Flotation Device celebrates La Monte Young, the father of minimalism, for his 90th birthday with a look at his uncompromisingly static and intense music that gave rise to everything from ambient and noise music to the popular beat-driven minimalism of Glass, Reich and Riley. We also check out a newly-recorded Harry Partch novelty, and fresh albums by Shardik, Dai Fujikura and Dobrinka Tabakova that we’ll relate back to historical gems by Joe McPhee and Henry Cow that just turned 50. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell from 91.3 KBCS Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma.
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Playing tracks by Matt Hollenberg, Henry Cow, Joe McPhee, Dai Fujikura, Rudresh Mahanthappa and more.
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Flotation Device 2025-10-12: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [0:00]
1. [1:41] Matt Hollenberg: Into the Mouth of the Great Nothing. From Cruelty Bacchanal (Tzadik, 2025) with Shardik: Matt Hollenberg (electric guitar), Sana Nagano (electric and acoustic violins), Nick Jost (bass), Danny Sher (drums), Martin Bisi (recording engineer, BC Studio)
2. [8:43] Henry Cow: Udine. From Concerts (Caroline, 1976, reissued 2002 by ReR Megacorp) with Henry Cow: Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, flute, oboe, recorder, piano), Chris Cutler (drums, piano), Dagmar Krause (voice, piano), Fred Frith (guitar, piano, violin, xylophone), John Greaves (bass guitar, voice, celeste, piano), Sandro Pascolo (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live October 13, 1975 at Palamostre Auditorium, Udine, Italy
3. [18:15] Joe McPhee: Voices. From The Willisau Concert (1976, Hat Hut, reissued 2019 by Catalytic Sound) with Joe McPhee (tenor and soprano saxophone), John Snyder (analog synthesizer, voice), Makaya Ntshoko (drums), Walter Troxler (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live October 11, 1975 at Mohren Hotel, Willisau, Switzerland
SET 2: New and upcoming [29:28]
1. [33:07] Dai Fujikura: Metamorphosis of a Living Room. From Luminous (Minabel/New Focus, 2025) with Ensemble Nomad: Hideo Kikuchi, Tomoko Kano, Wakako Hanada, Shizuka Kawaguchi, Fumiko Kai, Seiko Takemoto, Yumi Oikawa, Nagie (recording engineer)
2. [50:40] Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sadness. From Hero Trio (Whirlwind, 2020) with Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto saxophone), François Moutin (double bass), Rudy Royston (drums), David Amlen (recording engineer, Sound on Sound). NOTE: Composition by Ornette Coleman
3. [53:45] Outro with The Pirates of Penzance overture (Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Andrew Penny)
4. [58:03] Harry Partch: Ulysses at the Edge (improv version). From The Wayward (Bridge, 2025) with Dan Rosenboom (trumpet, voice), Brian Walsh (baritone saxophone, voice), Partch Ensemble: John Schneider (voice), Erin Barnes (Diamond Marimba, voice), Nick Terry (Bamboo Marimba, voice), Dustin Donahue (Bass Marimba, voice), Tim Feeney (Cloud Chamber Bowls, voice), Vicki Ray (conductor), Chris Votek (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1955–62
SET 3: La Monte Young at 90 (with String Trio and The Well-Tuned Piano) [1:05:19]
1. [1:11:28] Pandit Pran Nath: Raga Shudh Sarang (excerpt). From Raga Cycle • Palace Theatre • Paris 1972 (Sri Moonshine, 2006) with Pandit Pran Nath (voice), Terry Riley (tabla), La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela (tambouras). NOTE: Recorded live May 1972 at Palace Theatre, Paris
2. [1:13:38] La Monte Young: The Tortoise Droning Selected Pitches from the Holy Numbers for the Two Black Tigers, the Green Tiger and the Hermit. From Draw a Straight Line and Follow It (Otherside Recordings, 2012) with Theatre of Eternal Music: La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Tony Conrad, John Cale. NOTE: Probably recorded October or November 1964 at the Pocket Theatre, New York
3. [1:33:08] SoniKulture: Displace. From Retrieving Beirut, Part 2 (Syrphe, 2020) with Sagnik Basu AKA SoniKulture
SET 4: Post-Young [1:44:44]
1. [1:47:00] Dobrinka Tabakova: Fantasy Homage to Schubert. From Sun Triptych (ECM, 2025) with BBC Concert Orchestra, Dobrinka Tabakova (conductor), Neil Varley (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2005, premiere recording
2. [2:01:34] Outro with Franz Schubert: Fantasy in C major for violin and piano (Frank Huang, Dina Vainstein)
Photo credits: Dai Fujikura by Seiji Okumiya, Theatre of Eternal Music (Tony Conrad, Marian Zazeela, La Monte Young, John Cale), Dobrinka Tabakova by Benjamin Ealovega, La Monte Young by Co Broerse, Joe McPhee via the artist, Harry Partch riding the rails, improvisation segment from Ulysses Departs from the Edge of the World, Shardik (Sana Nagano, Danny Sher, Nick Jost, Matt Hollenberg) by Naeemah Maddox, Rudresh Mahanthappa via the artist, Henry Cow (John Greaves, Fred Frith, Dagmar Krause, Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper) via the artists.
Flotation Device features creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, Sunday nights 10pm–Midnight Pacific Time on 91.3 KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma. Visit us online at https://www.mixcloud.com/FlotationDevice.