Kinds of Light recently gave its third concert. This was a two-part program, featuring a structured improvisation from Ben Greene (drums and loops) and Adam Buckley (electric guitar) performing as Dez Cartez. This was followed by the surround sound oscillator piece Nodes, Various (2009), devised by Catherine Lamb, performed by Josten Myburgh, Djuna Lee, Sage Pbbbt, Jameson Feakes, Dan O’Connor and Jeremy Segal on laptops.

While Cartez played opposite each other, standing in front of a seating bank as at other venues, Lamb’s composition exploited the gallery presentation, being staged with each performer by their own speaker roughly spaced about the periphery. Audiences could sit in the centre or wander about to pick up different sonic interactions.

Cartez avoided the usual free improvisation structure of a slow build to climax and slight return by dividing the set into three movements, each with a different electronic backing.

Kinds of Light 3. Photo © Emma Daisy Photo

The first piece recalled the collaborations of Angelo Badalamenti with David Lynch for the scores of Twin Peaks and Lost Highway. The guitar was often in a high register, all but lost in a spacious realm of...