Fugue Zones, ost

To mark the opening of Fugue Zones, ost, Western Front is pleased to present a live performance by DeForrest Brown Jr., Steve Goodman (Kode9), and Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste.

Fugue Zones, ost, is a multi-channel audiovisual installation and live performance by DeForrest Brown Jr., Steve Goodman (Kode9), and Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste, that embraces the multiple associations of fugue as its conceptual starting point. In this second iteration of their collaboration, the artists continue to work with a unique ensemble of consumer- and military-grade audio technologies intended for control, distraction, surveillance, entertainment, and force, asking, “What else can this do?”

Bringing together the artists’ distinct production practices and critical concerns, Fugue Zones, ost is a prolonged inquiry into the subversive potential of sonic technologies freed from their intended use value.

Following the live performance, Fugue Zones, ost will be presented as a site-specific installation in the Grand Luxe Hall at select times on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from February 12 to March 7, 2026. The work will begin at fifteen minutes after the top of each hour.

DeForrest Brown, Jr. is an Alabama-raised, Ex-American, rhythmanalyst, writer, musician, and curator based in Vancouver, Canada. Under the moniker Speaker Music, he channels the African American modernist tradition of rhythm and soul music as an intellectual site and sound of techno-vernacular expression. He has released three albums on Planet Mu, and is the author of Assembling a Black Counter Culture (Primary Information, 2022).

Steve Goodman (aka Kode9) is a musician, writer and artist based in South London, United Kingdom. He is founder of the record labels Hyperdub and Flatlines, producer of five albums and numerous mix compilations. He is the author of Sonic Warfare (MIT Press,2010), and he co-edited the books Unsound:Undead (Urbanomic Press, 2019) and Sonic Faction (Urbanomic Press, 2024). His sound installations have appeared at Tate Modern and Barbican in London.

Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste is an artist, composer, and performer based in Brooklyn, United States. His practice considers notions of errant relations which thrive across subjectivities. Toussaint-Baptiste is a founding member of the performance collective Wildcat!, and frequently collaborates with performers, dancers, and visual artists.He is often up to no good and trying to do better, at the same time.

The Grand Luxe Hall is located on the second floor of Western Front, which is accessed by a flight of 26 stairs.

What to expect: The performance will include high- and low-frequency audio at elevated volume levels within a low-lit environment. Visitors may experience physical vibration, pressure, reduced visibility, and moments of sonic intensity. Ear protection is available, and visitors are free to exit the space at any time. Those sensitive to loud sound or low lighting are encouraged to take care.

Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.

Co-produced in partnership with Canary Test, Los Angeles with support from the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts Infinite Expansion Grant, the Canada Council for the Arts, and SOCAN Foundation.

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