Live recording of the debut OTO performance from Basque guitarist, Joseba Irazoki, recorded at OTO in April 2025. From the first ragged, stuttering bursts of ’1920’, Irazoki sets the tone, with pure guitar tones spiralling out of the swells of clipped distortion, before clusters of shimmering notes life themselves out of the fuzz. The opener is just the first of many cuts from Irazoki's 2024 Otoroku release, Gitarra Lekeitioak (Onomatopeikoa II), that feature over the set’s 36 minute runtime; from the swooping, elegiac lullaby refrains of ‘E’ to the intricate, stop-start tangles of 'OAM'; from the driving, inexorable riffs of '3KO', to the wandering, contemplative patterns of 'Cheshire Hotel', and more. The live versions of these tracks are instantly recognisable to anybody who's listened to the album, but there is a rawness and vitality here that make them all the more immediate. As with the album, there's a remarkable range on show here; dense slabs of distorted tones and hissing static rub shoulders with featherlight arpeggios and crystalline chords, all run through with beautifully circuitous melodies and incredibly dextrous fingerwork. As the last jagged whirls of notes of the set fade away there’s a charged pause before the applause from an audience clearly aware that they’ve just witnessed something very special indeed. -- Recorded by Mike WinshipMixed by Oli BarrettCover photo by Manu San Martín.

Something stark and wonderful for our first live release of 2023. [something’s happening] is the sound and text duo of poet and performer Iris Colomb and composer Daryl Worthington (Beachers), exploring textual and sonic permutation through improvisation. Iris Colomb conjures the evocative atmosphere of a dream half-recalled, voicing fragments of found text that subtly build and layer, repeating and circling back around before branching off into new images and meanings. Alongside her, Daryl Worthington utilises all manner of sound-making devices from guitar and bells to tapes, toothbrushes and other objects. But there is never any sense of overload, more of having the right palette for Colomb's hypnagogic word patterns; letting the sonic focus gradually shift with a light touch combined with audible attentiveness. This is a music that takes its time, letting each moment unfurl with care and space. In the wrong hands, such an approach could prove overly deliberate, keeping the listener at arm's length. Instead there's an unselfconscious intimacy that feels like eavesdropping onto a hidden little corner of the world that you previously had no idea existed. The current, ongoing process hinted at in the group's name is no accident; you get the sense that this soundworld was unfolding long before you got there and will continue long after you left. What a privilege to have captured this fleeting glimpse in the meantime. -- Iris Colomb / voice, effectsDaryl Worthington / guitar, electronics, bells, electric toothbrush, tape walkman and other objects -- Recorded by kyle acabMixed and mastered by Oli Barrett Cover photo by Peter Döpper Thanks to Anthony Chalmers and Em Lodge from Baba Yaga's Hut

Gloriously psychoactive set from Joke Lanz (turntable) and Ute Wassermann (voice + objects), recorded as part of a stellar line-up alongside Charmaine Lee and Jackson Burton at OTO in May 2025. From the outset, there's a real sense of playfulness here, but the technical skill on display from both artists here is truly jaw dropping. They both wear it lightly though, allowing the listener to sit back and bask in the generosity of a rare gift, freely given. Ute's voice covers a scarcely believable range, not so much speaking in tongues as channeling an entire other realm. Guttural growls and avian trills mix with half-swallowed breaths and Clangerish whistles; gulps and gasps and overtones spin around each other, all interspersed with a whole array of bird whistles, noisemakers and found objects. Through Ute's vocalisations, Joke weaves snatches and snippets of sound from the turntables, crafting a surreal, absurdist collage of orchestras and oratorios, clattering percussion and stammering preachers, low brass and penny whistles and much, much more. Both artists move with a remarkable dexterity, and, even more than this, a vitality, a sense of always being fully in the moment, even if that moment is restlessly hurtling ever forward at several hundred miles an hour. There's such an uncanny symbiosis to the duo's interactions - clearly hard-earned - that it's genuinely hard in some places to tell which sound is coming from which performer, or how such a intricate, multilayered sounds could be coming from just two performers at all. All of this races along at a breakneck pace, barely ever giving the audience time to settle. But why would you want to? The sonic landscape keeps flashing by in an ever-brilliant sugar-rush of kaleidoscopic colour, and it's no hardship at all to just give yourself over to it. -- Recorded by Rory SalterMixed and mastered by Oli Barrett

A visceral, reflexive set from drummer Steve Noble and trumpeter Gabriel Bristow, recorded at OTO in April 2022. Stepping in for Tashi Dorji, who'd had to cancel his tour, Bristow more than matches the Bhutanese guitarist's intensity, summoning a freewheeling melodicism that combines undeniable technical skill with full-throated breath work and exuberant runs that soar over the rousing fervency of Noble's drumming. For those still in need of proof of Noble's status as one of the all-time-great British drummers (and really, if so, where have you been?), look no further. Noble's distinctive style is in full effect here, an instinctual percussive tour-de-force that covers an incredible amount of ground whilst never seeming to be anything less than utterly suited to the moment. At times the back and forth between the two musicians builds to such a clamorous pitch that it seems that the whole thing must tumble over, but both artists seem able and willing to push on to greater heights. At others, there's a ruminative thoughtful quality to the interplay that evokes the charged semi-silences of the films of the Quay brothers. There's an overarching drive and vitality to the duo's reciprocity, and at times there's enough swing going on here to conjure Jaan Pehchan Ho. But the pair also give each other enough space to breathe, with the set's 40 minute running time punctuated by miniature solo sections that seem to act like deliberate inhales before the next giddy ascension. Through it all, snippets of Albert Ayler's phantom phrases coil and wreathe in new variations that tip the hat without getting bogged down in too much reverence. This is no amber-coated act of jazz preservation, but a living, breathing performance imbued with the spirit. -- Recorded by Chris PentyMixed by Otto WillbergMastered by Oli Barrett

Discrimination was what it was, mid 00’s, me and my kind full of vim n broken away fae our wee toons, finished school without too many kickings, the old rockporters def helped steer some of the bams away n that, n to be fair most of us had a wee side in putin cd’s of bonkers cause we were aw wee nerdy sorts who got to the downloadin first n worked it aw oot so could stay on the good side. Life was looking fuckin tops, ye had record fair, cathoose, royal exchange, we were fully integrated n people just got on wae it for the most part, you know headin back to ek or airdre or the like your gona get the odd slap round the under cut or a tug on yr long long barnett or a crack at yr bernies but that was easy streets for what was to come. When that fucking luke whats his chops mitchell killed jodi jones at the end of 03 our whole life was fucked. Slipknot hoodies banned fae schools, no piercings, no make up. This was basically the scottish columbine, they blamed the whole thing on satanism and marlyn manson when in actual fact that lukes dad was a fucking nut job n regardless of his proclivities for the nu metal this kinda thing could of played out, n am not taking it away from bams n that aw them bonkers raves n people that died was also not good but tbh they were the majority. When we all jumped from school n tried to get jobs, n bear n mind west of scotland was thrivin all the new shops, centre west n aw that. But you look at the job centre line n it was basically like the cat house on a saturday night, fucking nine inch nails, marlyn manson hoodies blended with the smell of soap bar n fucking wella wax but nobody had a chance, n bear n mind a lot of these kiddos were actually smart as a dial, well at one point prolly before the hash n that ut like all could hack computers probably got a drop out. But even those who ended up getting jobs had to tone it back, still wearing vans n trouser a wee bit baggy n chain belts but for those who full committed n wouldnt fucking back down there was no jobs, just endless signing oan, signing off, college courses, a few people doing graphics or art but never coming to much, usually peoples maws had enough, a few squared up n the ones that didnt, big mo n all that really went too far the other side, with all the skin heads junkies, stints in lindsay house. It felt like we were heading towards an integration of communities, red hot chillies n limp bizkit making the charts not too much of a threat, your weird pals. But after that muck with luke n jodi there was no going back, fucked it for the lot of us. Was a kind of edge having the cds with the warning about lyrics but this crossed into stupid witch craftery n all that n it was mostly just people from new towns trying to just separate from the huns n the tims. Saw a guy doing the social dance dj’n he was once a top goth boy, full stilettos n coloured contact lenses but last time he saw me he asked if i was a slosh man n well truth be told im more of a dashing white sergeant. – Jackson BurtonA vital, discombobulating set from London-based, Scottish artist, Jackson Burton, who works with scores, text pieces and action-based performances that address class amongst other things. In this performance - recorded as part of a phenomenal bill alongside Charmaine Lee and the duo of Ute Wassermann & Joke Lanz in May 2025 - Jackson conjures a heady, compellingly disorientating mix of live-performance, pre-recorded elements and spoken word to create a potent atmosphere all its own. Weaving together strands of folklore, witchcraft, religion, plus an extended monologue on early 2000's Scottish "alternative" teen life that elicits the kind of knowing jolts of recognition that only something so seemingly specific can do, the piece feels both uncanny and starkly personal at the same time; a curious shape where each angle casts new light on the rest. Through it all, Jackson leads the audience from one facet to the next, incorporating repeated actions and movements that feel more like rituals, provoking reactions that range from intense reverie to nervous laughter. Though clocking in at a little over a quarter of an hour, the performance feels so densely layered that each listen seems to reveal new insights that may take a long time to unpack. Truly one of a kind. -- Recorded by Rory SalterMixed and mastered by Oli BarrettCover photo by Thea Sands

Thrilled to release a rare live recording from New York-based, Japanese artist, writer, theorist, and composer, Yasunao Tone. An original member of the Fluxus movement and Group Ongaku, and a pioneer since the early 60s in sound art and digital composition, Yasunao Tone, has worked with John Cage, Merce Cunnigham, Yoko Ono, Robert Ashley, and Florian Hecker to name just a few.  Invited to perform at Cafe OTO by Russell Haswell as part of his three-day residency here in November 2015, Tone gave a sublime performance, presenting two versions of a piece, mixing abrasive and meditative qualities to transcendent effect. The two parts of the performance act as disorientating reflection of the other; overlapping and reprising in places but allowing subtle shifts in tonality and dynamics to shift the emphases and take the listener to whole new places entirely. Overwhelming, coruscating, transportive, soothing, and enlightening - at times all at once - this is an essential document from a true visionary.  --- Recorded by Shaun Crook Mixed and mastered by Oli Barrett Cover design by Oli Barrett Thanks to Russell Haswell

A mesmerising, chimerical set from Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist, Patrick Shiroishi, recorded at OTO on a bill with Alex Zhang Hungtai in November 2024. Starting with plain, unadorned saxophone tones, Shiroishi immediately sets about drawing the listener into his own distinctive sonic landscape. Looped refrains slowly build between voice and instrument as Shiroishi weaves a wonderfully lyrical tangle of saxophone lines in the gaps, before drawing out a weighty swell of bass tones which only serve to let the rest swirl ever higher. From this point, Shiroishi doesn't look back, covering a remarkable amount of ground in the set's 35 minute duration. Circular breathing runs spiral around jagged little stabs of melody, blurring into samples of recorded speech which hiss and fracture before falling away completely. For a while, all that remains are the ebbing waves of Shiroishi's breath through the reeds, as a languid saxophone melody swoops and darts amongst the leavings of the low tide. The waters will soon return though, this time not so much a swell as a raging torrent. Shiroishi's wonderfully stark, plaintive voice calls forth the flood. Layering with fragments of saxophone and electronics, the currents soon become a swirling cataract that the speakers seem barely able to contain, until finally the entire deluge is itself washed away. From those first few simple notes, the distance covered is no small thing, for artists and audience alike. -- Recorded by Shaun CrookMixed by Patrick ShiroishiMastered by Oli BarrettCover photo by Jordan Reyes

Free to download – if you're a member the download will not remove a credit.To celebrate our 17th birthday, we're delighted to offer a free recording of the phenomenal first meeting between Theodora Laird (voice), John McGrath (guitar) and Douglas Benford (harmonium). Recorded at OTO as part of Phil Durrant's 'Combinations' event in January 2025, the set may only be 10 minutes long, but contains so many layers that we'll be unravelling it for a long time to come. Laird's remarkable voice swoops and flutters with a stark, intimate quality that feels almost confessional, conjuring an atmosphere all its own. McGrath's guitar blurs the lines between acoustic and synthetic as clusters of notes fizz and sputter, refracting and evolving with a granular intensity as distinctive as it is complex. Ebbing and flowing through the fragments, Benford's juddering, yearning reeds pitch and yaw, sometimes swelling like a spring tide, sometimes sharp and fractured like splinters of ice. All too soon, the myriad swirling strands settle, but their reverberations linger for a long while. Representing three great improvising musicians fully in the moment, and embodying so much of what we want OTO to provide a home for, this is something very special indeed. -- Recorded by Billy SteigerMixed and mastered by Oli BarrettCover photo by Stuart Wilding

First meeting of guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Steve Noble, recorded at OTO in June 2023. The set begins with a deceptive sparseness, Dorji picking out jagged clusters of guitar notes as Noble’s cymbals swirl around them like a deep inhalation. You might want to take that breath too, you’re going to need it. Dorji soon ratchets up the distortion as Noble circles around the kit with an unflagging momentum and the pair of them are soon hurtling along in a whirling, tumbling barrage of sound and fury. But cathartic as it is, this is no aimless blowout. For all the rapturous chaos, there are moments of delicate beauty that ring out all the clearer amidst the surrounding storm. Aside from anything else it’s the sheer amount of ground covered here. Two masters of their respective instruments seemingly bringing all of their skills to bear across the set’s 35-minute running time. Dorji has a way of playing the guitar that is all his own; coruscating jabs of distortion giving way to skittering, stop-start harmonics, muted strings that clip and yammer, yearning single notes escalating into a bewitching, howling maelstrom. Needless to say, Noble matches him every step of the way, expanding upon the intricacies of Dorji’s playing to reveal new and unexpected shapes in the cataclysm. Rhythms and textures emerge, evolve, and fracture with a ceaselessly propulsive drive. With such synergetic complexity, it’s hard to believe that this was their first time playing together. We can only hope it won’t be the last. And breathe. -- Recorded by Billy SteigerMixed by Tashi DorjiMastered by Oli BarrettCover design by Oli Barrett

In 2011 we were lucky enough to welcome Loren Connors to OTO for a sold out show. With the room suitably hushed, Connors' elongated washes build and then evaporate - leaving behind fragile notes which sit and linger in soltude. Dreamy and ethereal, abstract and atmospheric, it's like reading Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' and waiting for the sun to come up. One to shut your eyes to.     "These were Connors 'Airs', played with a softness that meant they floated in the breeze, merging into the night. It was so fragile, barely even there in fact: the notes only just made it above the level of the amp hiss. Like a selection of old photographs, you had to study hard to pick out the detail of those memories being lost amongst paper grain and colour fade. These ghosts of songs felt as much about the passing of time, about loss and heartbreak, as Langille’s vocal set did earlier." - Scott McMillan --- Loren Connors / electric guitar --- Recorded on Saturday 14th of May by John Chantler. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by James Dunn. Photo by Andy Newcombe. ---

Selvhenter draw their influence from everywhere they've been - free jazz, noise, punk, heavy metal, field recordings from the local recycling centre - it's all there to see. Their live performance at OTO sloshes in New Age and drone jazz in too, creating hypnotic rhythms you don't even realise you've started dancing to. In your face and a bit bonkey-tonks, make sure to turn this one up.  --- Anja Jacobsen / drums Jaleh Negari / drums, vocals Maria Bertel / trombone Maria Diekmann / violin Sonja Labianca / saxophone --- Recorded live at Cafe OTO on Friday 12th June 2015 by James Dunn. Mixed by John Chantler. Mastered by Rupert Clervaux.

Otoroku presents a daedal, multifarious set from artist, Patrick Ward, recorded on a bill alongside Moritz von Oswald at Cafe OTO in September 2024. Ward begins with a deep sub-bass rumble that seems to almost physically rise up out of the floor; a weighty mass that slowly but inexorably draws other sonic fragments into its own gravitational field, quivering and contorting as they orbit around it. The pressure builds, before abruptly the disparate elements coalesce around a single, urgently repeated refrain that snaps and slices in a persistent staccato that appears loaded with meaning but in a language unknown. This sense of warped and fractured vernacular continues, as stilted, stuttering voices spark and falter amidst the sonic debris tumbling around them; speech untethered from language, language severed from meaning. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that these voices are in fact overladen with significance; an abundance of spoken signs and symbols in a complex lexicon whose implications always remain tantalisingly out of reach. The voices shift, from an isolated repeated refrain, to multiple raised shouts that become engulfed by a growing wall of distortion that builds and erupts into a scattered and corrupted breakbeat before it too unravels, leaving behind only the gentle buzzing and intimate whirring of unknown apparatus.

Free to download for one and all – if you're a member the download will not remove a credit.Free release from Sphagnum Moss to mark the turning of another year. OTO wishes you all a great time over the festive period and many thanks as ever for all the support! Half festive sound collage, half yuletide mix (or, at times, seemingly several mixes laid on top of one another), Sphagnum Moss takes a phantasmagorical trip alongside ghosts of Christmas past, present and future in a clamorous distillation of the season. From the opening massed pealing of church bells to stratified, spectral choirs; carolling brass bands to a fragmentary, yearning pop reverie; crackling wrapping to a convivial fireside poem, Sphagnum Moss brews a heady infusion of holiday cheer across 30 densely packed minutes. -- Many sounds created by Sphagnum Moss. Many other sounds sourced from: 15HVojta_Michael / aktivfilm / alienistcog / alorange / binG-Cr0ss-bE / Clagnar / dav_ID_b0wee / Davor / Deenmar_tin / felix.blume / Garuda1982 / Guialgarve / guyburns / Gvido / ID_23 / jarlathmc / jasminmadalen / jebwhylie / Jorj_Mykal / keithpeter / klankbeeld / klau78 / marfack / Marschal / Mar.Sounds / M_Riah_caree / nervousneal / nomadas / organicmanpl / Robhog / SavReese / simongray / SpaceboysAgency / TimOut789 / tonant / Urkki69 / Vitouliss / Walter_Odington / waterpump / Zabuhailo Huge thanks to every one. Most can be found at the incredible resource that is freesound.org

Pleased to present a beautiful, otherworldly set from France-born, London-based violin and viola player, Agathe Max, recorded at OTO in August 2024. Beginning with tentatively scattered pizzicato notes that fall like a fine rain about the room, it isn’t long before an elegiac solo line emerges, weaving a bittersweet reverie of loss and longing. Fragments of voice and birdsong combine with the strings to expansive effect and soon you find yourself far from the confines of a concrete-floored room in East London. As the set progresses, Max’s poignant, yearning playing style is filtered and reflected back upon itself, sometimes as an equally melodic partner, and sometimes twisted and modulated into something much more uncanny. Layers of bowed notes entwine with tumbling electronics to create an enveloping bed of dreamy phantasy. Through it all, staggered, loping percussion paces the sonic landscape, as much to provide an anchor through the soaring string work as it is a rhythmic device. A feeling of weightlessness abounds throughout this set - a pervasive timelessness that makes the sense of bewilderment all the stronger when, after 20 minutes or so the spell breaks and you find yourself back in the room. Thankfully, Max has one last, loftily ascending coda to offer though; as legato strings swoop and glide in ever rising patterns, a driving rhythm roots us to the earth and it is all we can do to gaze up at the spiralling airs disappearing away into the ether. -- Recorded by Kevin ShoemakerMixed and mastered by Oli BarrettCover by Oli Barrett

Wildly exhilarating solo drum kit performance from Crystabel Efemena Riley. Recorded on the first night of Incapacitants residency at OTO in September, Riley presents an absolutely no-holds-barred set that delves deep into the textural and timbral qualities of the instrument. Though recorded on a single drum kit, multiple mic placements take the sound and reshape it in unexpected ways. This multi-strand approach to amplification becomes an integral part of the kit, with Riley using pedals to control the volume and balance of the various channels. Distorted toms roll and shudder, snare hits peak with such an intensity that at times it sounds as if the drum could be filled with gravel, and densely overlapping rhythms whirl and contort with an unflagging propulsive momentum. Through it all, deep, resonant bass synths surge and swell; at times the percussive battery subsides to be leave an enveloping wash of bass tones in isolation, and you can almost imagine that you are nestled deep inside the drum kit itself, looking (and listening) out. This is a fully committed performance that, as a listener you cannot help but to be fully within - as disorientating as it is all-encompassing. No matter, let yourself be swept away in its eddies and flows and you will find yourself in a profoundly different place than where you started. --  Recorded by Billy SteigerMixed and mastered by Oli Barrett

Very pleased to present a bracing, protean performance from long-time collaborators, Steve Beresford (piano) and Mandhira de Saram (violin). Recorded at OTO in the first week of January 2024, Beresford and de Saram waste no time in getting the year started. Ma Petite Heffalump starts at a furious pace in a barrage of sharp, punctuated notes; four hands dance across the strings as if they were hot coals, deftly combining in breathlessly propulsive fashion. The temperature soon cools, however, settling into a richly textural, crepuscular trip that spans the full range of both instruments and beyond. There’s a relentless searching quality to Beresford and de Saram’s playing; piano and violin skittering and stalking back and forth on separate yet symbiotic paths, each weaving around the other in an intricate, labyrinthine dance, recalling the enthralling and unsettling immediacy of a dream. The destination is unknown and yet the performers seem to know exactly how to get us there in any case. Spanning just under 25 minutes but with enough depth and expansiveness to fill a release several times that length, this is a deeply immersive recording from two improvisers at the very peak of their craft. -- Recorded by Rory SalterMixed and mastered by Oli BarrettCover image by Calum Storrie

Otoroku is delighted to present an extraordinary set from harpist Rhodri Davies, an artist immersed in the worlds of improvisation, musical experimentation, composition and contemporary classical performance. He plays harp, bray harp, horse-hair harp, electric harp, and builds wind, water, ice, dry ice and fire harp installations and has released eight solo albums. In this solo harp performance, recorded at OTO in April 2024, Davies' inimitable playing style is showcased to full effect, with a sound that seems to span from Welsh harp to arched or ‘bow’ harp playing found in Sub-Saharan African traditions; Indian ragas to the circling, synthesized arpeggios of Laurie Spiegel, touching on the insistent player-piano pieces of Conlon Nancarrow along the way. Alternating between improvisations and improvisations with pre-written pieces across the set, Davies lets the distinctions between the two melt and spill over, giving space to breathe and expand. 'Gardd a Thŷ' for example (from Davies' Telyn Wrachïod release from earlier in 2024), is unfurled out to nearly twice its original album length, with Davies darting about each melody and motif like a moth around a flame. Each improvisatory section meanwhile, feels equally present and alive, with clusters of notes rising and tumbling around each other as insistent, repeated phrases ebb and flow like mantras to a rapt OTO audience. Ultimately, the overarching impression you are left with is that of Davies' intuitive and deeply felt relationship to the harp, embracing the instrument's traditions whilst constantly seeking new paths towards its future. A remarkable recording from one of the most vital artists currently working today. -- Recorded by Dan EhrlichMixed and mastered by Oli BarrettCover photo by Daryl Feehely

A masterclass in sound and texture from the Stockholm-based duo of John Chantler and Daniel M Karlsson, recorded at OTO in December 2023, following on from their ‘Hell or High Water’ release on Chantler’s 1703 Skivbolaget label the same year. From a dual synthesiser setup, the pair craft an incredibly naturalistic atmosphere - electronics not so much imitating organic sounds as creating their own little pocket of life, fully realised. The set slowly awakens like frozen ground thawing in the first spring sun; little sonic tendrils budding and reaching and gradually coalescing together in symbiosis. Ebbing and flowing, the momentum builds inexorably in ever-intricate patterns of tension and release; fractal forms unfurling and intertwining with a density that never collapses into aimless blowout even when the volume reaches a tumultuous peak. Finally, energy expended all at once, the piece falls back into a last cluster of sighing tones, and the day is done. -- Recorded by Billy Steiger Mixed and mastered by Daniel M Karlsson