Improvising on the Fly

The current episode of the Right Brain Music Podcast dives into the headspace of improvising musicians.

It features an interview with Justin and German of the prolific free improv duo, Bugs In The Basement. Their weekly live sessions, or “journeys” as they call them,have been published through their own podcast for years. We discuss their thoughts on music, the improvisation process and their new album, Vol. 2, released today on Right Brain Records.

Bugs In The Basement cranks out original music throughout the year, and they post their sessions for open consumption. No two pieces are similar, and I’ve referred to their work as an ongoing audio art installation. That it’s all done live, without pre-planning just adds to its cache.

This album is a curated set of selections from their 2019 material. Combing through 50+ hours of material, we’ve distilled a program that captures the evolving drama of the Bugs experience, while sampling a wide range of their musical explorations. There’s a lot here, and I’ll focus on one cut: the quintessential “Cephalonomia Waterstoni,” which spans some 34 minutes and seemlessly integrates ambient electronic, soul grooves and a range of other influences.

Hats off to BITB for bringing underground music into the light.