Adams, Dunn & Haas - Future Moons (2022)

The trio of Kieran Adams (sampler, drum machine, drums), Matthew “Doc” Dunn (keyboards and electronics), and Andy Haas (reeds and electronics) is a subset of Toronto spiritual jazz practitioners The Cosmic Range. Where their parent-group tends to anchor itself with a firm pulse, the trio veers into various flavours of abstraction. Some pieces furnish nervy ambient waft, whereas others are more gestural—sometimes violently so. Meanwhile, on the title track, a synth bass ostinato lays a stubborn foundation for blistering hot-wired sax and undulating synthetic textures. In addition to leading the Cosmic Range, the multifaceted Matthew Dunn has made a handful of mellow folk records under his own name, contributed to the long-running Sub Pop Singles Club, and played with everyone from US Girls to MV + EE. Reed player Andy Haas was once a member of crucial Toronto new wave outfit Martha and the Muffins and went on to collaborate with NYC Downtown notables such as Mark Ribot, Zeena Parkins, John Zorn and Ikue Mori. His signature shawm-like tone on the soprano sax is one of the primary elements driving Future Moons' white hot interstellar intensity. Kieran Adams was a member of buoyant synth-pop group DIANA, and has variously been heard alongside Bonjay, the Weather Station, and Joseph Shabason. He makes electronic music under the pseudonym Vibrant Matter, which made its debut last year with an EP for Halocline Trance.