The Odes are Ted Milton, legendary frontman of Blurt, saxophonist, poet, singer and puppeteer (active since the 1960s when he published his first volume of verse), with electronic musician and sound artist Sam Britton (aka Isambard Khroustaliov).
Fusing avant-garde sound assemblages, improvisation, experimental electro-acoustic textures, politically charged poetry, free-jazz saxophone and propulsive rhythms, The Odes have toured extensively in Europe and have featured, amongst numerous other festival appearances, as part of Patti Smith’s ‘Soirées Nomades’ at the Fondation Cartier and Thurston Moore’s ‘City Poems & City Music’ at the Whitechapel Gallery.
Ted Milton, best known as the founder of Blurt, has spent decades shaping a unique artistic language that merges post-punk, free jazz, and spoken word. His work is marked by raw expression, rhythmic intensity, and an unmistakable vocal delivery that sits somewhere between poetry and incantation.
Sam Britton, known for his work as part of Default and his extensive output in experimental electronic music, approaches sound from a more abstract and textural perspective. His compositions often explore repetition, dissonance, and subtle shifts in sonic detail.
As The Odes, Milton and Britton meet in a stripped-down yet deeply immersive setting. The project revolves around voice, electronics, and minimal structures, creating a space where narrative fragments, pulses, and atmospheres interact in real time. The result is both intimate and unpredictable—balancing tension and restraint, clarity and obscurity.
The Odes is not a conventional duo, but rather an evolving dialogue between two artists with a shared interest in pushing the boundaries of form and expression.