Their connection traces back to Martin Bisi’s iconic BC Studio, a recording sanctuary for New York’s underground vanguard. As the studio neared the end of its storied legacy with the release of BC35, Cinema Cinema stood among a formidable lineup—Sonic Youth, SWANS, Foetus, Live Skull, Alice Donut—sharing not only a scene but a sensibility.
“Thoughts about making some new music outside of the CC setting had started to cross my mind, as I was looking around at this dazzling array of underground NYC musicians,” says Ev, recalling the artists crossing BC’s hallowed floors. “An exceptional crew that I found myself lucky to be included in. Was someone there a future musical partner?”
That spark found kindling in Jim. “A while after this, Ev’s band Cinema Cinema shared a bill with a project of mine called This Wilderness,” explains Jim. “We connected and talked about doing more shows. A few years went by, and Ev contacted me wanting to share some more experimental electronic compositions he was working on. We decided to use this as a starting point to kick some ideas back and forth, and Deaf Doula was born.”
The origin of Deaf Doula is pandemic-born and analog-drenched, tethered to anxiety and a new kind of sonic liberation. Ev recounts, “All the momentum came to a screeching halt. I was distraught, as were so many. No longer able to explore my usual musical activities, I was not sure what was next… I was given a gift by my wife of a new computer as the pandemic closed off my avenues of expression.”
With Logic Pro installed and memories of cassette-based home recordings stirring, he began anew. “I quickly hit a wall when I found I could not achieve sounds that were satisfying to me... I was desperate, needing to make music.” Then came an unexpected push: “During a sleepless pandemic night, I was up late watching a Brian Eno documentary... I was inspired by that mindset. That is when the idea to purchase a synthesizer and try something completely new came to my mind.”
