The Chicagoan experimental electronics trio Haptic – drummer, percussionist, and electronics player Steven Hess, sound and visual artist Joseph Clayton Mills, and sound artist and pianist Adam Sonderberg – has earned a reputation for restless, unpredictable sonic explorations in its live performances over the last two decades. Haptic’s sonic vision ranges from rigorous minimalism to densely textured, immersive sonic environments, consistently blurring the lines between different genres and disciplines. Haptic’s experimental practice explored the intersection between composition and free improvisation in performances, installations, soundtracks, and unique site-specific performances at museums, parks, and art institutes.
Haptic frequently incorporates different, rotating fourth or more members, deliberately chosen to send the music in unpredictable and challenging directions. Ambivalence documents Haptic’s 2025 tour of the United Kingdom, organized to celebrate the 20th year of its ongoing work, and comprises two dramatically different, free improvised extended pieces.
«Late Work I» was recorded in London’s Cafe OTO, featuring Mark Wastell on double bass (founder of the Confront label). It was mixed by Sonderberg and fellow Chicagoan, musician, media artist, and composer Olivia Block, who has collaborated with Haptic before. It is an enigmatic, minimalist sonic organism that blurs the origins of real and imagined instruments and embraces the deep-toned, resonant frequencies of Wastell’s double bass.
«Late Work II» is a delicately layered composite of the Leeds, Brighton, and Bristol performances that also incorporates field recordings woven throughout. It features contributions from violinist Linda Jankowska, multidisciplinary composer Sarah Hughes, and noise artist Seth Cooke. Hess defines this drone piece, with its rich, powerful stream – literally – of mysterious sounds as «an audio diary of sorts».
Eyal Hareuveni
Steven Hess (drums, electronics), Joseph Clayton Mills (electronics), Adam Sonderberg (electronics, piano), Mark Wastell (double bass), Linda Jankowska (violin), Seth Cooke (electronics)
