ON the Beat | On the Plugged/Unplugged Trail
Published on February 27, 2026
by Josef Woodard | Share this post! 
“In some circles, the worlds of digital music creation and the old-fashioned methodology — of hitting, plucking, bowing, and otherwise producing sound from physical instruments in real time — occupy their own separate orbits. But the twain can meet, and with artistically fruitful results, as heard at Campbell Hall last week. In this special case, a show hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the skilled percussionist adventurers in the Chicagoan Third Coast Percussion crossed paths with inspired minimalist electronician Jlin.”
In some circles, the worlds of digital music creation and the old-fashioned methodology — of hitting, plucking, bowing, and otherwise producing sound from physical instruments in real time — occupy their own separate orbits. But the twain can meet, and with artistically fruitful results, as heard at Campbell Hall last week. In this special case, a show hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L), the skilled percussionist adventurers in the Chicagoan Third Coast Percussion (TCP) crossed paths with inspired minimalist electronician Jlin (born Jerrilynn Patton).
Campbell Hall was duly transformed into an entrancing groove house, an artsy party zone. This was a special occasion for the performers and audience alike, a kind of warm-up and preview for both a recording project and a future official tour.
If there remains any question that groove music and minimalism are or aren’t joined at the hip, this concert settled the debate. Aside from its predominant focus on music composed by Jlin — performed with and without her as performer in the mix — the program also pivoted towards a connection to minimalist superstar Philip Glass, a friend and sometime collaborator with these musicians.
It is a soft pivot, as heard on the Jlin/Glass piece “Precision of Infinity” and Peter Martin’s arrangement of music from the Glass score for Paul Schrader’s film Mishima.
Things took a different, fascinating, and much less pulse-driven direction with the world premiere of David Longstreth’s Butterfly Dancing Over a Barrel, arranged by TCP. In this inviting new music by Longstreth (leader of the Dirty Projectors), the multi-sectioned score morphs into varying moods and densities, shifting from a gently cascading tone into hard-edged terrain, a mallet mash, and a soft fade into the moonset to close.
The upshot: Plugged and unplugged sound sources got along famously.