Fuse Fest 2026: Cassette Culture Celebration

We are excited and proud to host our Fuse Fest: Cassette Culture Celebration on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, May 23rd from 12 noon to 8:00pm at the Old First Presbyterian Church (1101 Bryden Rd 43205). The festival will include a show featuring performances by experimental musician Dan Burke’s project (ORD) Illusion of Safety, electronic experimental musician David Reed’s solo project Envenomist (CMH), electronic experimental musician Jeff Chenault’s solo project Central Inhabitants (CMH), and electronic experimental musician Andy Izold’s solo project Full Load of King (CLE). In addition to performances, the fest will include lectures by Jerry Kranitz (author of Cassette Culture), Jeff Chenault (The Electronic Music History of Columbus), and William Davenport (The Great American Cassette Masters), as well as a variety of vendors. About the performers: Since 1983, Illusion Of Safety has been the ongoing project of Daniel Burke working alone and with various collaborators. They have released over 20 CDs on labels such as Complacency, Die Stadt, Experimedia, Odd Size, Silent, Soleilmoon, Staalplaat, Tesco, and Waystyx, and played over three hundred concerts in Europe and North America. IOS’ work has been called ambient, post-industrial, electro-acoustic, noise, sound collage, improvisation, and power electronics, but they are unwilling to limit their work to any given style or method. The sonic character and affective substance of the music will often shift abruptly within each recording and live performance. Daniel Burke is currently working with conventional instruments, electronic synthesis, computer composition, samples, and highly amplified handled objects. He uses improvised and composed structures containing material that confounds memory and stimulates perception. The resulting music encompasses broken sound, disturbed ambience and unfiltered beauty that collectively evokes an awareness of the ineffable. Founded in 1980, Problemist is an assortment of musicians, centered around William Davenport. Problemist released a number of recordings throughout the 80’s and appears on many compilations. William stopped playing in 1990. He has returned to reissue & distribute unreleased recordings by Problemist and create new music ,tour and generally create chaos. Some people equate David Reed’s solo project Envenomist (CMH) with science fiction film scores; others envision solitary nocturnal travels through bleak urban settings. A fundamental strength of Envenomist is that these illusory backdrops remain open to interpretation. Taking inspiration from industrial, ambient, and the kosmische scenes along with altered states of consciousness, the oceanic abyss, and deep space, Reed has been producing desolate soundscapes under the Envenomist moniker since 2005. Jeff (Central) Chenault aka/Central Inhabitants has been involved in the Columbus electronic music scene since 1983. Jeff’s current audio projects include Skull Vacuum with Chris Phinney and Hal McGee, Fire Tone with Michael Thomas Jackson, Tactical Perversions with Matthew Soko, and Circuitry Room with former 10-Speed band mate Andy Izold along with longtime friend and collaborator Dan Rockwell. He is also working with French theremin player Jimmy Virani and percussionist extraordinaire Dave Cohen as The Escargonauts. Full Load of King (FLOK) is the solo project of Andrew Izold. He resides in Akron, Ohio. About the lecturers: Jerry Kranitz is a freelance writer and the author of Cassette Culture: Homemade Music and the Creative Spirit in the Pre-Internet Age and Putt-Putt Abuse: And Other Zany Tales of Growing Up in 1970s Kenmore, New York. For 18 years he published the Aural Innovations Space Rock webzine and podcast.