Few records capture the sheer physical intensity of free improvisation quite like Chewed Up And Spat Out, the blistering collaboration between British saxophonist Colin Webster, Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi, and electronics specialist Matt Cargill. Although the session was originally recorded at London's Hackney Road Studios in June 2019, the album finally surfaced this year through London's adventurous Raw Tonk Records, and it proves that uncompromising music never loses its impact.
Webster has built a formidable reputation within the UK's free improvisation scene, regularly pushing both tenor and baritone saxophones into thrillingly abrasive territory. He's joined here by one of experimental music's most explosive drummers, Balázs Pándi, whose résumé includes collaborations with Merzbow, Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson. Completing the trio is Matt Cargill, best known for his work with London's genre-defying collective Sly & The Family Drone, bringing a dense layer of analogue electronics and noise that perfectly complements Webster's visceral saxophone work.
From the opening moments of "To Arise From Sleep," there's little interest in easing listeners into the experience. Webster's sax erupts in shrieks and fractured melodies while Cargill's electronics churn beneath the surface, all propelled by Pándi's relentless, almost volcanic percussion. Rather than traditional jazz structures, the trio embraces spontaneous interaction, allowing textures, feedback and rhythm to constantly evolve into something thrillingly unpredictable.
Image Credit: Merzbow & Balázs Pándi. Photograph via Wikimedia Commons by Kimon Berlin. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 (CC BY 2.0).
Across its five expansive pieces—including the towering centrepieces "Spat Out," "Money Shitter," and the twelve-minute closer "Blot"—the album blurs the boundaries between free jazz, harsh noise and experimental electronics. Moments of near silence are quickly swallowed by overwhelming waves of sound, creating an experience that's as exhilarating as it is uncompromising. It's music that demands total attention, rewarding adventurous listeners with layer upon layer of sonic detail.
Physically, Chewed Up And Spat Out arrives as a limited cassette edition of just 100 copies, housed in a recycled cardboard case with individually hand-produced lino-print artwork created by Webster himself—a fittingly DIY presentation for music that celebrates raw expression over polish. Digital editions are also available for those whose cassette players have long since disappeared.
While this release won't be mistaken for easy listening, that's entirely the point. Webster, Pándi and Cargill have created an album that revels in risk, embracing dissonance, chaos and fearless improvisation without ever feeling directionless. Six years after it was recorded, Chewed Up And Spat Out still sounds startlingly fresh, reminding us that some of the most exciting music happens when accomplished musicians simply trust each other and dive headfirst into the unknown.
Chewed Up And Spat Out was released on 15 May 2026 via Raw Tonk Records and is available digitally as well as in its strictly limited cassette edition.