February 1–2, 2011, Chicago blizzard. ASCII was conceived and hatched by EC Brown with two friends—Chris Hefner and Bruce Neal—all of whom had been actively exchanging downloaded audio discoveries. Since 2005, EC had been distributing CDR mixes with booklets of drawings, and wanted to excelerate the feedback loop of online audio research and assembly. The resultant mixes and objects would be elevated to a social endeavor—like a tupperware club, with the mystique of an esoteric lodge—driven by specifications to heighten the sense of rigor, and adorned by aspirations of elegance and fine apparel.

The project mutated over time to become a mixture of exhibition and performances, but always anchored in sonic preoccupations.

Currently, ASCII is a collaborative endeavor between Christopher Smith and EC Brown. A new series of installments is planned for the warmer months of 2021.