Western Grey

After Hours I

DRM4252

February 13, 2026

Digital

A Note from Philip Samartzis

In January 2006, Sean Baxter, David Brown, and I had the opportunity to record inside West Space—a Melbourne artist-run initiative—during its summer shutdown. With the gallery empty and silent, we spent two evenings exploring its acoustic and spatial dimensions through a series of improvised performances. Using percussion, electro-acoustic guitar, electronics, field recordings, and found objects, we responded directly to the material qualities of the space—its concrete floors and walls, reverberant surfaces, and the presence of an elevator shaft that acted like a resonant chamber.

The recordings were archived soon after and left untouched until the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, when the stillness of that period prompted me to listen back. What I found was a striking intimacy—a sonic record shaped as much by the architecture as by our actions. Room tone, reverberation, duct and electrical hums, and incidental noises imprint the performances with the space’s quiet presence.

Originally recorded by Thomas Couzinier and myself, and newly mixed and mastered in April 2025, After Hours is both a document and a memory. It captures a fleeting moment when Western Grey tuned into West Space—and allowed it to speak back.

credits

released February 13, 2026

Sean Baxter: percussion, room acoustics, and found objects 
David Brown: electro-acoustic guitar 
Philip Samartzis: electronics, field recordings, records, and microphones 
West Space: material sound, room tone and acoustics 

Performed at West Space, Melbourne on January 7 and 8, 2006
Recorded by Thomas Couzinier and Philip Samartzis

Mixed and mastered by Philip Samartzis on April 23 and 24, 2025

Cover image: Philip Samartzis

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