Step through the wormhole into the warped, transcendent sound world of Zoë Mc Pherson and the cosmic visualizations of collaborator Alessandra Leone. The folks at URSSS have captured a full live AV show, so it’s a chance to see even if you don’t have access to this kind of show locally.
This show takes moments of ethereal bliss alongside hard, punctuated rhythms, fed by Zoë’s wide reaching interests and collaborations. And they’ve got just great energy, having caught this live — though it’s equally nice to have a chance to focus on the show.
This is the new show entitled ɪꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʀᴇᴀʟ?, as debuted at Bologna’s roBOt Festival, shot by URSSS.
I’ll just let you watch:
I hope we get more quality live documentation, actually, as we all need it, particularly as AI erodes authorship and performance. (Show of hands how many of you focus on live shows but, like, never have it recorded?)
Maybe it’s time to just pick up a nice used deal on a DSLR.
“I love energy — c’mon…”
Zoë and their entourage joined in a largely unnoticed music video recently.
But maybe more to the point is their video on Upside Down, when they cut straight to the point of what is going unsaid in music. If the music industry is all about escapism and commerce, a Neverland of reality denialism, then it’s up to artists to demand talk about “unresolved traumas.” And since that can lead to depressive cycles, what better than some damned energy. Here’s Zoë and — I’ve never known them to speak anything other than what they earnestly believe, so I appreciate every word:
I missed talking about that album, but honestly, everything SFX puts out is worth your time, and this was a 2025 highlight for me:
Hate to bury this in a footnote, but hey, CDM is an Easter Egg hunt. SFX also put out a 5-year compilation and sample pack that doubled as a fundraiser for Palestine. I’ve talked with people working closely with this network in Egypt, and it’s a worthy cause.
Each purchase on Bandcamp also unlocks an exclusive pack of 30+ samples rendered directly from the tracks — fragments of the compilation ready to play with.
Beyond the music, this is a fundraiser for Network for Palestine, a grassroots network of Cairo mothers supporting displaced Gazan families.
From experimental bass music, lush sound design that will throw you on the wall, irreplaceable warm ghetto house energy, nerdy syncopated additive synth sounds, intimate analog dub sounds, holistic and dreamy footwork, downtempo hip hop jams made with four hands on a mobile phone in Armenia, and beatbox vocals encountering rollercoaster club-ready slammer. Here’s a large panel of styles by producers from all around the world.
50% of proceeds will go towards Network for Palestine, a grassroots network of Cairo mothers helping displaced Gazan families.
“Are we in Hell or are we on the way to a better place?
…
Facing our own s*** and processing that is absolutely necessary for human beings to move forward.”