Dia daoibh pals,

It’s been a while since the last update. Things clustered towards the end of the year, so here is everything recent and upcoming:

Agility Award
Back in August I was fortunate to be awarded an Agility Award from the Arts Council. With it I will be working on my improvisation practice, developing some new sounds and techniques, and getting mentorship from different musicians, dance artists, and composers.

Habitual Syrup - album with Aonghus McEvoy
Last month guitarist Aonghus McEvoy and I released our first album, Habitual Syrup, on Fort Evil Fruit, where we explore the coming together of guitar and synthesiser, pitch and non-pitch, rhythm and texture.
We made the source recordings in Summer 2023, and mixed them in Winter 2024, in Cork. On December 21st Reception are hosting us at Anseo in Dublin for a launch concert, and will be joined by Auffthorn.
Tickets available at RA.
Listen to, download, or purchase Habitual Syrup on Bandcamp.

New wheat flats releases
My (very) occasional tiny imprint wheat flats has two new tapes coming out, the first releases for a couple of years. Both are duos, where I play with a couple of my favourite artists.

Konkret is the second album I’ve made with Matthijs Kouw, following 2021’s Isometry. Drawn from modular synthesizer improvisations recorded in 2022 and later shaped individually, the two pieces on Konkret are built from patient contours, soft resonances, and small shifts in texture, establishing structures to dwell in.
Pre-order Konktet on Bandcamp.

No Things but Nameless Things is an album of live recordings that Jason Kahn and I made during our short tour of Ireland in November 2024. The tape includes edits of our shows at Plugd Records in Cork, and at Starling in Limerick.
Pre-order No Things but Nameless Things on Bandcamp.

seomra folamh - Danny McCarthy special
On 17th December at 10am, éist radio airs a special episode of seomra folamh, celebrating Danny McCarthy’s new Farpoint Recordings release, Haunted by Silence. The show will include a selection of work by Danny.
Listen at eist.radio
Pre-order Haunted by Silence.

4046 Group at New Year’s Noise, Café Oto
I’m excited to be making a flying visit to London to join 4046 Group, a collective built around a noisemaker circuit by Martin Freeman, at Café Oto’s New Year’s Day concert. Milky Eyes, Jackson Burton, Billy Steiger, and Rory Salter also performing.
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/earworm-presents-new-years-noise/

PhD submission
At the end of October I sat my PhD viva, and I passed. It was the hardest, most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been enjoying some quieter evenings since!

Stay warm,
Phil x