Deft Esoterica is a quarterly, print-only zine by Claude Aldous focusing on experimental music and sound art. Issue two features in-depth interviews with Danish-Canadian sound artist FernLodge, Polish drone mastermind Calineczka, and Dutch composer Raoul van Herpen. There are reviews of recent cassette and digital releases across related genres of sound and music, as well as an essay describing some of the experiences and observations that may accompany the release of a "noise" cassette. Artwork and illustrations by Ola Aldous. 60 pages, laser printed, saddle stitch binding. 5.5” x 8.5”. Hand-folded and bound.

BONUS-

Each copy of issue two includes download codes for the first six releases by Important Drone Records! This collection includes works by interviewees Calineczka (issue 2) and Angelo Vicente Jr (issue 1), as well as other artists working in sustained tone minimalism/drone music.


UNSOLICITED PRAISE FOR DEFT ESOTERICA-

Video review by Acep/TheKelpBed: youtu.be/Bs-dtf422lk

“really really nicely written - respectful and to-the-point,with none of the density or heavy academic-lite one encounters so often in writing about experimental music. Interviews...all wonderfully longform and given the space and breath not just to discuss their composition practice, but more importantly HOW they came to it, and how histories and situations inform their development...plus record reviews - again refreshingly clear and illuminative, without showy prose or clunky arthouse references...also Ola's abstract accompanying illustrations are AMAZING! Love so much!” -Matt Fifield, CHEWn zine

“another wonderful issue that I can’t recommend enough. Claude's ‘voice’ in his writing is inquisitive, passionate, and positive...these little zines are just so refreshing.” -Connor Bell, Shedding

“Long form, in depth interviews and beautiful pen and ink art make it different from anything in the ziniverse” -Chris Whitehead, TQ Zine

“A cracking zine in general” -Simon Klee, Anticipating Nowhere

“...wonderful interviews, essays, and reviews that lead to plenty of musical discovery.” -Jerod Sommerfeldt, composer and true gentleman from Wisconsin


Okay, these were solicited as I submitted issues for review:


“Claude Aldous sent the first two copies of his zine, Deft Esoterica, a couple of months ago to Waveform HQ and we’ve been enjoying them during breaks between working on our own literary publication. Interviews with experimental artists like FernLodge, NUM, and the like encapsulate the heartbeat of this zine. With music reviews, abstract line drawings, the aforementioned interviews, and download codes to check out new music, if you like deftness, and Esoterica-ness, be deft and check it out.” -Ellison Wolf/Waveform Magazine

“...how I love my fanzines best. Every time I get a new fanzine, and unfortunately way too many, I am jealous that these Vital words no longer exist on paper. They did, from 1986 to 1995, and while it was a hassle to produce a fanzine and ship it out to subscribers, it was also 'easy' to go digital back then and stick with that, now for almost 25 years. But looking at the sixty A5 sized pages of Deft Esoterica Issue Two, I would love to go back and do one again myself. The content of this issue are three lengthy interviews with Fernlodge and Raoul van Herpen, both of whom I had not heard (and the latter being Dutch, which made it even more peculiar) and Calineczka, whose music has been reviewed a couple of times in these pages, plus a bunch of reviews that include one released by Roland Kuit, also Dutch, never heard of. How Vital is Vital actually, when a US fanzine introduces me to Dutch artists? The interviews are about motivations, ideas, equipment used and 'the scene'
in which they operate (or not) and not the usual 'I recorded this, released that' type of questioning. Issue one, so Bandcamp learns me included Angelo Vincent Jr, NUM and Phil Maguire and on offer is the possibility to buy both fanzines in one bundle, which I highly recommend, even when I haven’t read volume one myself.” -Frans De Waard/Vital Weekly