“Do whatever you want!”

Such was the brief given to the alumni of Dots+Loops’ Fellowship programs when they were called back to perform in Playback.

The level of devotion of its organisers to their words revealed themselves in a soundcheck. When a percussionist made an offhand remark about the impossibility of a movement onstage to me, the first response of Co-Director Connor D’Netto was, “Is there any way I can help to make things possible?”

Fuelled by the passion of Co-Directors D’Netto, Kieran Welch and Flora Wong, Dots+Loops is a “post-genre” arts series that presents live music in a manner daring and different. Artist-run, it commissions new works, offers Performance and Composition Fellowships and proudly champions adventurous and diverse music in new and accessible spaces. Playback took place in the studios of the Old Museum on 9 December.

Claire Litwinowicz at Dots+Loops’ Playback. Photo supplied

It was the first time that our new music ensemble, Chaos Collective, had been given totally free rein. Comprising of ex-Fellow and pianist Isobel Archer, percussionist Saskia Shearer, guitarist...