Bitchin’ Bajas and Natural Information Society Revisit Their Shared Frequency on ‘Totality’

New album from two cornerstones of Chicago’s experimental scene arrives ten years after their first collaborative release

Ten years ago the Bitchin’ Bajas and Natural Information Society released Automaginary, their first joint transmission, a drifting, radiant thing that felt less recorded than conjured. At the time, Chicago’s jazz scene was just starting to draw international attention for its vibrant, interwoven community of improvisers, lifers and deep listeners. That record didn’t ride the wave so much as help stir it, blending modal repetition, analog haze and meditative pulse into something closer to ritual.

Now, a decade later, they’re back with a new full-length, Totality, and tunneling further into the shared frequency they uncovered the first time around.

Bitchin’ Bajas formed in 2010 as a side project of guitarist Cooper Crain, best known for his work in the psych-rock trio Cave. Over time the Bajas became a fixture in Chicago’s experimental underground, known for its use of analog synths, tape loops and patient, process-driven compositions. Highlights include the expansive Bajas Fresh and a luminous Sun Ra tribute, Switched On Ra. Natural Information Society, led by multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams, also launched in 2010, threading traditional African instrumentation, especially the guimbri, through jazz, minimalism and improvisation. Abrams has worked with the Roots, Fred Anderson and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, among others. Both groups are rooted in the same scene that’s given rise to artists like Ben LaMar Gay, Angel Bat Dawid and the extended International Anthem orbit. It’s a scene that thrives through collaboration, repetition and deep listening.

According to release notes, Totality (out April 25, 2025, on Drag City) is divided into two conceptual halves. One side is labeled “space,” the other “time.” The first leans into openness and drift, while the second settles into something more grounded and rhythmic. The lineup includes Abrams on double bass and guimbri, Lisa Alvarado on harmonium, Mikel Patrick Avery on drums and percussion, Crain on organ and synth, Rob Frye on flute and synth, Jason Stein on bass clarinet and Daniel Quinlivan on electronics.

The first track to surface, “Clock no Clock,” arrives with a video directed by Nick Ciontea. Tripped out with slow fades, abstract visuals and a sense of movement, it nods to the record’s themes without giving too much away.

For a look at where this collaboration began, there’s a 2015 video on YouTube of the two groups performing at Chicago’s Hideout. Although the sound of the recording could be better, it captures their early chemistry: loose, raw and locked in. The unit will convene in their home city twice this year, with shows scheduled for April 23 at Constellation and October 10 at Metro.