Pan Sonic

Scubadevils

Anyone listen to Pan Sonic?

Below taken from discogs -

Pan Sonic (they were called Panasonic before but had to change their name in 1997 due to legal issues with the Japanese electronics company) are two guys from Finland. Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen, who started out with long-term, low-frequency, high-decibel experiments and organizing rave partys where "hardly anything happens ever" (a.k.a. Finland). The minimalistic music of Pan Sonic is composed "from a forbidding array of pure tones, sinewaves, pulses, electronic squelches and ultrasonic waveforms," and a humorous attitude, "skilfully arranged into an accessible rhythmic package" mainly taken from the bowels of custom-built sinewave generators. Given songs titled "Kurnutus" or "Rutina" (that is "Croaking" and "Crackle"), the environmental buzz, crackles and hums emanating from the speakers are harldy a surprise. Despite suggesting a harmless set of natural (sounding) frequencies, Pan Sonic have built up a reputation for fearsome live volume levels and atonal indulgence.
Sami Salo (Hertsi), the former third member of Panasonic, left the band in 1996.

I have just recently discovered these guys and I am very impressed. As with a lot of experimental music, I was unsure on the first couple of listens but was sold quickly enough.

The first album I picked up in Tower a few weeks ago was -

http://www.discogs.com/release/17297

Just bought this then yesterday -

http://www.discogs.com/release/250942

An idea as to what they sound like -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-J8Rxfk6M8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HUL4tvV6Wo&feature=related

studiorat

I remember them.
I bought one of their when it first came out after seeing Donal Dineen play the Urania Video on the telly. I had to get my girl friend to pick it up when she was in London. She told me the guy at the shop couldn't believe someone was buying the thing. That's the album where the first track is the sine tone that starts to modulate towards the end right?

I put it on at a dinner party when I first got it!!! We got as far as track 2 before I was instructed turn it off and not make the guests feel uneasy. (I managed to collar Dineen at a later date and tell him I wouldn't be buying and more of his recommendations 'cause they made me look like a weirdo. I digress...)

I was very into how natural some of the tracks sounded, well natural to me, as a sound engineer I'm used to living in a world of buzzes and crackles, the music sounds almost like it could be happening on it's own. Though I don't think I could handle sitting through a whole show of anything like those gigs, I prefer my strangeness under the specified industrial safety levels. That gig looked like something out of Waco or Abu Graib!

Anyway, the CD was stolen in the great CD heist of '98 and I hope it's gotten stuck in the CD tray of who ever robbed it!!!

I think Panasoinc was a better name, I can't figure out why the Electronics company wouldn't want to be associated with something that's meant to be so experimental.

Scubadevils

Yeah, that is the first track... I had it on in the car when I bought it and after a good few seconds considered skipping the track, doesn't suit driving really!

Can't imagine it going down well at a dinner party alright. I have done that many a time with a new album only to be asked something like "do we not have something nice we can put on?"

I agree re a gig, I couldn't see me standing nodding my head to that for any length of time. It's good background music and some of it is actually almost hypnotic due to the rhythm. There are four CD's on the more recent album I bought and two of them are really obscure, not quite brave enough to try them again yet - one is just really quiet and then the odd crackle noise maybe only to return to more silence/static - that disc is about 70 mins long but I switched it off after about 20 mins of static Two of the discs though are really good and interesting in terms of the percussion and rhythm.

studiorat

Good to see that video again though.

cornbb

I heard these guys for the first time on Nova last night coincidentally enough. Just checking out the youtube clips now. Sounds great! Although I think it would do my nut in without the rhythmic aspect. I'd love to know how they create their sound...

Oh and lol at the Donal Dineen story A guy I know used to put Nova on the radio in the shop he was working in and watch the customers get horrified at the Xenakis and the like that was being played. Time and a place I suppose...

Scubadevils

Radio Nova? Is that a broadband station? In memory of the original Nova?!

Yes Pan Sonic are certainly interesting, they have some seriously hard on the ear sounds too though. The CD I mentioned above in terms of static etc actually has more going on than originally thought, I had played at low volume on a portable stereo thing first but stuck in my main system last night and heard lots more - amazing the difference/importance of decent audio equipment; speaking of which, new speakers planned for next month and can't wait

Off topic, listen to below from Detritus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjrul3TyXt0

I bought an album of his the other day called 'Origin' -

http://www.discogs.com/release/530757

Absolutely amazing album, can't begin to describe how excellent it is. The above track isn't on it but would be indicative of the album. Look forward to getting more from this guy.

cornbb

Nova is a show about "new music" on Lyric FM from 8-10pm on Sundays. You'll hear everything from Webern and Stravinsky to Aphex Twin and Nine Inch Nails. One of the few decent ways our TV license money is being spent methinks... you can listen to the latest show on their website: http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/nova/

Will add Detrius to the list of stuff to check out - back to that in the morning!

Scubadevils

Cool, think my mother actually mentioned that show but I thought it was a once off... she mentioned hearing Aphex Twin on it She always liked SAW when I played it at home years ago, was probably a welcome break too from bangin' techno on the decks in my bedroom.

Interesting they are running that on Lyric, a reason for me to tune into the radio now.

Speaking of Donal Dineen, does he do any radio shows these days? I loved his show all those years ago, was it on 2FM, from 11pm or something weekdays?

Scubadevils

Felixdhc wrote: »

Radio Nova? Is that a broadband station? In memory of the original Nova?!

Yes Pan Sonic are certainly interesting, they have some seriously hard on the ear sounds too though. The CD I mentioned above in terms of static etc actually has more going on than originally thought, I had played at low volume on a portable stereo thing first but stuck in my main system last night and heard lots more - amazing the difference/importance of decent audio equipment; speaking of which, new speakers planned for next month and can't wait

Off topic, listen to below from Detritus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjrul3TyXt0

I bought an album of his the other day called 'Origin' -

http://www.discogs.com/release/530757

Absolutely amazing album, can't begin to describe how excellent it is. The above track isn't on it but would be indicative of the album. Look forward to getting more from this guy.

I finally got around to getting some tracks on youtube and one of the tracks from the above album 'Origin' by Detritus -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn0UZpkPMNw

Rascaduanok

One of my favourite duos, I absolutely adore their music. Like Techno stripped down to its bare essentials. I saw them perform live in 1999, along with Masonna. Best gig I’ve ever attended. Mainly for Masonna! The crazy nutter… Pan Sonic (formerly known as Panasonic) performed for around 1 hour 20 minutes. It utterly captivated me.