Manhattan-based percussionist and composer Agustín Nevaris has released ‘Ninth Sun-Live,’ the first offering from his new ‘SoundSession’ EP, a live studio recording that combines dub, funk, Afro-Latin rhythms, turntablism, and extended improvisation. Captured in a single session on May 30, 2023 at Bill Laswell’s Orange Sound studio in West Orange, New Jersey (originally built for Franki Valli), the EP was recorded and mixed by James Dellatacoma and mastered by Michael Fossenkember at Turtletone Studios. No edits, no overdubs, no click track. Every instrument captured synchronously in real time by a nine-piece ensemble that includes DJ Logic, Jonathan Maron, Angel Rodriguez, Will Bernard, Peter Apfelbaum, Jojo Kuo, Lockatron, and Matt Dickey.
‘SoundSession’ marks the fourth collaboration between Nevaris and legendary bassist-producer Bill Laswell, and follows Nevaris’s 2023 debut ‘Reverberations,’ released via M.O.D. Reloaded, which drew praise from Carlos Santana, who called it “a work of supreme creativity.” Laswell was unable to participate in the recording for health reasons, with bassist Jonathan Maron stepping in to perform specific basslines Laswell had written. Nevaris is direct about what drove the session: “SoundSession is about playing together live without being stressed by ticket sales or a venue accommodating so many musicians. From the first notes, we could tell there was something good happening. And the recording documents it exactly as it was, with no overdubs or edits. Every note feels right from my perspective, exactly how it happened in real time.”
The record is also a deliberate statement about where music is heading. “People think everything is manipulated in the studio and a lot of it is. And everybody is talking about AI now. But we are moving in the opposite direction where everything gets more organic and raw with every project we work on,” says Nevaris. “There is nothing that can compare to the beauty of artists making work in its most organic form. It takes cats who can really play to pull it off. And it is a joy to play with every one of the musicians involved in this process.” A second studio album featuring special guests is already in the works for release via M.O.D. Reloaded later in 2026.