Epicycles 03 w/ Keegan Tawa, Sean Youngman, Staysis 10pm-2am
"Epicycles is a musical series premised on continuous auditory experiences and long, intentional arcs of musical energy. In its first act, Sean Youngman will deliver a meditative performance using handpans and tongue drums. Keegan Tawa will transition seamlessly into deep, meditative, and ambient soundscapes, driven by synthesis and eclectic woodwind performances. Throughout the evening, the music will gradually crystallize into the rhythms and melodies of dance, ascending through the strata of techno and trance, where finally Staysis will pivot into the domain of Progressive House in order to greet the darkest hours of the night. There will be no breaks or pauses in the music: only a series of unbroken, continuous cycles, carefully sculpted to create a long-form musical experience like no other."
Keegan Tawa is a Philadelphia-based saxophonist, duduk player, composer, producer, and engineer whose work lives at the intersection of jazz, electronic music, global traditions, and sound design. His background in both engineering and composition gives his music a distinctly futuristic character, while his work as a collaborator consistently brings together musicians, cultures, and sonic languages that might not otherwise share the same room. Zalon
Tawa’s 2024 album Tessellation brought together more than 25 collaborators from Turkey, Iran, Tunisia, Israel, India, China, and the United States. The record draws heavily from Pan-Arabic and Persian melodic traditions while placing acoustic and traditional instrumentation alongside contemporary electronics and jazz-based composition. Zalon
At Velvet Whip, Tawa is also the creative force behind EPICYCLES, a late-night musical series built around continuity rather than conventional sets. The concept treats an entire evening as one evolving arc: ambient textures, synthesis, woodwinds, rhythm, progressive house, trance, techno, and other forms can gradually emerge from one another without the usual hard stops between performers. Velvet Whip’s description of the series emphasizes “continuous auditory experiences” and long, intentional shifts in musical energy, with no breaks in the sound. The Velvet Whip
The series began at Velvet Whip with EPICYCLES 01, featuring Keegan Tawa, Stafford, and MissChloe, and continued with EPICYCLES 02, where Tawa and Danielle Nia moved through meditative and ambient soundscapes before the evening gradually developed into progressive house, trance, and ultimately techno with Iann. EPICYCLES 03 will take place on Friday 10/16 with Keegan Tawa, Sean Youngman & Staysis.
EPICYCLES is less a traditional concert than a continuously unfolding night of sound—music designed to transform gradually, allowing one atmosphere to dissolve into the next. At Velvet Whip, the series reflects the venue’s broader interest in programming that crosses jazz, experimental music, electronic culture, and performance without insisting on rigid genre boundaries.
Refund Policy - NO REFUND