L CON - SOUNDMILL Improvisations (2023)

SOUNDMILL improvisations is sonic material that was a part of SOUNDMILL - a multi-channel sound and light installation Lisa Conway (L CON) mounted in an old mill ruin in Guelph, Ontario, in the fall of 2021. Taking inspiration from the repetitive rhythmic patterns involved in the milling process, the ever-shifting generative soundscape was shaped and manipulated by both river and light data, and spatialized through twelve speakers throughout the two rooms of Goldie Mill, the “limestone room” and the “plant room”. Lights were installed throughout the mill, including an accompanying bespoke light tangle, incorporating programmed LEDs.

This limited edition tape is both a document and a transfixing new work unto itself. The stereo reductions of ambient solo synthesiser improvisation are blended with hydrophone recordings of the river by the mill, and sounds of grain. The music itself is colourful and wondrous; fluidly morphing along a continuum of scale to create a masterful sonic experience that is incidental yet expansive.

The cover art is a partial homage to the limestone walls of the mill, featuring a limestone print by artist sophia bartholomew.


Lisa is a Swiss-Canadian composer, sound artist, songwriter, producer, and mix engineer. Her recordings have been described as "ethereal, minimalist, experimental, unnerving…and downright elegant" (AUX), with the Toronto Star claiming, "Conway is bound for greatness, even if she doesn’t realize it yet."

An artist who continually tries to push herself into the unfamiliar, her multifaceted CV includes original scores and songs for documentaries, short films, and theatre productions, site-specific multi-channel sound and light installations, collaborations with contemporary dancers and performance artists, and an array of renowned creative residencies. She is an alumni of the final Red Bull Music Academy (2018, Berlin), as well as the Canadian Film Centre's year-long Slaight Music Residency (2016).
Her discography involves a prolific output of self-produced, recorded, and independently released albums under various monikers, as well as multiple acclaimed records with former band Del Bel, who obtained a SOCAN Songwriting Prize Nomination (2015). Despite having composed many instrumental works for commissioned projects, this is Lisa’s first fully instrumental release.

Lisa's solo releases as L CON have received positive press from publications like The Fader, Uproxx, Tiny Mix Tapes, Exclaim, and Earmilk, and her compositions / installations have been presented at the Guelph Jazz Festival, the Sonic Arts Research Centre (Belfast), the in/Future Festival, the Canadian Music Centre, Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, and the Music Gallery. She holds a BFA Honours in Music from York University, and an MA in Sonic Arts from Queen’s University Belfast, where she graduated with distinction.