Olivia Block, Kyle Bruckmann

Olivia Block: field recordings, piano, reed organ, editing and mixing. Kyle Bruckmann: oboe, English Horn, suona, accordion, field recordings, editing and mixing. Bruckmann and Block's creative relationship dates back to the recording of Block's 1999 release Pure Gaze, shortly after both artists entered into Chicago's vibrant experimental music community. Their decision to create a collaborative duo ensued, but remained in the realm of good intentions until shortly before Bruckmann's relocation to the San Francisco Bay Area. They then began playfully stockpiling sounds from a myriad of sources, collecting field material, and recording duo improvisations in various spaces using hallway intercom systems and unorthodox microphone placements, among other processes and techniques. This initial activity was followed by five years of collaborative editing, processing and mixing, resulting in the emergent expanse that is Teem.