the PiNG presents Arms Full of Sound

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

Just wanted to start with a quick note to say that it was great to see 
so many of you come out to experience Robert Rich's wonderful 
performance this past weekend at the Church of the Holy Trinity 
and to report that the show was a huge sonic success. 

The PiNG wants to thank all those who pulled together and worked 
very hard over the past few weeks to make this event happen, thanks 
also go to Robert for including us in his tour and for treating us to 
such a great evening of sound and visuals and of course thanks to 
all of you who came out . . . you're encouraging us to do more 
things of this nature.

Also wanted to note that school's almost out which means that our 
old friend Luna Tek will be back out on occasion reviewing PiNG 
happenings. In fact, Luna was spotted this past weekend and you 
can read her impressions of the Robert Rich show here:
http://www.obliquepoetries.blogspot.com/

and now back to the weekly PiNG news . . .

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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 May 2nd . Arms Full of Sound
Journey to Ambientia 2:  Seasons . II . S P R I N G 
Set one - Arrival  .  Set two - The Synthitone

Journey to Ambientia 2:  Seasons, is the year long project from 
Arms Full of Sound that will take you back to that special place, 
deep within the ambient mind. This past February we started to 
return to the powerful place called Ambientia in search of the 
Traveler who is trapped in this timeless world of music. The 
seasons change one into another and back again. Our journey 
continues from where it was left. All must end where it began.

Arms Full of Sound is an Ambient-Electronic music performance 
formed 4 years ago by Paul Needler.  Using a large compliment of 
analog, digital and software synthesizers, Arms Full of Sound 
produces live blends of ambient music, usually all improvisational. 
http://www.armsfullofsound.com

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Before Sets CD . dac crowell / kurt doles by Dac Crowell and 
Kurt Doles
This week's we give a taste of some of the recorded works of 
Rankin IL electronic artist Dac Crowell who will be coming up 
in a few week's for his first visit to the PiNG. This ambient CD 
from the now defunct Suilven Recordings label features some 
of Dac's recordings (both solo and with Kurt Doles) from 
1994 -1997 which fills the sonic space whilst allowing the 
listener to focus on other activities. Don't miss Dac on May 23rd 
when he brings his modular and other electronic toys up to 
plug into the PiNG. http://www.magnatune.com/artists/dac_crowell

Between Sets CD . Passage by dreamSTATE
Tonight we feature the second CD release by dreamSTATE. As 
with their first CD "Between Realities", this recording is also from 
a multi media installation, but whereas the first CD was a live 
recording of the "waveforms" a mounted installation, this one 
features the original studio recordings used for the Moon Sea 
Crossing installation. A minor bit of trivia, there are actually 
two different versions of the Passage CD. The first version was 
a limited edition of 50 copies which were produced specifically 
for the installation when it was mounted at the historic Gaol in 
Goderich and is representative of how the music was mounted in 
the space. The second version was released after the installation and 
is a slight reworking which has a reprise of "Watershed" to make the 
entire CD a more rewarding and complete listening experience. 
Read more about it here in rik's *ping things* CD review below 
and hear it Tuesday @ the PiNG.  http://www.dreamstate.to

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COMiNG Tuesday May 9th . RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 1 
A special presentation for Deep Wireless in collaboration with 
New Adventures in Sound Art featuring Debashis Sinha with 
Ben Grossman and Kathy Kennedy

As part of the 5th annual Deep Wireless festival, a month 
long celebration of radio art presented by New Adventures in 
Sound Art, this installment of RADiO iN AMBiENCE begins 
with Indian percussionist and sound artist Debashis Sinha with 
world musician Ben Grossman in a set that uses the radio as a 
sound source and mixed with various percussion instruments to 
create ambient music. Also, Deep Wireless artist in residence 
Kathy Kennedy will perform a solo set of electroacoustic 
vocal compositions. 
New Adventures in Sound Art: http://www.naisa.ca
Deep Wireless: http://www.naisa.ca/deepwireless
Debashis Sinha: http://www.debsinha.com
Ben Grossman: http://www.macrophone.org
Kathy Kennedy: http://www.kathykennedy.ca

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rik maclean's *ping things* CD Reviews

dreamSTATE . "Passage"

Fans of Toronto electronic artists dreamSTATE will no doubt be 
thrilled by the release of "Passage", a series of soundscapes 
specially created for an installation held in Goderich, Ontario. 
Inspired by the poetry of Lynn Harrigan from her collection 
Moon Sea Crossing, "Passage" tells the story of Aina, an Irish 
immigrant who settles in Huron District during the 1840s. Her life 
during this time is filled with hardship and turmoil, ultimately 
resulting in a mental breakdown which leads to her being confined 
in the Huron District Gaol where her mental state further declines. 
Through a masterful creation of sound and environment, 
dreamSTATE is able to draw the listener into Aina's plight 
and brings her story to life in a powerful and haunting manner.

Meant to capture Aina's journey across the sea from Ireland to 
Canada, "Crossing" begins the album with slowly evolving oblique 
movement, environments and atmospheres coming into shape as 
tones become more pronounced and defined. As the track 
progresses, movement becomes displacement as calm and tranquil 
passages give way to darker and more foreboding tones. When 
listening to this track one can't help but feel a passing from the 
safety of the known into the darkness of unsurety as Aina 
faces a new land and a new life.

Track two, "Clearing", uses more easily defined melodies and 
structure to tell its tale. The feeling of industry and hard labor as 
Aina and her family work to create a home for themselves is 
captured in the repeated phrases of the track, played counter to 
field recordings taken from the site of Aina and Thomas' farm. 
A sense of form gives a sense of safety here, a sense of connection 
to the earth, to the land, but an underlying dark drone suggests 
there are issues already at hand which will culminate 
in Aina's decline.

"Watershed" represents a turning point in the story, bringing to life 
a moment that ultimately leads to Aina's descent into darkness. 
Beginning with a calm and tranquil flow of pads and tones, the 
track moves from a peaceful security into a darker and more 
ominous tone, leading into track four, "Fall", which continues the 
sense of descent, sounds capturing the change of seasons, the slow 
loss of warmth and safety that leads into the winter months. Tones 
roil around each other, spinning and colliding through the sound field, 
as if to suggest the confusion of thought and the battling emotions 
that have come with her breakdown. As the piece progresses, 
deeper drones open up, at first only subtly but slowly gaining 
strength, suggesting the abyss into which Aina is staring.

"Captive" captures the cold and hopeless feeling of Aina's stay in 
gaol, where the demons that haunt her mind are made physical 
through the horrible conditions she is made to bear. Bleak and 
desperate drones pass throughout the track, metallic sounds rising 
and falling, ebbing and flowing, slowly circling to match her descent. 
"Captive" manages to convey the sense of desperation and 
hopelessness Aina feels at this point, giving frightful 
sound to her torment.

Track six, "Stone and Sky" brings some sense of hope and light to 
Aina's plight. Inspired by the courtyard of the gaol in which she 
finds herself, the track captures the freedom and light that Aina's 
heart aspires to. Unfortunately this hope is short-lived as it leads 
into "Gyre", a haunting piece where strangled tones and constrained 
notes struggle to be heard above a metallic drone slowly snaking 
from ear to ear of the listener. Bleak and without hope, this track 
captures the darkness that has washed over Aina's mind.

And then it is done. "Watershed Reprise" finds Aina's return to her 
home, utilizing a return to the same calm and tranquil pads and tones 
to suggest a reunion with her family and the safety of clear thought. 
The clouds have lifted and she finds herself free once again, 
in body and in spirit.

As brilliant as it is emotional, "Passage" is a beautiful work by one 
of Toronto's premier electronic acts. Many lesser talents would find 
themselves lost in such a dark subject matter, but dreamSTATE are 
able to convey the scene, the situation and the emotions felt in a 
succinct and powerful way. A testimony to their sophistication 
and artistry, "Passage" is sure to become a classic of the genre.

rik - ping things

"Passage" is available now at ping things! Visit 
http://www.pingthings.com/DSpassage.htm to hear mp3 samples 
and to buy a copy! And don't forget to tune in to ping things radio 
Sunday and Wednesdays between 9pm and 12am at 
http://www.live365.com/stations/marastorment 
This week we'll have tracks from Passage along with material from 
Robert Rich and this week's PiNG performer Arms Full of Sound, 
not to mention tons of other great stuff from the 
ping things catalogue!

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

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

* Wednesday May 3rd . Deep Wireless presents
   YOUR EAR CABARET @ the Drake Underground
   Actors, poets, musicians and DJs bring a feast for the ears: 
   Anna Friz, John Oswald, Sook-Yin Lee, Christine Duncan, 
   Paul Dutton + The Bat by Impatient Theatre, Tell by Soraya 
   Peerbaye & Sprawl by Threshold Theatre. In Your Ear will be 
   recorded for later broadcast for CBC radio and will also be 
   broadcast live-to-air from the Drake on CKLN 88.1-FM.
   the Drake Underground . 1150 Queen Street West, 
   doors open 7:30pm . show starts at 8:00pm . $15/$12
   
* Wednesday May 3rd . Shoplifting, Genders, Nervous Sleepers
   & Sounds of North AMerican Adult Bookstores
   9pm . Sneeky Dee's . $7
   
* Thursday, May 4th . 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  
   
* Friday, May 5th . Earshot #18: Kafka Fragmente
   A presentation of Hungarian master Gyorgy Kurtag's beautiful and  
   intimate composition based on of the writings of Franz Kafka.  
   Performed by soprano Kristin Mueller-Heaslip and violinist Christian  
   Robinson. In German with English titles.
   8:00 . Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen St. W.
   $15 / $10 (seniors/members/artsworkers) / $5 (students)
   
* Sunday, May 7th . ISAACS  SEEN  AND  HEARD
   "The Liberties" (Travels I) of Susan Howe
   Introduction and parts 1 & 2 of the pOemPERA of Udo Kasemets,
   visuals: Pierre Tremblay, Susan Layard, singer/speaker, 
   Udo Kasemets, pianist, Paul Dutton, speaker.
   3 p.m . at Victoria University, Emmanuel College
   75 Queens Park . Free admission   
 
* Sunday, May 7th . The NOW Series presented by AIMT 
   and the NOW Lounge
   4:00- Skinny Vinny-(from Boston) Josh Jefferson- Sax & Toy Flute 
   Andrew Eisenberg- Percussion 
   5:00- Mike and Mike(from hell) Mike hansen-turntables
   Michael Keith-acoustic guitar
   6:00- Mike and Mike and Vinny - a collision of the first 2 groups
   4-7PM . The NOW Lounge - 189 Church St. . $6
   
* Sunday, May 7th . Soundstreams Canada presents
   CABARET +    
   featuring two world premieres by Brian Current (Canada)
   and the sensational Frankenstein!! by HK Gruber (Austria)
   8 PM . Glenn Gould Studio . $25 adult / $20 senior/ $5 student
   
* May 1st - 31st . New Adventures In Sound Art Presents: 
   Deep Wireless Festival. a month-long celebration of radio and 
   transmission art, radio artists, sound artists and enthusiasts can 
   experience performances, sound installations, new commissions, 
   special radio broadcasts, a CD launch and conference.
   Conference Pass $150/130 (+$20 discount - early bird registration)
   Early bird registration deadline is April 14th, day rates available.
   May 1st - 31st . The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St W) & Ryerson 
   University Student Campus Centre (55 Gould St)
   more info at http://www.deepwireless.ca

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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.