the PiNG presents Interweaver and NOT_digital

["PiNG" <ping@theambientping.com>]

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

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THiS Tuesday March 21st . Interweaver and NOT_digital

Leif Bloomquist (Interweaver, Schema Factor) returns to the 
PiNG; bringing with him a set of electro-ambience incorporating 
deep sonic drones, playful energetic synth sounds, and 
manipulated beats. http://www.leifbloomquist.net

Braving the 401 to come in from Windsor ON, NOT_digital 
brings their organic electronica to the PiNG stage for the second 
set. The past few years have seen NOT_digital grow from a few
scribblings in a book to full live performances and a more than full 
length CD release. It started with simple electronic loops and found 
sounds sampling, continued with melodic and structural ideas and 
finished with complex orchestral and vocal harmonies. These all 
serving to soothe, frustrate, and question both the creators and 
the listeners. The live performance NOT_digital is Erik Ingalls and 
Stephen Hargreaves. These sounds are much more alive and 
intense than those heard captured to a simple CD. 
http://www.myspace.com/notdigital
http://notdigital.on.to

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Before Sets CD . Passage by dreamSTATE
To start the evening off we return to last year's CD release of 
dreamSTATE's ambient soundscapes from the Bread & Water 
multimedia installation in the Huron Historic Gaol. As Passage 
was inspired by Lynn Harrigan's book of poetry Moon Sea 
Crossing, this will be a preview of a little of what is to come 
at next week's PiNG when Lynn joins dreamSTATE and 
The Devil in the Design for the second set.
http://www.dreamstate.to
http://www.lynnharrigan.com
http://www.myspace.com/ogison

Between Sets CD . Terraforms by Sylken
This week we feature the latest from Eric Hopper's project 
Sylken. Featuring a collection of players from the PiNG 
community as well as some far away friends, Sylken delivers 
a beautiful series of tracks which once again evoke the project 
name. Read more about it here in rik's *ping things* CD 
review below and hear it Tuesday @ the PiNG. 

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COMiNG Tuesday March 28th . Vessel = Menno Krant + 
The Devil in the Design and dreamSTATE with 
The Devil in the Design + Lynn Harrigan

VESSEL; A collaborative performance with 
Phil Ogison {The Devil in The Design} and Menno Krant

Vessel: This project represents the interface of two artistic 
disciplines, visual art and music. Modern Artist Menno Krant; 
painter and Phil Ogison; Ambient Guitarist and Electronics 
Improviser, combine their unique gifts in a series of five 
performances, which explore the definition of music as fine art 
and the body as vessel for sound and colour. The first of these 
performances will take place March 28.06 in Toronto.

Menno Krant is a self-taught visionary artist whose unique 
painting techniques have given him international recognition and 
acclaim. Mr. Krant has been the subject of many documentaries 
and scholarly dissertations. Phil Ogison has been involved in 
the experimental visual and audio art scene since the mid 1960s. 
He continues to work in both areas with a current emphasis on 
performing ambient/experimental music with a variety of artists, 
notably members of the Worthy Records collective and 
THE AMBiENT PiNG Community in Toronto. Phil's music 
is available on the world wide web, through ping things 
and The Canadian Music Centre.
http://tditd.tripod.com/vessel
http://www.mennokrant.com
http://www.myspace.com/ogison

To close the evening, a mixed set of ambient electronic 
soundscapes, sequences and poetry by dreamSTATE 
with The Devil in The Design and Lynn Harrigan.
http://www.dreamstate.to
http://www.lynnharrigan.com
http://www.myspace.com/ogison

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rik maclean's *ping things* CD Reviews

Sylken . "Terraforms"

Eric Hopper's project Sylken returns with "Terraforms", a beautiful 
example of the ambient ideal. Working with some of the brightest 
talents in the AMBiENT PiNG community including frequent 
collaborator Steven Sauve, along with Wally Jericho, Jamie Todd 
of dreamSTATE, Terry O'Brien of Anomalous Disturbances and 
Gregory Kyryluk of Alpha Wave Movement, Hopper has collected 
a series of melodic ambient tracks of great beauty and wonder.

>From the throbbing pulse of opening track "Terra Rising", where 
graceful arpeggios and deep pads blend together with each other 
to form a delicate web of sound, the listener is caught up in the 
beauty inherent in all of Sylken's work. A lovely way to start 
the disc.

"Landfalls" follows, a track that suggests a rainforest, an 
environment rich with vivid colour and beauty, lush keyboard 
washes bringing to mind thick forests of greenery. A wonderful 
example of environmental ambience.

Track three "Breath of Life" slows down the tempo slightly, a 
fragile and beautiful piece where occasional piano dances around 
sweeping soundscapes that pass through the sound field like a 
slow wind. Fragile and lovely.

"Enfoldment" brings about a womb-like listening experience where 
the senses become focused entirely on the music, Wally Jericho's 
sax bringing an otherworldly beauty to the piece.

"The Shores of Space" is a fine example of space music, a track 
that evokes the sensation of slow orbits around alien planets. 
Oblique movement and gently building waves of sound are 
underscored by soft melodies suggestive of stars. Beautiful.

Title track "Terraforms" is a lovely percolating soundscape that 
brings to mind the birth of planets, continents slowly taking shape 
over the course of millions of years. Wally Jericho appears again, 
lovely trumpet work giving the track an organic feeling, the spark 
of a soul that reminds us that the earth is just as much of a living 
thing as you or I.

"World of One" blends pads and drones, echoing tones and 
keening notes to suggest a pulse, a heartbeat, the beginnings of 
life. Subtly shifting tones and the tinkling of glass play throughout, 
a stunning work of minimalist wonder.

Track eight, "Gaia's lament" is a poignant piece, a slowly drifting 
series of pads that float around the senses, playing on the edge of 
our awareness. Nuance and infrequent shifts give shape to the track, 
a million instants of change so subtle that they're lost in the blink 
of an eye if you aren't already in tune with them.

"The Drift of Time" follows, a delicate melodic ambient track 
where pads rise and fall in strength over top a mesmerizing 
tonal pattern. Stunning.

"Zen Sky", featuring a guest appearance by Gregory Kyryluk of 
Alpha Wave Movement, closes the disc. A shimmering otherworldly 
piece filled with glittering notes and musical phrases, "Zen Sky" 
encapsulates the whole disc experience for the listener. 
A wonderful piece, and a lovely way to close the disc.

Listening to "Terraforms" I can't help but be put under the spell of 
Sylken's charms. All of the tracks bring to mind a variety of different 
emotions and feelings throughout the course of the disc's length, a 
testimony to the talent and artistry inherent in the music that it can be 
so evocative. Once again Sylken has succeeded in creating music 
that brilliantly captures a mood, a feeling, a time and a space. 
Stunning work that comes highly recommended, as does 
the rest of the Sylken catalogue.

"Terraforms" by Sylken is available now at ping things!
http://www.pingthings.com/SYLKENterra.htm

Interested in finding out more about Sylken? ping things has an 
exclusive interview with Eric Hopper in our featured section! 
Check it out at  http://www.pingthings.com/PTfeaturesNF.htm

Interested in hearing some tracks from "Terraforms"? 
Tune into ping things radio every Sunday evening 
from 9pm to midnight EST at 
http://www.live365.com/stations/marastorment 
to hear music from Sylken and other artists 
in the ping things catalogue!

rik maclean - rik@pingthings.com

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

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* Other Toronto area sonic/visual events of interest this week:

* Monday March 20th . Marcel Au Coin trio
   Marcel Au Coin keyboards
   Chris Banks bass
   Jake Oelrichs drums
   8pm . Dominion on Queen . 500 Queen St. E. 
   (1 light east of parliament) . $5

* Thursday March 23rd . Improvisors' Pool
   The improvisors' pool is a weekly gathering for musicians who 
   practice collective free improvisation. It welcomes players 
   of all levels and backgrounds.
   7:00-9:00 . Ralph Thornton Centre . 765 Queen Street East
   
* Thursday March 23rd .  marcel aucoin trio
   marcel aucoin keyboards
   chris banks  bass
   jake oelrichs drums
   9:30pm . supermarket 268 augusta avenue 

* Thursday/Friday March 23rd/24th . Tim Posgate's Jazzstory
   Tim Posgate, Rob Clutton, Lina Allemano and 
   special guest: Nick Fraser
   9pm . The Red Guitar 603 Markham St.
   
* Friday, March 24th . Leftover Daylight Series
   in association with Arraymusic and AIMT
   i- Cooney / Haley / Thomson
   w/ shannon cooney dancer / geordie haley guitar / 
   scott thomson trombone   
   ii- Fisher / Jovicevic / Piilonen / Shugarman / Sorbara
   w/  colin fisher saxophone / jasna jovicevic reeds / 
   rob piilonen flute / sarah shugarman violin / joe sorbara drums    
   iii- Dan Pencer Quartet
   w/ dan pencer saxophone / thom gill guitar / bram gielen bass / 
   matt pencer drums
   9pm . ARRAYMUSIC Studio 60 Atlantic Ave., Ste 218 . $10/6
   
* Friday March 24th . Dave Clark's Woodshed Orchestra
   w/ special guests: the silent 5 & the Mountainside band   
   The Woodshed Orchestra features the likes of Blake 
   Howard-drums, Doug Friesen-bass & tuba, Michael 
   Johnston-piano & accordion, Tom Howell-violin & piano,
   Joe Lapinski-guitar and Dave Clark-guitar-vocals & piano. 
   The DCWO will takes some giant steps off of big cliffs and into 
   the freak zone with free form stylings suited to all who would 
   attend. The silent 5 brings about the trace-like momentum of a 
   desert wind. The mountainside band rumbles and rolls its way 
   through the bush and out onto the beach.
   10pm . the Tranzac 292 Brunswick Ave . p.w.y.c.
     
* Friday March 24th . CKLN 88.1 and Mark Hundevad present a 
   memorial concert for legendary free jazz trumpeter Raphe Malik.
   Featuring Sabir Mateen and Kenny Baldwin on saxophones, 
   Brandi Disterheft on bass, and Mark Hundevad on drums,
   vibes and percussion.
   9pm . Cabbagetown Community Arts Center 
   454 Parliament Street . $20
   
* Friday, March 24th . Synchro presents BENJAMIN BOLES 
   with resident DJs DENISE BENSON & ANDREW ALLSGOOD
   Andy Poolhall, 489 College St., Toronto
   no cover before midnight - $5 after - 19+
   
* Saturday March 25th . vague terrain presents...
   11t1 / I am robot and proud / sourfly / 
   dj ether.mann - vague terrain / vj / nokami
   This month we will be showcasing a trio of producers working 
   within the always-ambiguous territories of IDM. This event will 
   be the official launch Toronto based 11t1's debut album "tracks" 
   to be released on the Suburb record label (out of London) this 
   spring. 11t1, will be playing a variety of "pop-influenced, 
   jazz-tinged, hip-hop misappropriated, quasi-generative" material 
   from this new album at our event. Our second guest is I am Robot 
   and Proud who will be premiering some of his signature electronic 
   pop from his forthcoming album "The Electricity in your House 
   wants to Sing" due out later this month on Darla records. Last 
   but not least is a (fairly rare) set by bleep n' bass studio shut-in 
   Sourfly. Rounding out the night will be a VJ performance by 
   Nokami and an opening DJ set by vague terrain resident 
   ether.mann.
   9pm - 2am . art bar / the gladstone hotel 1214 queen st. west . $5

* Sunday March 26th . The NOW Series
   presented by AIMT and the NOW Lounge
   2-3:30- Nick Fraser’s grant writing workshop    
   4:00- "Unconscious 3"
   John Wilson - Guitar, Jay Hay - Saxophones, Eric Allen - Drums    
   5:00- Nilan Perera - Guitar / Colin Fisher - Sax & Guitar    
   6:00- TBA
   NOW Lounge, 189 Church St. . $6   
   
* Sunday March 26th . HENRY KAISER, LUKAS LIGETI, 
   JOHN OSWALD, MICHAEL SNOW & CASEY SOKOL
   8 PM . The Music Gallery, 197 John St., Toronto
   all ages . $20 regular/$15 member + senior/$10 student
   
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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 around the world, 
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.