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12 posts tagged PAN
Mohammad
Som Sakrifis
Pan
Immense, daunting, and monolithic, Pan takes another left turn with Mohammad’s “Som Sakrifis.” Whereas the venerable label surveyed abstract references to dance music with recent releases by Lee Gamble and NHK’Koyxen, Mohammad, a Greek trio built on the elliptical and microtonal collisions of cello, contrabass, and oscillators, is focused solely on the divine and otherworldly possibilities of drone. The dour moods of Sunn O))) and the compositional approach of La Monte Young are certainly apt starting points, but the best comparison to “Som Sakrifis” would be Eliane Radigue’s cello work for the album “Naldjorlak.” It’s no mistake that those are three iconic names in the realm of experimental music as Mohammad makes a bold statement of depth, subtlety, and power. Few releases in 2013 will reach its heights. – Ryan Potts, Experimedia
MOHAMMAD// “SAKRIFIS” (PAN)
Preview of the album “Som Sakrifis” by the Greek trio Mohammad. A new, exhilarating direction for the great PAN label. Video by Beben Films.
NHK’Koyxen
Dance Classics Vol. II
Pan
The first volume of “Dance Classics” was a huge favorite around these parts, its primal, haphazard (and undeniably catchy) polyrhythms were nothing short of addictive. I was beyond pleased then to hear that Kouhei Matsunaga was returning to the PAN label for another installment. “Vol. II” blooms into being in a similarly compelling way as did its predecessor, with a rollicking track that perhaps recalls Gold Panda at his most bare. “703” conjures a similar soundworld to that which dominated the first “Dance Classics,” all skittering rhythms, high-end filigree and a head-nodding bedrock sequence. Ultimately, my reaction to this LP is the same as it was with the first volume, that Matsunaga makes fascinating and urgent avant-techno to which I find myself wanting to return over and over again. - Alex Cobb, Experimedia
Lee Gamble
Diversions 1994-1996
Pan
PAN’s turn towards the rhythmic has been nothing short of enthralling to me and, from a curatorial perspective, impressive in its seamless integration with the rest of the label’s more experimental releases. “Diversions 1994-1996” has an interesting backstory, its source material reportedly culled from old Jungle mixtapes, assembled into the looming, spectral masses that occupy the record’s two sides. The effect of Gamble’s process and production tactics is one that is fundamentally deconstructive, much in the way that, say, the Dead C’s appropriation of rock tropes is. We hear recognizable elements of techno and Jungle divorced from their usual environs, existing here as fragments and signifiers. A focused and unique record, “Diversions” is one of PAN’s finest drops to date. - Alex Cobb, Experimedia
Installations - Compositions. That hyphen is important. Eli Keszler’s pieces represented here aren’t one or the other, but chimera blends of the seemingly disparate experimental music practices. The first disc features both of sides of Cold Pin (the previously released PAN LP) complimented by an unreleased live recording featuring the same unit as the vinyl tracks. Altering between sections of extended resonance and chaotic precision, the three variations on this piece highlight Keszler’s extensive range at its schizophrenic finest. The second disc begins with Catching Net, the first few minutes of which could easily be mistaken for some vintage Nonesuch rarity. Backed by a string quartet this time, the piece is a bit more reigned in at first, but eventually unfolds and reveals the Keszler-isms lurking beneath the surface. From there, the collection is rounded out by two unaccompanied installation pieces, Cold Pin playing itself and Collecting Basin, a long string construction in Louisiana. If you are new to Keszler’s work, this is a great introduction. And if you already happen to have the Cold Pin LP, there is still more than enough new and unique material here to satisfy. - Mike Shiflet, Experimedia
Aaron Dilloway & Jason Lescalleet
Grapes and Snakes
Pan
2012 has been something of a ‘coming out’ year for Maine-based sound artist Jason Lescalleet. I first became aware of Jason’s work by way of stellar collaborative releases such as “Love me Two Times,” his 2006 double-disc suite collaboration with Nmperign for Intransitive Recordings. More recently, of course, his superlative duos with Graham Lambkin have made my ears stand at attention. To date though, “The Pilgrim” remains my favorite release in Lescalleet’s oeuvre, a quite personal and beautiful album that I return to often and highly recommend. It’s interesting then to see this usually somewhat hermetic musician release a (audaciously titled) double-disc on NYC’s eai clearing house Erstwhile and now this relatively high-profile outing for the always fantastic PAN imprint within the same month, all the while touring extensively. Of the many collaboration records I’ve heard him on, Lescalleet’s work here with Dilloway is some of the most menacing and bleak, largely favoring low-end tones, hissing static and negative space. “Burning Nest,” my favorite of the two sides, opens with seething drones and rolling, deep, low end sounds. Over the course of its 20-minute duration it blooms into a mechanized, rhythmic monster, somewhat akin to earlier Wolf Eyes material but much more detailed, less spare. Overall, this is a fantastic, dark set of recordings that fans of any of the aforementioned acts, or, really, experimental music as such, would do well to check out. - Alex Cobb, Experimedia
Mika Vainio/Kevin Drumm/Axel Dorner/Lucio Capece
Venexia
Pan
An auspicious collaboration indeed, the act of reading the personnel on this new album from the always sterling PAN imprint invariably colored my first listen, setting the bar rather unreasonably high even while rendering my expectations somewhat nebulous. I was unsure of precisely how these four musicians, each with a refined and distinct approach to sound construction, would work together towards a cohesive whole, yet I remained confident that they would do just that. The A-side begins with with pulses and negative space, a liberal use of silence and wriggling acoustic machinations. By the midpoint of the piece, the horns weld themselves to the electronics of Drumm and Vainio, forming a dense and imposing, yet undeniably beautiful drone. This proves to be, one the whole, the way the album plays out- with dynamic interplays between acoustic brass and electronics/synthesizers and a veteran’s sense of structure and restraint. It’s a wonderful merging of aesthetics and a truly engaging listen. Great, great stuff, just as expected. - Alex Cobb, Experimedia
Steven Warwick as Heatsick very nearly crafts the exact opposite album as his musical partner in Birds of Delay did as Helm. Both solo projects are recent releases from the Pan label and “Déviation” sees the label boldly expanding into straight-forward beat-oriented music that feels sunny, bright, and open where past releases have felt dark, claustrophobic, and threatening. Danceable genres such as disco, house, and dub form the backbone of the 12”, but Heatsick ultimately creates a looser, weirder version of those classic styles. MIDI-triggered keyboards, vocal loops, handheld shakers, spliced fragments, and synthesizer pulses pile atop one another to bring a busy, collaged sound to the dancefloor. - Ryan Potts, Experimedia
Like an unheard Wolf Eyes off-shoot or an early piece by Seasons (Pre-Din), Luke Younger fills his third full-length as Helm with tortured, claustrophobic drifts of sound that seethe with malevolence. It’s still as exploratory and raw as most Pan releases, but with a decidedly darker bent that is built upon creeping electronic textures and ghostly acoustic fragments. A wide array of material is presented, however, as “Impossible Symmetry” veers from buzzing, unidentifiable clang (“Miniatures”) to bubbling synth drones (“Stained Glass Electric”) and high-pitched sine waves (“Above All and Beyond”). Younger may be better known for his work with Steve Warwick as Birds of Delay, but the practiced and jarring atmospheres of “Impossible Symmetry” will leave a lasting impression one way or another. - Ryan Potts, Experimedia
February 2012 Edition of Experimedia’s Monthly Mix Series
00:00 - Ben Vida - Track 3 - Esstends-Esstends-Esstends - PAN
04:35 - FRAK - In Order to Create - Muzika Electronic - Digitalis
10:00 - Marcus Fjellstrom - LM-118 - Library Music 1 - Kafkagarden
12:20 - Kyoka - 23 Ish - Ish - Raster-Noton
16:20 - Dimlite - Pour Some Blood, We Got This - Grimm Reality - Now-Again
21:32 - The Drum - Euthanasia - Heavy Liquid - Audraglint
25:10 - Aaron Dilloway - Labyrinths & Jokes (Reversed) - Modern Jester - Hanson
26:50 - Demdike Stare - Meets Shangaan Electro - A1 - Honest Jon’s
31:50 - NHK’Koyxen - B4 - Dance Classics Vol.I - PAN
35:30 - Concessionaires - Sparkler - Artificial Interface - Under The Spire
30:28 - Alva Noto - Uni Deform - Univrs - Raster-Noton
42:59 - Alva Noto - Uni Asymmetric Lll-Llll - Univrs - Raster-Noton
43:02 - Aaron Dilloway - Tremors - Modern Jester - Hanson
45:31 - NHKYX - 257 - Yx Aka 1ch Aka Solo - Skam
48:50 - Kyoka - Hadue - Ish - Raster-Noton
52:48 - NHK’Koyxen - B3 - Dance Classics Vol.I - PAN
55:20 - High Wolf - Kenya Sunset - Atlas Nation - Holy Mountain
60:28 - Venetian Snares - Seqsy - Affectionate - Self Released
63:40 - Felix Kubin - No.5 - TXRF - IT’s
68:10 - Jim O’Rourke - Natural Bonbon Killers - Old News #7 - Old News
72:02 - NHKYX - 475 - Yx Aka 1ch Aka Solo - Skam
74:50 - Robert Turman - Flux 3 - Flux - Spectrum Spools
