Flotation Device celebrates the 70th birthdays of Wayne Horvitz and Diamanda Galás with a retrospective of their bicoastal careers at the forefront of exploratory music. Horvitz chimes in himself with reflections on his key influences as a composer, keyboardist and lynchpin of the Northwest new music community. Whereas Galás is represented by newly remastered editions of her tempestuous and sometimes controversial solo voice and piano works that often explore morbid themes. We also sample Tania León's colorful orchestral piece Stride and Sivan Eldar’s moving and unconventional operatic adaptation of the Daphne myth Like Flesh in their premiere recordings. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally broadcast August 31.
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Flotation Device 2025-08-31: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Wayne Horvitz at 70 [0:00]
1. [1:48] Naked City: Saigon Pickup. From Naked City (Nonesuch, 1990 reissued 2005 by Tzadik in Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings) with John Zorn (alto saxophone), Wayne Horvitz (keyboards), Bill Frisell (guitar), Fred Frith (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Roger Moutenot (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded 1989, composition by John Zorn
2. [6:38] Wayne Horvitz: For James Tenney. From The Snowghost Sessions (Songlines, 2018) with Wayne Horvitz (keyboards, live processing), Geoff Harper (contrabass), Eric Eagle (drums, percussion), Brett Allen (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded spring 2015 at SnowGhost Studios, Whitefish, MT
3. [10:05] Wayne Horvitz on his education and early influences (from Radio Eclectus, September 12, 2019)
4. [10:52] Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell: Juliet of the Spirits. From Live Forever, Vol. 3: Frankfurt, Knitting Factory 1989–1990 (Other Room, 2024) with Bill Frisell (guitar), Wayne Horvitz (piano, samplers, synthesizers, drum programming). NOTE: Recorded live January 11, 1990 at The Knitting Factory, New York. Composition by Nino Rota from the Fellini film
5. [19:25] Wayne Horvitz on Miles Davis and Anthem of the Sun (from Radio Eclectus, September 12, 2019)
6. [20:47] Pigpen: Sterno. From Live Forever, Vol. 4: Pigpen: Berlin 94 (Other Room, 2025) with Pigpen: Briggan Krauss (alto saxophone), Wayne Horvitz (keyboards), Fred Chalenor (bass), Mike Stone (drums). NOTE: Recorded live in early 1994 at an unknown location in Berlin
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SET 2: Conduction and more [28:34]
1. [31:11] Wayne Horvitz: The Trees. From The Snowghost Sessions (credits as before)
2. [34:36] Wayne Horvitz on form, improvisation and the Art Ensemble of Chicago (from Radio Eclectus, September 12, 2019)
3. [35:09] Wayne Horvitz: Some Order, Long Understood (excerpts). From Some Order, Long Understood (Black Saint, 1983) with Butch Morris (cornet), Wayne Horvitz (piano, recording engineer), William Parker (bass). Note: Recorded February 5, 1982 at Studio Henry, New York
4. [39:48] Wayne Horvitz on conduction (from Radio Eclectus, September 12, 2019 and Flotation Device, October 13, 2024)
5. [40:47] Wayne Horvitz: First Light. From At The Reception (Songlines, 2014) with Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble: Beth Fleenor (clarinet), Kate Olson (soprano saxophone), Ivan Arteaga (alto saxophone), Skerik (tenor saxophone), Greg Sinibaldi (baritone saxophone), Al Keith, Samantha Boshnack, Steve O'Brien (trumpets), Naomi Siegel, Jacob Herring, Willem de Koch (trombones), Ryan Burns (piano), Geoff Harper (bass), Eric Eagle (drums), Wayne Horvitz (conductor), Andy Meyer (recording engineer)
6. [47:46] Wayne Horvitz on conduction (from Flotation Device, October 13, 2024). NOTE: Video of the interview is at https://tinyurl.com/WayneHorvitz
7. [48:29] Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz: Todos Santos. From Todos Santos (Sound Aspects, 1988) with Doug Wieselman (tenor saxophone), Bill Frisell (guitar), Wayne Horvitz (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded January 1988 at Cage, Hoboken, NJ. Composition by Robin Holcomb
8. [54:07] Outro with Wayne Horvitz: LTMBBQ (from Sweeter Than the Day)
9. [58:19] Tania León: Stride. From Horizons, Raíces (origins), Stride, Pasajes (LPO, 2025) with London Philharmonic Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk (conductor), Deborah Spanton (recording engineer, K&A Productions). NOTE: Composed 2020
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SET 3: Like opera [1:12:32]
1. [1:14:27] Sivan Eldar: Like Flesh (excerpts). From Like Flesh (OutHere, 2025) with The Woman/The Tree: Helena Rasker, The Forester: William Dazeley, The Student: Juliette Allen, Augustin Muller (IRCAM digital realization), Le Balcon, Opéra de Lille, Maxime Pascal (conductor), Pierre Favrez (recording engineer). NOTE: Premiered and recorded January 2022 at Opéra de Lille. First recording
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SET 4: Diamanda Galás at 70 [1:29:30]
1. [1:33:09] Diamanda Galás: How Shall Our Judgement Be Carried Out Upon the Wicked (excerpt). From Plague Mass (Mute, 1991) with Diamanda Galás (vocals), David Linton (percussion), Kooster McAllister (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live October 12–13, 1990 at Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York
2. [1:34:57] Diamanda Galás: Εξελόυμε/Deliver Me. From Saint of the Pit (Mute, 1986, reissued 2024 by Intravenal Sound Operations) Diamanda Galás (vocals, Hammond organ, synthesizers), F.M. Einheit (chains)
3. [1:41:58] Diamanda Galás: The Dance: The Desert (part two). From Defixiones: Will and Testament (Mute, 2003) with Diamanda Galás (vocals, piano). NOTE: Text by Adunis AKA Ali Ahmad Said
4. [1:46:37] Diamanda Galás: Cris d'aveugle (excerpt). From Saint of the Pit (as above) with Diamanda Galás (vocals, piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer), F.M. Einheit (drums). NOTE: Text by Tristan Corbière
5. [1:48:12] Diamanda Galás: La Llorona. From In Concert (Intravenal Sound Operations, 2024) with Diamanda Galás (voice, piano). NOTE: Traditional Mexican. Recorded live April 17, 2017 at Thalia Hall, Chicago
6. [1:53:40] Outro with Diamanda Galás: De-formation: Piano Variations
Photo credits: Tania León via the artist, Wayne Horvitz by Daniel Sheehan, Sivan Eldar via the artist, Wayne Horvitz and Butch Morris by Dany Gignoux, Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb by Robin Laanenan, Naked City (Wayne Horvitz, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Joey Baron, Fred Frith) by Timothy Greenfield Sanders, Diamanda Galás by Pere Masramon, Pigpen (Briggan Krauss, Fred Chalenor, Mike Stone, Wayne Horvitz) via Wayne Horvitz, William Dazeley and Juliette Allen in Like Flesh by Simon Gosselin