At a moment when vinyl is often fetishized for its warmth or collectability, Esther Bourdages turns the turntable into a destructive instrument. For over two decades, she has cultivated an approach to live improvisation that is raw, expressive, and built on a tactile intimacy with the turntable. Under the name Esther B, she plays toy turntables, (mis)handles vinyl records, and records soundscapes, creating raw, non-linear music punctuated by altered sonic quotations and abstract textures produced by records that have undergone specific alterations — grinding, cutting, and sanding. Her practice resists structure and formalism, with a freedom to destroy that is less about catharsis than about decades of ongoing exploration.

Listening Session, Live Concerts, Figure Skating brings together three distinct performances recorded between 2019 and 2024. Side A, At Spiro in Summer Time, captures a July 2019 performance at an intimate house show in Montréal. Side B documents a May 2024 live improvisation in a large industrial space at Ateliers Belleville [in Montréal].

Together, these live documents offer a comprehensive portrait of her improvisational practice.