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The PiNG presents PHH!K and Gnostic Rocket



THE AMBiENT PiNG   http://www.theambientping.com
Tuesdays @ HACiENDA - 794 Bathurst Street at Bloor
(directly across from the Bathurst subway station) - Toronto
Doors open at 9pm - 1st set at 9:30 - PayWhatYouCan

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This Tuesday July 19th PHH!K and Gnostic Rocket

Opening the night, Gnostic Rocket is an experiment in rhythm, repetition
and controlled chaos. It is built on a foundation of dub and experimental
music, utilising Theremin (channeled through a Korg X911 guitar synth),
Yamaha CS-01 analog synth with breath controller, Korg ER1 drum machine,
self-generated samples and the Springboard Dub, a custom designed delay/
effects/sound-generating unit by Arius Blaze (www.audible-ism.com).
No laptops here. Intensive delay and unpredictable analog sound generators
with unusual control features allow a unique improvisation between man
and machine, each feeding into and leading the other. An attempt dethrone
the tyranny of the mind and reify the body.

Gnostic Rocket is a one-man project of Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist
Steve Barber, who has performed with a diverse roster of artists including:
The Weights, Keyop, Syntonics, Bodega, Alvy, and most recently, Evil Doers.

PHH!K then presents "Thereminstahs": an evening of improvs and repertoire
for non-tactile controllers and various analog/synth noisemakers.

PHH!K are a duo who have been performing live electronic music for
more than a decade. Their work is informed by the classic period of 
electronics when music was made with razor-blades, filtered through 
current digital practice, all created in real-time by non-tactile 
controllers including 2 Moog Theremins and the Buchla Lightning 
interface.

They have performed across Canada as well as in Europe and among their 
highlights are performances at the Ijsbreker in Amsterdam, the Winnipeg 
new music fest and their live appearance accompanying the K-W Canada 
Day fireworks display for an audience of thousands.

"This is experimental music in the best possible sense, with 
compositions that are made from previously unheard-of combinations of 
tones and textures. There's an otherworldly quality to it as well, 
especially when the performers build slippery, pulsating banks of 
theremin-generated sine waves." - Georgia Straight, Vancouver

PHH!K are Peter Hannan and Henry Kucharzyk. Living in Vancouver and 
Toronto respectively makes their chances to perform together limited. 
So join them for their only Toronto appearance this summer. 
http://www.phhk.com

Between Sets CD - "Landscape in Obscurity" by VidnaObmana
This longform work of deep ambience by VidnaObmana with Capriolo
Trifoglio and Diego Borotti (flute and saxophone) uses a "recycling"
process to merge elements of jazz & electronics. http://www.vidnaobmana.be

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Coming Tuesday July 26th - Planet Of The Loops
http://www.geocities.com/energymadeaudible/planet.html

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||: IN THE LOOP :||  by Luna Tek

On July 12th, offering a brief reprieve from the city's most recent
heat wave, Io treated PiNG-goers to a cool evening of down-tempo
rhythms and ambient collage. Visiting Toronto from Washington, D.C.,
David Font represented the Io trio, playing two high-calibre sets. 

In the 1st set, delicate insect samples coalesced with metallics,
creating a lovely contrapuntal effect. Io incorporated samples from
a gamelan ensemble & David's own field recordings into the evening's
tightly woven sonic explorations. General Chaos Visuals provided the
visual ambience, using a particularly fitting triptych effect of
interweaving layers in this opening piece. 

Io's 2nd set had a definitive world beat. David started things off
with a short Sinatra sample ["You are the one ..."] followed by
trip-hop sequences, more bells, a helicoptor's  beating wings,
a chorus of crickets and a news clip, morphing into a delightful
tapestry of sound. Like a successful poem, Io's music moves in
unexpected yet satisfying directions.  

General Chaos' return to the rich boho colours they've been
experimenting with lately complimented Io's change of direction
in this set perfectly. I had to wonder if this had been planned but,
according to PiNG curator Scott M2, this was simply another case
of PiNG synchonicity. General Chaos had no idea what Io would be
playing & were just trying to create a new environment for the set. 

*** Keep those submissions coming: iPOP PING magazine is shaping up
to be a wide ranging, whimsical collection of ambient thoughts,
experimental attitudes and innovative art...
 
Luna Tek -  luna@theambientping.com.

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rik maclean's *ping things* CD Reviews

"There is no Modern Romance" by Building Castles out of Matchsticks

Anne Sulikowski is amongst the most honest and forthcoming artists
in the electronic genre. Her work is raw, heartfelt, and uncompromising.
She lingers in her sadness, revels in her happiness and all the while
is able to share these feelings with her listeners. It's a powerful
kind of talent combined with a powerful sense of identity that allows
her to do this sort of work, and I for one am glad that she has both,
because Anne makes some of the best music going these days.

"There is No Modern Romance" is the latest release by Anne's project 
Building Castles out of Matchsticks. Wholly improvised one evening
(around 3am to be precise), the disc is a testimony to the pain of
broken hearts, lonely nights, solitude and emptiness. Tracks are left
unnamed which allows the listener to come to their own conclusions
about meaning without any preconceptions. But titled or not, the
sense of abandonment and isolation in the music is unmistakeable,
represented in a myriad of ways from simple piano to distortion loops
to plaintive keyboard melodies to quiet lyrical pieces and more,
ranging from delicately beautiful to harsh noise and feedback. It's
a dark and melancholy journey through unhappy places, but it's also a
journey so desperately familiar that you can't help but recognize
some of it's landmarks.

There's a tremendous irony that I like Anne's work so much, that songs
so painfully sad could be enjoyed so much. But maybe that's the point.
Maybe the enjoyment comes from being able to connect with Anne's work
and experiences, to be able to identify with it. With "There is No
Modern Romance" Anne has been able to give voice to feelings and ideas
that few could express so succinctly, feelings and ideas that we've
all shared at one or many points in our lives. If you've ever laid
awake at 3am and wondered why the bedroom is so cold, why your voice
sounds so hollow in an empty apartment, or why the stars only shine
half as bright when you're alone, then this is the disc for you.

rik maclean - rik@pingthings.com

http://www.pingthings.com = ambient + electronic + chill things

Send an e-mail to pingthings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
for updates on *all* the latest releases on sale at ping things

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THE AMBiENT PiNG is a social sound/art event presenting
live performances by Toronto's finest ambient, chillout, improv
and experimental music artists plus performers from across
the continent, every Tuesday evening at HACiENDA -
794 Bathurst Street at Bloor. http://www.theambientping.com

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Please forward this e-mail to any friends who may be interested
in live ambient, chillout and experimental music performances
or to any of your appropriate newsgroups. Thanks.