Flashback: That time the Stylus turntable ensemble played the AFI Silver Theatre, in Silver Spring, MD, as part of the Sonic Circuits Festival in 2011. Ensemble director/composer Jim Adams prepared elaborate scores specifying when each performer was to drop a needle on their prepared vinyl LP, which we all promptly ignored or klutzed up. In this iteration, Stylus included 9 turntable players (Jim Adams, myself, Matt Boettke, Layne Garrett, Chester Hawkins, Andrew McCarry, Anthony Pirog, Gary Rouser, and Keith Sinzinger) and 2 cellists (Janel Leppin and Doug Poplin). Stylus always represented a “who’s who” of the DC experimental music scene at the time, as everyone had one or more other projects going at the same time.

The composition for this performance was called “Lot in Sodom.” It was performed as a live soundtrack to playback of the 1933 silent film of the same name. We also did a soundtrack for the old Dada film “Emak Bakia” that evening.