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Entropy StereoBY PIOTR MICHALOWSKIThe new improvised music scene is stronger than ever in Michigan; new venues and concert series abound and graduates from local ensembles have been invigorating the musical environments of places such as San Francisco and Chicago. There has also been a flurry of recording activity; most young artists have preferred to issue their own CDs but small new record labels have also taken advantage of new technology to establish their presence. Most of these are run by musicians and among these one should mention violin and electric bass player Mike Khoury. Khoury has been active in many different contexts in recent years, including the Archipenko Duo, specializing in Eastern European folk music, and The Little Siege Ensemble which is a larger improvisational group working with alternative notations and scores. His most recent project is a free improvisation trio with Jason Shearer on reeds and Ben Hall on percussion. They have been performing together quite often, most recently at the Illuminations New Art and Music Festival. In addition, in 1998 Khoury started an excellent small recording label that is probably better known abroad than it is locally.Entropy Stereo has an Ann Arbor mailing address, although its headquarters change as Khoury moves around. This is definitely a labor of love. Khoury runs the label, but stresses that the artists have control over the music and the artwork. He also notes that Mike Johnston from the Northwoods Improvisers, and Ben Bracken of the Remote Viewing Ensemble have contributed much to getting the work done.
The current catalog is as follows:
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