Sparkles and Lurky in Paris

“Quietly (so to speak) & relentlessly, PEK and his cohorts have been releasing some of the most remarkable experimental/improv/what-have-you hybrid music of the last clutch of years. Embracing everything loved & admired and beyond mere ‘genre’, be it electronic, avant/free jazz, EAI, or just an ungodly mindmeld of absolutely spellbinding sounds, the fact that PEK & Co. make it all sound cohesive and gripping is testament to their unbridled imagination and innovative girth. Buy or die!”

​​-Darren Bergstein  (December 2020)


Evil Clown

A Boston Area DIY Record Label documenting the Music of

Leap of Faith and associated ensembles from the early 90s to the Present.

Currently regularly presenting LIVESTREAMS from Evil Clown Headquarters to YouTube and occasional Live Performances.


Essay by PEK…

On Transformation Focused Improvisation:

The History and Grand Aesthetic

of the Evil Clown Record Label


Evil Clown Catalog on PDF


Photos by Rob Miller


Contemporary Period

2015 to Present

(Active)


On Leap of Faith:

“Alien yet familiar, bizarre yet completely fascinating. Expanding, contracting, erupting, settling down, always as one force…”

     – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery​

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Streaming: Soundcloud

Recordings: Contemporary Period (2015 – Present) |

Archival Period (1994 – 2001)

On Leap of Faith Orchestra – The Photon Epoch:

“The Photon Epoch marks a forward movement in PEK’s music, and it also stands out as the highlight to-date, of one of the most prolific and unique composers of our time…”

     – Karl Ackermann, AllAboutJazz

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Streaming: Soundcloud

Recordings: Leap of Faith Orchestra | LOFO Graphic Scores |

Leap of Faith Orchestra & Sub-Units | Leap of Faith Chinese Orchestra |

Leap of Faith Orchestra & Sub Units Box Set


Essay on Frame Notation Scores by PEK performed by The Leap of Faith Orchestra


On Metal Chaos Ensemble:

“… ​using unique strategies to yield densely active and eerily surreal music, an incredible excursion through experimental improvisation.”  

– Squidco website staff

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Streaming: Soundcloud

Recordings: MCE Narration | MCE | MCE/LOFO | Duets | Power Trio |

War Tuba | BMCE | SMCE | Box Set

On Turbulence – Upheaval:

“… ​There is a strong balance of space & music here, from duos or trios to four or all five members, no one overplays, everyone listens closely. This music is so focused and well-played that it sounds like some of that more challenging written modern chamber music. Superb!”  

– Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG​

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Streaming: Soundcloud

Recordings: Turbulence | Turbulence/LOFO | Cosmocentric Edition |

Turbulence Doom Choir | Turbulence Orchestra

On Axioms – Manifestations: 

“…  a mammoth work of mysterious intent and rich sonorities, orchestrated with reeds, brass, daxophones, percussion, bells and chimes, electric bass, keys, spoken word, and real-time signal processing.”

– Squidco Website staff

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Axioms

On PEK Solo –

Semantic Notions:

“… There is so much magnificent sound-making on hand it’s difficult to break it down into its component parts, foolhardy, in fact, to even treat these gargantuan set-pieces so site-specifically…”

Darren Bergstein, DMG

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: PEK Solo | Quartet of PEKS | Orchestra of PEKS | Box Set

On Simulacrum – Reincarnations: 

“… Sometimes brittle, often brutal, but never less than gripping, you could play this thing a hundred times and always get the sensation differently each exposure. Yowza.”

– Darren Bergstein, Downtown Music Gallery

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Simulacrum

Perturbations: 

“… An accordion and layered tones of unknown provenance break the spell, transporting the listener from a simulated forest to a port city, creaking docks, lonely saxophone and all. The picture, however, never truly becomes clear. Swooshes of interference intervene. A second, deeper horn engages with the first. A busy swarming background persists, and, in the whirl of elements, it can be difficult for the listener to find footing. Albey OnBass introduces a staggered bass line, and his subsequent duet with a lone sax pose the jazzier moments of this piece…

On That’s Where the Unknown Is… by Nick Ostrum, Free Jazz Collective

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Perturbations

On Expanse – Main Sequence:  

“…  A record to get infinitely lost in, where subsequent playback reveals layer after layer from deep within the marvelous, shifting clangor.”

– Darren Bergstein, Downtown Music Gallery

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Expanse | Expanse meets JMDE Quartet | Sub Unit No.1

Neurodivergent:  

They bring an odd sensibility that involves improvised spoken word banter between the three of them and a more pop-culture oriented use of guitar, mandolin and electronics than is typical in Evil Clown ensembles.  For the third set featuring these three relative newbies, I’m rolling out the new band name, Neurodivergent, to explore combinations of their aesthetic as a group of players with a long history with various combinations of players from the Evil Clown Roster.

PEK – 1/15/2024

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Neurodivergent

On Sub-Unit No. 1 –

Potential and Kinetic Energies:

“…  Commencing with what sounds like timpani and cymbals or gongs, with suspense-filled piano and synth sailing in. The music is superbly recorded and thoughtfully performed. Hard to believe that this is just a duo. As the duo move from instrument to instrument, they listen closely, interact with lines or dialogue going back & forth…”

– Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG​

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Sub-Unit No. 1

Evil Clown Shorties:

Shorties are roughly 5 minute pieces recorded during soundchecks at Evil Clown Headquarters Livestreams. These discs collect a full CDs worth of these short works from all the Evil Clown Ensembles…

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Evil Clown Shorties


Contemporary Period

2015 to Present

(Inactive)


String Theory (2015 – 2019):

This disc contains some of the best, most engaging strings and reeds quartet music I’ve heard. Most often quite mesmerizing”

     – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Streaming: Soundcloud

Recordings: String Theory | String Theory / Leap of Faith Orchestra

Mekaniks (2016 – 2018):

On Mekaniks – Getting Down with the Klown:

“…  a soundtrack to science fiction movie which moves back and forth in time, from ancient villages to modern day free improv madness, all connected to an invisible thread. Alter your reality today! “

– Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG​

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Mekaniks

Chicxulub (2017):

Chicxulub was a rock leaning power trio featuring PEK and Yuri with bass guitarist Jason Adams. Jason also has a deep background with granular synthesis. This band was one of the first serious forays by an Evil Clown Ensemble into electronica…

Downloads & CDs: Bandcamp

Recordings: Chicxulub


Archival Period Ensembles

1992 – 2001


Boston Improvisors’ Collective

Bottom Feeder

Composer’s Orchestra

Equilibrium

Expansions

Fractal Music

Leaping Water Trio

Mental Notes

Raqib Hassan

Skysaw

Wind

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