Liner Notes by PEK

In May of 2021, I opened Evil Clown Headquarters to other fully vaccinated musicians, and the first session of the new age was scheduled for the second set of the Expanse sound world.  Michael and I both enjoyed the auspicious first set right before the pandemic shut down and so the collaboration became an ongoing Evil Clown project, both as a duet for some sets and as a larger unit for others. 

Now in Spring 2025, Michael has played on dozens of Evil Clown sets, and we have logged 18 Expanse sessions of several different flavors.  One of those flavors is leans electronic.  As with all Evil Clown ensembles, Expanse is modular, more defined by the aesthetic problem being addressed than a fixed lineup.  The rule that assigns a set to Expanse is: At least Michael and I are performing, and it does not meet the assignment rule for one of the other ensembles. 

The electronic leaning Expanse sets have included electronics specialists from the Evil Clown Roster: Bob Moores, Robin Amos, Eric Woods and Cyrus Shauoul.  In addition, Evil Clown Headquarters has a permanent installation of electronic instruments along one wall in the space which are all available for the performers to use in the improvisation along with their primary axes.  Other auxiliary instruments include electro-acoustic and percussion instruments.  When the musicians double these instruments along with their primary axes the sonority of the work naturally undergoes steady dramatic transformation as the players make their changes.

Hue Cycles is the first album to feature both Robin and Cyrus in the electronics section.  Both are excellent synthesis specialists who really know how to twist a knob!  The horn section is me and Michael Caglianone, two of the primary horns.  We usually play together as part of a larger horn section, so it was a bit of a treat to have just two horns for this session.  Scott is our most frequent bass player nowadays, making his appearance here on the 5-string fretless electric bass.  Michael is playing percussion from the house gear from his usual seated position on the floor – the meat of his rig is about 20 Tibetan bowls which he placed upside down on the floor and struck with mallets along with the Indian festival drum, one of my nicest and largest drums…

Michael C and I both spent a lot of time doubling the auxiliary instruments, Robin brought two synthesizers, and Cyrus used all the in-house electronic instruments.  This performance is an excellent example of broad palette electronics leaning improvisation executed by seasoned musicians.

I was expecting this to be a great session, and I was not disappointed.   Stay tuned and enjoy this set!!!

PEK, 21 May 2025