Dave Fowler Oly Blanchflower --- Recorded by Arlen Figgis. Mastered by Nick Pugh at Session Corner. New artwork sourced from a Fabio Lugaro photograph. Previous artwork by Gina Southgate (original CD release). Produced by 33 Jazz / Paul Jolly. Thanks to Tim Powell and to the audiences that keep this remarkable band alive, and thanks to 33 Jazz who originally released the recordings as a CD. You can find the CD here.  

First meeting of pianist Pat Thomas and drummer Paul Abbott. Abbott’s affective concerns find a perfect partner in Thomas and his signature smack-palm approach. Reminiscent of Milford Graves’ ‘Percussion Ensemble’ but replace the rather serious gong with jovial and dissonant piano. Take a deep breath because there aren't many moments to come up for air in here.  --- Paul Abbot / drums Pat Thomas / piano --- Tracklisting: 1. 28.4.16 - 31:30 --- Recorded by James Dunn on Thursday 28th of April 2016. Mixed & mastered by James Dunn. Plants by Hamish Dunbar. 

This was part of Mdou Moctar’s first tour of Europe and recorded on what was originally scheduled as a night off.  The band had played a rousing set the night before to a packed house when it was discovered that they weren’t up to anything on this night and that OTO was only scheduled to open as a bar. Things were quickly put into place for a second show which promptly sold out and totally delivered the kind of spontaneous energy you’d hope for in this kind of situation.   “We’ve got a problem” said Carl, our erstwhile evening manager at the end of the night.  “Mdou has fallen in love” “ah…” “He’d like to take our amp with him” Of course, a deal was struck and off it went. It’s nice to know that there is a little bit of OTO tearing it up across the north of Africa!  --- Mdou Moctar / guitar, voiceAhmoudou Madassane / guitar, voiceMahmoud Ahmed Jabre / drums, voice Recorded by Shaun Crook at Cafe OTO on Friday 1 August 2014. Mixed by John Chantler.  Mastered by Rupert Clervaux, London. Photograph by Jonathan Crabb.

A recording of a rare duo performance by percussionist / composer Michael Zerang and guitarist / vocalist / banjo player Daniel Higgs conjuring densely interwoven improvisations that draw on traditional forms but take them in defiantly unexpected directions. Both musicians will be familiar to OTO regulars - Zerang as a member of Joe McPhee's Survival Unit III alongside Fred Lonberg-Holm, and his gracefully rolling approach to the drums has provided a welcome, beatific contrast to PNLs full-on assaults in Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet. Daniel A.I.U Higgs has also been responsible for some singularly memorable performances here alongside the likes of Maya Dunietz and Jennifer Walshe and his transcendental ragas here reach an even higher level of hypnotism. --- Michael Zerang / percussionDaniel Higgs / voice, banjo --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on 28 June 2014 by James Dunn. Mixed by James Dunn.  Mastered by Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at Calyx, Berlin. Photograph by Andrej Chudy.

Japanese experimental guitarist Taku Sugimoto sounds particularly contemplative in this pairing with Welsh violinist Angharad Davies. Exploring the textural and timbral elements of their instruments, the duo create a space for reflection amidst the ghostly echoes of Dalston's Kingsland Road. --- Angharad Davies / violin Taku Sugimoto / guitar --- Recorded by Shaun Crook on Monday 16th March 2015. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by James Dunn. Original photograph by Fabio Lugaro.