SENSAROUND - ISOTROPES (Album Launch) with 

THE ALISTER SPENCE TRIO ‘PLUS’ featuring Raymond MacDonald (Scotland) and Shoeb Ahmad (Canberra)

‘…one of the most compelling and arresting listens I have had in some time and does much to further establish MacDonald as a leading voice in modern improvisational music’  WNUR Chicago, Pick of the Week

Australian jazz innovator Alister Spence and sound artist Shoeb Ahmad come together with highly regarded Scottish saxophonist Raymond McDonald as Sensaround to launch their debut recording 'Isotropes', released on the hellosQuare label.

Recorded in January 2013 by Ahmad after being invited to join Spence and McDonald as they launched their album together 'Stepping Between The Shadows', the six pieces on 'Isotropes' explore their shared love of free improvisation, electronic music and indie pop with acoustic melodies wrapped up in wind textures, rhodes tones and sonic detritus.

In the second set they will be joined by Lloyd Swanton and Toby Hall to continue their explorations as The Alister Spence Trio ‘Plus’

Alister Spence and Raymond MacDonald have developed a friendship and mutual admiration over the last 10 years.
They have collaborated on projects including: the Raymond MacDonald International Big Band (Tokyo 2008 feat: Satoko Fujii, Jim O'Rourke, Michiyo Yagi. CD released 'Buddy' described by the WIRE UK as 'an unqualified success'), and Alister Spence Quartet (Europe 2009, 2011).

No stranger to European audiences, Raymond MacDonald works with many pioneers in avant-garde music, including pianist Marilyn Crispell, Fred Frith, drummer Günter ‘Baby’ Sommer, David Byrne, Damo Suzuki, trumpeter Axel Dorner, George Lewis, Evan Parker, Keith Tippett, Barry Guy, the London Improvisers Orchestra, and many others.

Shoeb Ahmad is one of the most gifted sound artists and producers in Australia. His record label, hellOsquare, is a centre piece in the electro-acoustic music community. Amongst many creative partnerships, Ahmad has a duo with world-renowned Australian drummer Evan Dorrian (Spartak). They have toured several times in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan to widespread critical acclaim. Under his solo guise Shoeb has had a lot of coverage on all major radio networks in Australia, including FBI in Sydney and RTR in Perth and been featured on blogs from Los Angeles to Toronto, London to Sydney and had mainstream press features in Australasia and far beyond.

‘Art that allows us to be other than we are, even for a moment, is invaluable…this trio has learnt to defy gravity: to free music of time and defined space…Mesmerising.’ Sydney Morning Herald

Alister Spence - fender Rhodes piano, fx

Shoeb Ahmad – samples, loop pedals, fx

Raymond MacDonald - alto, soprano saxophones

Lloyd Swanton- double bass

Toby Hall - drums, glockenspiel