Flotation Device presents Part 1 of our Best of 2025 retrospective, showcasing the year’s finest new releases of creative and improvised music. Steve Reich, Alex Paxton, Kate Gentile, Matt Mitchell, Sara Serpa, Frederic Rzewski and Tim Berne are among the headliners. Plus, Wayne Horvitz's Pigpen band reemerges through a new archival album, Ig Henneman turns 80, Peter Eötvös’s Windsequenzen turns 50, Trio Mediæval mixes old and new, Putu Septa teaches new tricks to a Balinese gamelan, and Eleanor Alberga rides on the back of a bat. Nastasia Khrushcheva writes dark Christmas songs, Brooks Williams uses AI for good instead of evil, and the For Living Lovers duet releases its first album in over a decade. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Flotation Device 2025-12-21: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - Part 1
Intro and SET 1: The Best of 2025 [0:00]
1. [1:47] Kate Gentile: flail maneuvers. From Sifters (Obliquity, 2025) with Sifters: Jeremy Viner (tenor saxophone), Marc Ducret (guitar), Kate Gentile (drums), Lukas Fehling (recording engineer)
2. [6:44] For Living Lovers: Pioneer. From Natural Name (Sunnyside, 2025) with Brandon Ross (acoustic guitar), Stomu Takeishi (acoustic bass guitar). NOTE: Composition by Brandon Ross
3. [10:56] Brooks Williams: The Natural World. From Abstract Art (Harmonic Ranch, 2024) with Brooks Williams (AI modelled instruments Ableton Live, Pro Tools, VCV Rack)
4. [16:28] Putu Septa: Piwal II (excerpt). From Piwal (Other Minds, 2025) with Nata Swara (gamelan ensemble), Putu Septa (direction), Brian Baumbusch (recording engineer)
5. [20:22] Eleanor Alberga: On a Bat's Back I do Fly (ending). From Works for Chamber Ensemble (Lyrita, 2025) with Ensemble Arcadiana: Karen Jones (flute, piccolo), Jon Carnac (clarinet), Richard Watkins (horn), Thomas Bowes (violin), Robert Irvine (cello), Junyan Chen (piano), Lynda Houghton (percussion), Stephen Frost (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2000, premiere recording
SET 2: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [26:56]
1. [32:39] Peter Eötvös: Windsequenzen - Four Sequences of the Sea Wind. From Intervalles-Intérieurs (BMC, 2003) with Klangforum Wien: Eva Furrer (flute, piccolo,alto flute), Markus Deuter (oboe, English horn, windimitation), Donna Wagner Molinari, Bernhard Zachhuber (clarinets), Ernesto Molinari (bass clarinet), Gérard Buquet (tuba), Uli Fussenegger (double bass), Krassimir Sterev (accordion), Lukas Schiske (percussion), Peter Eötvös (conductor), Péter Dorozsmai (recording engineer). NOTE: Premiered December 21, 1975 in Budapest. Revised 1987 and 2002
2. [39:14] Frederic Rzewski: Nanosonata No. 44. From Nanosonatas (Passacaille, 2025) with Daan Vandewalle (piano), Yannick Willox (recording engineer, Acoustic Recording Service). NOTE: Composed 2006–10, premiere recording
3. [41:41] Nastasia Khrushcheva: Five Songs for Christmas (excerpts). From String Quartets (Fancy Music, 2024) with OpensoundOrchestra
4. [55:08] Andrew Smith: Lux. From Yule (2L, 2024) with Vegar Vårdal (hardanger fiddle, violin), Trio Mediæval: Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Jorunn Lovise Husan (voices), Morten Lindberg (recording engineer)
5. [1:00:09] Outro with Hodie Christus natus est (from Yule)
6. [1:03:07] Pigpen: Grind. 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: Composition by Wayne Horvitz. Recorded live in early 1994 at an unknown location in Berlin
Flotation Device 2025-12-21: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - Part 2
SET 3: More of the best of 2025 [1:08:39]
1. [1:10:14] Matt Mitchell: Fettleau. From End of Something (Obliquity, 2025) with Sara Serpa (voice), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
2. [1:12:09] Alex Paxton: Spit Crystal Yeast-rack dripping (à lorange) - Yeasty Pets & best Drums. From Delicious (New Amsterdam, 2025) with Explore Ensemble: Taylor Maclennan (flute, piccolo), Alex Roberts (clarinet), David López Ibañez (violin), Morag Robertson (viola), Deni Teo (cello), Sarah Park (keyboards), Alex Paxton (conductor, other instruments, recording engineer)
3. [1:16:21] Alex Paxton: Spit Crystal Yeast-rack dripping (à lorange) - Mouldy Moany Snog Drip. From Delicious (credits as above)
4. [1:19:24] Tim Berne: Trauma. From Yikes Too (Screwgun/Out of Your Head, 2025) with Tim Berne (alto saxophone), Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Brad Rouda (recording engineer, Royal Room). NOTE: Recorded live March 13, 2024 at The Royal Room, Seattle
SET 4: Henneman at 80 [1:30:59]
1. [1:34:10] Ig Henneman: Outside the Rain has Stopped. From Outside the Rain Has Stopped (Catalytic Sound, 2022) with Luna String Quartet: Janneke van Prooijen, Jellantsje de Vries (violins), Elisabeth Smalt (viola), Alistair Sung (cello), Micha de Kanter (recording engineer)
2. [1:44:56] Steve Reich: Jacob's Ladder. From Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer (Nonesuch, 2025) with Synergy Vocals: Tara Bungard, Micaela Haslam (sopranos), Benedict Hymas, Will Wright (tenors), New York Philharmonic: Robert Langevin, Mindy Kaufman (flutes), Robert Botti, John Upton (oboes), Anthony McGill, Barret Ham (clarinets), Frank Huang, Sheryl Staples (first violins), Qianqian Li, Lisa Eunsoo Kim (second violins), Rebecca Young, Cong Wu (violas), Carter Brey, Matthew Christakos (cellos), Eric Huebner (piano), Christopher S. Lamb, Daniel Druckman (percussion), Jaap van Zweden (conductor), Lawrence Rock (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2023, premiered October 5, 2023 by Synergy Vocals, New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden at David Geffen Hall, New York. First recording
3. [2:04:05] Outro with Steve Reich: Traveler’s Prayer
Photo credits: Eleanor Alberga by Ben Ealovega, Tim Berne Trio (Gregg Belisle-Chi, Tom Rainey, Tim Berne) by Sarah Berne, Ig Henneman by Francesca Patella, Steve Reich by Jesse Yang, Peter Eötvös by Jean-Francois Leclercq, self portrait by Alex Paxton, Pigpen (Briggan Krauss, Fred Chalenor, Mike Stone, Wayne Horvitz) via Wayne Horvitz, Trio Mediæval (Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Anna Maria Friman, Jorunn Lovise Husan) by Åsa Maria Mikkelsen, Nastasia Khrushcheva via Melodiya, Sifters (Jeremy Viner, Marc Ducret, Kate Gentile) via the artists, Frederic Rzewski via Nonesuch Records, Stomu Takeishi by Daniel Sheehan, Putu Septa via Other Minds.
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