Derek Allen is a musician, composer, sound artist, and engineer from outside Chicago. Currently performing with Lower Automation and Formants, he has toured nationally and released music since 2009. He received a BFA in Sound Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015, and is currently earning a Masters in Music Composition from Roosevelt University. Derek is interested in the human voice, specifically in the voice’s imperfections and its interaction with text (or a lack thereof) and electronics. In 2020, Derek released Suspension, an album composed of voice, field recordings, synthesis, and even samples of Derek’s voice as an infant. He is currently working on new experimental material with his band, Lower Automation, a followup to Suspension, and producing and engineering various projects