The Ensemble

All five music ensemble members looking candid against a blue backdrop during the album artwork photo session. The group are all wearing metallic silver jackets and are casually interacting between posed photos.

Discover The Science Fiction People

The group’s now recognizable name originally surfaced as more of a working title during a workshop that stirred up memories of famous on-screen robots. The workshop featured the Vocoder, which allows users to manipulate their voice to have robotic characteristics. Each ensemble member took turns experimenting with every vocal manipulation effect the Vocoder offered. The session soon shifted to everyone giving their best robot impersonation, which set the tone for the album’s narrative and signature sound.

Listen To Robot Revelations
Logo design for the Robot Revelations text as displayed on the album artwork. The album title reads, “Robot Revelations,” in futuristic and geometric sans-serif typeface. There is a slight glitch effect applied, with a slight rainbow outer glow.

The group chose the album’s title after their tracks came back from mastering. While listening over the entire album, the ensemble reflected on how each song roused different feelings, carried them off to fantastical places, and collectively laughed about Tony’s “robot” voice. “All the songs, they kind of twirl around you, like an orbit, or like in the movies,” Colleen remarked. The rest agreed. While on that thread, the group concluded that “Robot Revelations” reflected the entire album-making journey, their new appreciation for music, and the slow transition of Tony’s voice from a human to a robot throughout the album.

Meet the Members

Middle-aged ensemble member, Colleen Ashmore, posing with a slight lean and her left hand behind her head against a star background. The image is treated with a rainbow gradient that matches the Robot Revelations album artwork.

CoLLeen Ashmore

“Focusing on music over the last year has been awesome. It makes me so happy, and makes me jump around and dance; even sing, too.”

Colleen dreamed of becoming a singer for a long time, and by the age of twelve, she was singing in her bedroom, in the shower, and all around the house. After getting her first organ as a child, Colleen would sit and play and encourage her family to sing along. Singing her songs, performing on stage, and creating her own music is a dream come true.

Favourite Genre: Pop

Favourite Artist: Backstreet Boys

Mid-twenties and dark-skinned ensemble member, David Oppong, wearing a backwards hat, plaid shirt, and gesturing with his hands in a speaking fashion against a star background. The image is treated with a rainbow gradient to match the Robot Revelations album artwork.

David Oppong

“For me, it’s nice to come together and learn about music. I love music. I want to make more beats and
practice my DJing.”

In the ensemble, David loves layering grooves and drum beats – anything that can get people moving! Over the last year of NaAC music sessions, David focused his music-making on hip-hop & rap production. Also known as DJ Vidojee, David started attending regular educational DJ meetups with Warm Leatherette, a local community-based DJ night. His efforts have paid off, and he’s currently getting more and more opportunities to showcase his DJ skills at events and dances!

Favourite Genre: Rap & Hip-hop

Favourite Artist: Chris Brown

Late-twenties ensemble member, Jan de la Cruz, posing casually with arms on her hip against a star background. The image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork. Jan is medium-light skinned, with black hair, wearing a black overcoat, black pants, and brown halter top.

Jan De La Cruz

Jan has a natural knack for creating great contemporary RnB, pop, and dance songs. As much as she would love to focus on her solo project, Jan’s contributions really shined on the album. After a NaAC music-creation session ended, Jan would often quietly remove her earbuds to reveal a very groovy song section or tasty loop.

Jan loves the fashion of pop music and loves to dance. In fact, she danced from a very young age and stopped after college. During this next year, Jan’s excited to learn more about writing and singing her own songs.

Favourite Genre: RnB

Favourite Artist: Justin Bieber

Late thirties light-skinned ensemble member, Mark Bedford, in a muscle-flex pose against a star background. The image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork. Mark has buzzed brown hair, and is wearing a black “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” shirt.

Mark Bedford

Mark is all about dance and techno music. Hailing from the UK, Mark is a big fan of music that combines electronic music with lyrics – like the Pet Shop Boys. When equipped with a drum machine, drum pads, or a pair of sticks, Mark locks into any groove like a metronome. He’s got an incredible sense of rhythm!

Mark’s looking forward to exploring dance and electronic music, incorporating cool sounds from synths and exploring sequencers.

Favourite Genre: Dance & Electro

Favourite Band: The Pet Shop Boys

Early Fifties ensemble member, Tony Goodison, giving a peace-sign gesture to the camera, posed against a star background. Image is treated with rainbow overlay to match the album artwork. Tony is light-skinned, with buzzed hair, and wearing an Adidas shirt and black fanny-pack.

Tony Goodison

“We’re one happy great big family, we all get along with each other and we all make music.”

If Tony’s in the NaAC studio, you’ll know it. Whether it’s joyous laughter, catchy kazoo tunes, or beat- boxed renditions of the goldie oldies, Tony’s boisterous personality is contagious and always brings happiness. Tony LOVES Radio! He’s a long-time volunteer at CJSW, Calgary’s local campus community radio station, and proudly reps his DIY CJSW garb all the time.

“Radio brings back so many memories. I love radio personalities. Back when I was in school, they’d come to our sock hops and dances. Those guys were rock stars to me. I get so excited about the voices they do, and the sound effects – that’s classic radio!”

Favourite Genre: Disco & Classic Rock

Favourite Artist: Steve Miller Band

Two silver Macbook laptops with 13” screens displaying the Robot Revelations Bandcamp page and Spotify page. Laptops are arranged on slight angles. Right laptop is slightly in front of the left.

Stream or shop the album now

Robot Revelations

Project Partners

Carlos Arteaga. Carlos is in his mid-twenties, wearing a black button-up shirt, touque, square thin-framed glasses, with curly medium-shaggy hair and partial beard. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Carlos Arteaga

Carlos Arteaga is the Coordinator of Audio and Music Programming at the NaAC. He is a musician and sound artist passionate about community-building through art and music. With a background in sonic arts and music production, he approaches NaAC music programming intending to expose artists to a wide variety of art and sonic media.

Carlos Arteaga is the Coordinator of Audio and Music Programming at the NaAC. He is a musician and sound artist passionate about community-building through art and music. With a background in sonic arts and music production, he approaches NaAC music programming intending to expose artists to a wide variety of art and sonic media.

Clayton Smith. Clayton is in his mid-Thirties, wearing a black sweater, with black pushed-back hair, and a black trimmed beard. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Clayton Smith

Clayton Smith is the Programs & Exhibitions Lead at the National accessArts Centre. Smith channels his passion for the arts and institutional experience into co-creating exciting new programming opportunities for artists at the NaAC. Recently, he’s focused on facilitating the development of Disability-led creative sound and music programming at the NaAC. He is active in Canada’s vibrant music scene and has the continued pleasure of touring, recording, and performing nationally and internationally. 

Clayton Smith is the Programs & Exhibitions Lead at the National accessArts Centre. Smith channels his passion for the arts and institutional experience into co-creating exciting new programming opportunities for artists at the NaAC. Recently, he’s focused on facilitating the development of Disability-led creative sound and music programming at the NaAC. He is active in Canada’s vibrant music scene and has the continued pleasure of touring, recording, and performing nationally and internationally. 

Ed Renzi. Ed is light-skinned and in his late Thirties, wearing a brown blazer and black T-shirt, with short & brown crew-cut hair and a five o’clock shadow. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Ed Renzi

Renzi is an accomplished audio engineer, audio educator, music producer, and a proud arts supporter. As the Head Post-Production Audio Engineer at Banff Centre, Renzi supported hundreds of audio projects, instituted a Dolby ATMOS mix room, and mentored the audio engineering and post-production practicum program. He is an accomplished sound designer, and taught at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Halifax.

Renzi is an accomplished audio engineer, audio educator, music producer, and a proud arts supporter. As the Head Post-Production Audio Engineer at Banff Centre, Renzi supported hundreds of audio projects, instituted a Dolby ATMOS mix room, and mentored the audio engineering and post-production practicum program. He is an accomplished sound designer, and taught at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Halifax.

Dyllan Lambert Monroe. Dyllan is light-skinned and in his late-twenties, wearing a black jean vest over a black hoodie. He has buzzed brown hair, five o’clock shadow, and wearing a nose ring in his right nostril. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Dyllan Lambert Monroe

Dyllan Lambert Monroe (Calgary, AB) is a highly talented and visionary self-educated producer, composer, and musician living with Cerebral Palsy. Dyllan has fought for his right to make music and continues that fight with academia and social media in creative solidarity with other disabled composers. Dyllan hopes that music creation will become more of a level playing field – not just for disabled artists but anyone with creative inspiration.

Dyllan Lambert Monroe (Calgary, AB) is a highly talented and visionary self-educated producer, composer, and musician living with Cerebral Palsy. Dyllan has fought for his right to make music and continues that fight with academia and social media in creative solidarity with other disabled composers. Dyllan hopes that music creation will become more of a level playing field – not just for disabled artists but anyone with creative inspiration.

White logo for Blurring the Boundaries, featuring a slight abstract or impressionist music graph with notes and uncapitalized “blurring the boundaries arts” text.

Blurring the Boundaries

Blurring the Boundaries is a cross-disciplinary and disability-led organization spearheading major developments in accessible digital music technology, remote collaboration, and creative exchange. 

White CRIP RAVE logo, with capitalized and bolded text encompassed by a square boarder.

CRIP RAVE

Crip Rave™ is a Toronto-based collective and event platform showcasing and prioritizing Crip, Disabled, Deaf, Mad and Sick bodyminds within safer and more accessible rave spaces.

White Sled Island logo with a font that looks like folded origami displaying only the “Sled Island” text.

Sled Island Music & Art Fest

A one-of-a-kind five-day music festival based in Calgary, AB, that brings together a community of music, comedy, film and art and over 40,000 attendees across multiple venues, earning rave reviews from attendees, artists and media across the globe.

Guest Producers

Gift Tshuma. Gift is a dark-skinned motorized chair user, with short black hair, round thin-framed glasses, and wearing a hounds tooth scarf, black button-up shirt. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Gift Tshuma

Born in Zimbabwe, Gift is not your ordinary R&B Gospel singer. In addition to his academic background in music, Gift has more than fifteen years of experience as a professional artist and is the co-founder of his talented ensemble: United Tribulation Choir. He has trained in classical and jazz vocals and was mentored by Oliver Jones: a Montreal-based jazz pianist who was, in turn, trained by Oscar Peterson.  Gift co-hosts Crip Talk Corner (part of Accessibilize Montreal) and the Unashamed Truth.
Charles Matthews. Charles is a light-skinned, early forties man, wearing a detailed pattern button-up shirt with short hair, light beard, and medium-thick framed glasses. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Charles Matthews

Matthews is a proudly Neurodivergent creative technologist specializing in rapidly prototyping musical instruments in workshop settings. In past musical lives, he released records as Ardisson and founded the Augmented Gamelan ensemble as part of his Ph.D. research in 2012. His efforts now focus on connecting online communities and resources with deep integration of access and Disabled lead. 

Charles co-founded Blurring the Boundaries and has worked as an associate artist with Drake Music: a UK organization focused on music technology and Disability. Recent projects include The Kellycaster, Planted Symphony, and Haptic Baton.

Guest producer, Stefana Fratila. Stefana is wearing a white sweater, headphones and has straight dark hair that goes down to her shoulders. She is looking down at a hand-held recorder she is holding with both hands and seems to be concentrated on the sounds she is capturing. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Stefana Fratila

Stefana Fratila is a Romanian-born artist, composer and sound designer based in Toronto, Canada. She is also a DJ and co-founder of Crip Rave, an event platform showcasing and prioritizing Crip, Disabled, Deaf, Mad, and Sick body-minds within safer and more accessible rave spaces. stefanafratila.com
Crip Rave organizer, Reneee Dumaresque’s portrait shows them looking straight at the camera with a half-serious half-smirking smile. They are light-skinned and have very short hair. They are wearing a white button-down shirt and a hoop earring. Image is treated with a rainbow overlay to match the album artwork.

Renee Dumaresque

Renee is a community organizer, artist, and transdisciplinary writer at the intersection of creative, critical and chaotic thought. They are currently pursuing their PhD in Social Work at York University. renee dumaresque msw, rsw

Get Involved

Learn more about the National accessArts Centre’s Audio and Music programming, upcoming workshops, presentations, and current projects.

Start Now
Skip to content