Western Grey

After Hours II

DRM4253

June 12, 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 a return to the material. As with After Hours I, the recordings position West Space as an active acoustic system rather than a neutral setting. The gallery’s acoustic properties shape the structure and behaviour of the sound, with performance and environment operating in close relation.

Across this second volume, there is a continued emphasis on duration and spatial behaviour. Sustained tones and low-level activity articulate the dimensions of the space, while the introduction of field recordings creates moments of dissonance and spatial dislocation. Room tone, reverberation, duct and electrical hums, and incidental noises remain integral to the recordings, contributing to a listening experience in which shifts in proximity and perspective are continuously in flux.

Originally recorded by Thomas Couzinier and myself, and newly mixed and mastered in April 2025, After Hours II extends the first volume as part of an ongoing archival release. It documents a specific set of acoustic conditions and interactions within West Space, preserving a record of how sound, space, and recording processes intersect. 

credits

releases June 12, 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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