Hey friends,

It feels good getting back to this, though a little rusty. I've jumped ship from Instagram once again, the final vestige of my social media presence, and I'm hoping to pour the leftover energy into trying to rebuild an unmediated social existence. I'm trying to slow everything down and return to longer, more reflective forms, so I'm hoping to get into a regular rhythms with these mailouts. A bit last minute though, this time, so I'll keep it brief!

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Manchester Collective, 'LAD', at The White Hotel - Wed 25 October (7-10)

I'm on soundtracking duties for the Manchester Collective again this week. They're showcasing a drone piece, LAD by Julia Wolfe, which apparently was 'originally written for nine bagpipes and reinvented here for just one very loud violin - plugged into a fuzzy guitar pedal.' In their connoisseurial way, they've paired the piece with works by Hildegard of Bingen, JS Bach, and Steve Reich, traversing nine centuries over the course of 75 minutes. I'm obsessed with this idea of a very old continuum of drone music and its relationship to ritual practices and mystical doctrines - the 'undertone of existence' - so I love this sort of programming. There's also support from Manchester-based sound artist and composer, Hayley Suviste, who works with immersive dark ambient drones, delicately layered with live instruments and found sound. These nights are always great, don't sleep.

Tickets

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The Witching Hour: First Calling, Aatma, Thurs 26 October (11-3)

Brand new party! And one I'm really excited to be a part of, for pretty obvious reasons. The write-up puts it best:

'A night of Art, Music, Debauchery and Sin - Where spirits run wild and music rattles loud through the speakers. Join us on the Thursday before Halloween for The Witching Hour - when the wicked and unholy bellow their strange sounds and dance into the early hours of the morning.'

Tickets

Hopefully see some of you there.

Mike xx