Madelyn Byrd (they/them) is a musician, curator, and researcher currently based in Berlin. Their work is rooted in hydrofeminism, neuroaesthetics, and uncanny interactions between ecology and technology. Through vulnerable processes of self-destruction and metamorphosis, they formulate speculative worlds by examining and queering social/cultural (im)possibility. Their ephemeral investigations concretize as audiovisual works, albums, mixes, collages, poetry, social-praxis experiments, and more. Additionally, Madelyn is researching the impact of collaborative imagination on measures of connection and hope in social praxis art for a multimodal project, Dreamtank, a continuation of their MSc Neuroaesthetics thesis.
Slowfoam is Byrd’s genre-spanning music moniker that they DJ, produce, and perform under. Playfully and tenderly, they build glitched-out, swirling soundscapes from drones, sparkling ambiance, fuzzy poetics, field recordings, and textural percussion. Their DJ sets are narrative, sonic journeys that transcend genre, crafted for deep-listeners and the occasional dance floor. Their ecclectic approach maintains an experimental alchemy of playfulness, discomfort, levity, and sentimentality. In an extension of their worldbuilding process, Slowfoam’s textural, electroacoustic productions blur lines between synthetic and organic sounds, collaborating in equal part with technology and biology. They have released music on labels around the globe, including Lillerne Tapes (Chicago) and Jungle Gym Records (Los Angeles). They have forthcoming releases with Mappa (Lucenec, Slovakia) and their debut LP in the spring of 2024 with Somewhere Press (Glasgow, Scotland). Slowfoam is a former resident at Internet Public Radio, where they curated an all-genre show Our Tomorrow, exploring utopia/dystopia through sound. They are currently curating Gravity Pleasure, a program of mixes and performances that meld eco-sensuality, planetary inquisitiveness, and an intimate kinship with our beloved Earth.
CV ︎︎︎