Surround Sound with Ryan C. Clarke & Jace Clayton

This event is part of the , presented in partnership with Critical Minded. Surround Sound is presented in collaboration with Roulette.

For Surround Sound, Ryan C. Clarke, Jace Clayton, and a live ensemble of improvisers will engage with bass as a sonic technology and geological metaphor, moving between discussion and performance. Reflecting on the critical role of bass Black music, Clarke and his interlocutors will harness infrasonic pulses and low-end techniques that have migrated across oceans and epochs. They’ll address bass as a figure for the subterranean, sublegal circulation of Black culture, but also as a characteristic that distinguishes between genres: the double bass in jazz serves as a timekeeper and harmonic ground, while the echoing, elastic riddim of Jamaican dub stretches time. In conversation, Clarke and Clayton will consider bass as a feeling and a sound—a source of propulsion or foreboding, a tool for merging bodies or shaking bones.

Triple Canopy and Roulette have assembled a group of musicians to navigate the low end in response to Clarke and Clayton: Dorothy Carlos, Buz Donald, Brandon Lopez, and Kwami Winfield. Together, they’ll take up bass as a foundation of Black expression and social life, from drum-driven rituals to covert communications. “To put it another way,” Clarke asks: “What isn’t a subwoofer in Black culture?”

Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee entry if the event reaches capacity before you arrive. Roulette is wheelchair-accessible. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee entry if the event reaches capacity before you arrive. Roulette is wheelchair-accessible. Email Zack Wilks, Deputy Director, for more information: [email protected].

Worker Coffee will be on site selling coffee and tea. Tapes, publications, and wares will be available from PTP.

Beverages have been graciously provided by Grimm Artisanal Ales, Narragansett Brewing Company, and Zev Rovine Selections.

About the Symposium
Triple Canopy’s annual symposium is a manifestation of the magazine’s concerns and collaborations, in person and in real time. The two-day gathering brings together artists, writers, performers, and researchers to address the role of culture in responding (or contributing) to a range of critical issues.

The 2025 Triple Canopy Symposium is presented in partnership with Critical Minded and hosted by Roulette. All Symposium programming will be livestreamed by Roulette.

Host or Publisher Triple Canopy