07/31/2026
“While the sort of destructive accelerationism we’re witnessing is unlikely to be conducive to Fred Moten's interests in 'the preservation of earth', his works, past and present, seem prescient in whichever shape or form they might occupy. Crucially, his poetry – rich in references but intimate in tone – and critical works that touch upon Black radical traditions, music, aesthetics, and everything in between, provide a blueprint for navigating and surviving this new reality...His work alongside bassist Brandon López and drummer Gerard Cleaver, above all, proved to be a revelatory experience.
Now, Revision abbreviates the trio into a duo with López. Although the reduced ensemble might suggest a more hushed or timid outing at first glance, if anything, the opposite is true. From start to finish, the record finds the duo engaged in an absolutely emphatic, relentless dialogue. Moten’s poems pulsate in the rhythm of López’s tight plucks and vamps, then force them to dissipate into screeching bowed lines. Simultaneously, the music keeps alive the spirit of collaboration and intellectual fervor that evolved through their previous collaborations.”
— Antonio Poscic, The Quietus
“It is difficult to keep track of the prodigious output of New York contrabassist, composer, and improviser Brandon López. A virtuosic and dynamic performer, López uses unorthodox instrumental techniques to create dense, unique sounds and unexpected polyrhythms. He may command the bass to screech like a subway train around curved tracks, building intensity with strange textures and layered percussion until the tension suddenly pops—and then, like snowflakes falling slowly through the air, the mood dissipates, and a new direction is sought.
Community is at the heart of these sonic endeavors, with notable musicians including Gerald Cleaver, Mat Maneri, Ingrid Laubrock, and, most prominently, poet and theorist Fred Moten serving as trusted collaborators...Now performing as a duo, (López and Moten have) released Revision, a vinyl record combining affecting spoken word with unpredictable soundscapes—a powerful testament to Moten’s intellectual prowess and López’s clairvoyant attentiveness and mastery of his tools. Their sound could be considered a revival of 'phonopoems' from the Black Arts movement, bringing to my mind Amiri Baraka’s collaborations with improvisational jazz musicians in the ’60s and Sun Ra’s Space Poetry. The work answers a need to assert incisive voices from the African diaspora in America, now more than ever.”
— Maegan Dolan, Artforum
Elysium Furnace Works is proud to announce our first concert for 2027 when we present the remarkable collaboration between poet and writer Fred Moten and bassist Brandon Lopez at our beloved VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center on Saturday, March 20, 2027 at 8 PM.
N.B.: This will either be the first concert of a new season for EFW, or the last concert we will ever produce.
EFW is in danger of shutting down — our 100% volunteer-driven series is currently carrying thousands of dollars of unsustainable debt and we have started an emergency fundraiser. To everyone who has already contributed to it, massive thanks from the bottom of our hearts.
EFW relies on no outside funding: any income we make is from the box office when people like yourself attend our concerts. Unfortunately, not enough people have come out to support us in 2026.
If you value the singular quality of world-class artistry EFW has presented in the Hudson Valley for a decade, please attend our last three concerts, starting with Judi Silvano's Garden Winds Trio on September 19. If we don't get the audiences we need to sustain EFW, the series will end on 3/20/27.
Our fate is in your hands. If you want EFW to survive, prove it by showing up — if not, we'll have our answer.
To all of our supporters who have been there every time: our enormous thanks. You're the reason we do this.
Peace.
