“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
“A fiery force from the Boston underground, Evil Clown is the vision of multi-instrumentalist and sonic provocateur David Peck (a.k.a. PEK), who leads a shifting collective of radical improvisers in relentless, high-intensity explorations. Blurring boundaries between free jazz, noise, electronics, and experimental composition, Evil Clown recordings are sprawling, fearless, and uncompromising. From large ensemble freakouts to intimate chamber chaos, these releases capture the raw immediacy of creation-now…”
-Squidco (April 2025)
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) |
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 |
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 |
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
On Neurodivergent – Monsters Keep Interrupting My Science:
“Blending the playful spontaneity of improvised banter with the experimental ethos of Evil Clown, Neurodivergent Orchestra (AKA The Wacky Banter Orchestra) expands to a nine-member ensemble — featuring bass, drums, horns, electronics, and auxiliary instruments — to deliver a dynamic and transformative performance driven by both humor and adventurous collective improvisation.“
Squidco Website Blurb
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
On Evil Clown Shorties Vol. 4:
“A curated collection of 14 short improvisations from Evil Clown’s modular ensembles, this fourth Shorties Volume distills the essence of expansive, long-form performances into concise yet potent expressions, featuring 31 musicians across 7 ensembles, these spontaneous works, recorded during warmups and soundchecks, offer a dynamic snapshot of the label’s ever-evolving sonic landscape.”
Squidco Website Blurb
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
