Megafortress

Emerging from Brooklyn as a solo performer, Bill Gillam adopted the Megafortress moniker in the early 2010s to explore an intricate blend of avant-garde composition, synthesizer experimentation, and unconventional vocal layering. Electronics combined with textural vocals and free-form, floating jazz instruments to create his airy yet occasionally menacing tracks. The Software label issued his self-titled EP in 2012, paving the way for the more austere and spiritually evocative debut album Believer, released in 2014. During live shows, Gillam sometimes collaborated with a trio of improvisers consisting of keyboardist Kevin Uehlinger, bassist Dan Bates, and drummer Michael Barron.