… drifting between day and dream…
Tonight with: The Deep Listening Band, Isobel Waller-Bridge, and Machinefabriek
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis (Deep Listening Band)
– Lear
Deep Listening, 1989, New Albion
Isobel Waller-Bridge
– Pillow
– Tapes
– Hoover
Object, 2025, MercuryKX
Machinefabriek
– Nevel
Nevel, 2026, self-released
Pauline Oliveros’s concept of ‘deep listening’ (“an aesthetic designed to inspire both trained and untrained performers to practise the art of listening and responding to environmental conditions in solo and ensemble situations”) is perhaps best demonstrated by the eponymous 1989 album by The Deep Listening Band: Pauline Oliveros on accordion, Stuart Dempster on trombone and didgeridoo, and Panaiotis (Peter Ward) on vocals. The album was recorded in the abandoned cistern at Fort Worden in Washington, with a natural reverberation time of 45 seconds.
Isobel Waller-Bridge cites the practice of ‘deep listening’ as a major influence on her work. She may be best known as the composer of the music for her sister Phoebe’s series Fleabag. But she also composed, amongst other things, larger orchestral works. On her album Objects, she gives musical form to a range of everyday objects.
Initially, Nevel by Machinefabriek was sent out as a promotional gift through Rutger Zuydervelt’s extensive network. Since July, however, it has been available as a download to everyone. The impressive body of work created by Machinefabriek/Rutger Zuydervelt encompasses many different approaches and is therefore not easy to describe. With its slowly repeating, hypnotic loop, Nevel is one of Machinefabriek’s more introspective works.
