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The PiNG presents RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 1



The "PiNG AMBiENCE 2" CD is now available online at
www.pingthings.com for those of you living outside of Toronto
who'd like to hear some of what's been happening here -
and rik maclean has written an extensive track by track
review for this week's PiNG update.  Enjoy... Scott M2
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THE AMBiENT PiNG   http://www.theambientping.com
Free - Every Tuesday Night - doors open at 9pm - 1st set at 9:30
  @ club nia / C'est What - 19 Church St. at Front St. - Toronto
         3 blocks east of the Union Station subway.
         map - http://www.cestwhat.com/map.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This Tuesday May 4th 2004 - RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 1
featuring Allison Cameron, James Bailey & Michael Waterman

A special presentation for Deep Wireless, in collaboration with
New Adventures in Sound Art, featuring experimental artists
making extensive use of radio as a live ambient sound source.
http://www.deepwireless.ca

Opening the night is composer and experimental performer
Allison Cameron, who uses contact mics to amplify small things.
She creates textured pieces with radios, samplers, tapes and
various toys. Since 2000, she has been the artistic director
of Arraymusic and has been improvising in collaboration with
Martin Arnold, Éric Chenaux, the Draperies, Ryan Driver,
Dan Friedman, Mike Gennaro, Kurt Newman, John Oswald
and many others. Her compositions have been performed by
the likes of Arraymusic, Eve Egoyan, Les Couscous Bénévoles,
Maarten Altena Ensemble and the Bang On A Can All-Stars.
Allison will be assisted by Doug Tielli (nose flute, electric
guitar with slide) and Stephen Parkinson (electric guitar).
http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/camerona.htm

James Bailey, the host of Electric Storm / A Missing Sense
on CKLN-FM 88.1, will then be "inflicting all sorts of radio
cacophony, silences and interferences using an assortment
of cheap semi-working receiving devices, on a generally
unsuspecting audience".

Concluding the night's performances will be Michael Waterman,
(aka Porter Hall) creating a realtime sound collage with the
help of Allison Cameron and (via cell phone links to Los Angeles
and Winnipeg) his far-flung cohorts from Mannlicher Carcano -
an experimental audio collage group that has been together
since the mid 80's, releasing numerous self-produced cassettes
and CDs, performing live, creating sound installations and
improvising live to the airwaves on various radio shows.
http://www.deepwireless.ca/Artist_Biographies.html#Waterman

Between Sets CD - "places of motility" by Jeff Greinke (Hypnos)
Recorded between 1985 and 1986, this CD illustrates American
composer Jeff Greinke's earlier soundscapes - with various shades
of murky darkness, atmospheric drones and percussive patterns.
http://www.hypnos.com/greinke/
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Coming Tuesday May 11th 2004 - RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 2
  featuring David Pritchard + Scott M2 + Byron Wong
    and Planet Of The Loops

David Pritchard - http://www.thesonicworkshop.com/
Scott M2 - http://www.dreamstate.to
Byron Wong - http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicArtistsW/wong_byron.html
POTL - http://www.geocities.com/energymadeaudible/planet.html
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rik maclean's *ping things* CD Reviews

"PiNG AMBiENCE 2" by Various Artists

Toronto's AMBiENT PiNG releases the 2nd in it's ongoing series
of PiNG AMBiENCE discs, spotlighting artists from around
the Toronto electronic community as well as like-minded PiNG
friends from farther afield. This time, compiled by Eric Hopper
of Sylken, PiNG AMBiENCE 2 explores the space-ier side of
the genre, sonic excursions to the planets that orbit the PiNG.

The disc opens with "Phases of the Moon" by dreamSTATE
and Susanna Hood, a flowing piece of spectral elegance
highlighting Susanna's wonderful vocal stylings. A fantastic
track that typifies the collaborative spirit of the PiNG.

Alpha Wave Movement offers the track "Sunset on Timeless
Landscapes", a beautiful lament to the mysteries of the stars.
Synthlines ebb and flow, minimal percussion passes by, the
occasional snatch of sound sweetening the mix just so. Beautiful.

PiNG favorites Sylken supply a brilliant new song entitled "The
Light Unseen". Travelling the same spaceways that have made
them so beloved in the Toronto scene (and beyond), "The Light
Unseen" captures the sense of movement through the stars,
graceful pads and percolating synths providing the landmarks
(or spacemarks if you will) along your journey.

Guitarist Paul Royes treats us to a lovely work of layered and
processed guitar that delights and inspires. His track "Dolphin
Sky" is one of my favorites on the disc with it's beauty and
virtuosity. Brilliant.

Terry O'Brien aka Anomolous Disturbances provides
 "The Invisible Landscape" another guitar based piece. More
drone driven in tone "The Invisible Landscape" offers our first
glimpse at the darker side of the PiNG, a study in quietly
building dark ambient. Very nice work.

earotica is a collaboration between Scott M2 of dreamSTATE
and myself, so out of fairness I'll decline to comment on
"Mara's Dream", other than to say it's the first release by our
mutual side project and that alone should be reason enough
for it to be interesting to you...  =-)

Solipsystem chime in with another one of my favorites on the
disc, "Verdant", a brilliant marriage of arpeggios and minimal
synth melodies. Absolutely beautiful work that resonates
deep within me every time I hear it.

Steven Sauve in his guise as Karmafarm offers "of all the
things we said", an exploration in organic synth systems
and oblique motion that slowly gives way to a groovey
synth line. I love the use of the soundfield in this one,
it has such a rich, full sound. Lovely.

"Turn Twist Twirl" represents the work of Aidan Baker,
an artist who is comfortable in a variety of styles and forms.
In this track he creates a spontaneous improv piece in
keeping with the space-y styles of the disc. I often compare
Aidan's work to the magical and this track is very much in
keeping with that idea. A stunning performance by one of
Toronto's brightest stars.

Performing as Styrohead, Joe G, another Sylken alumni,
contributes the track "Portal". Deep drones lay a bed of
sound over which a variety of tones pass subtly and
effortlessly. Wonderful work.

Jamie Todd represents URM with the track "consume",
a dark droning motion based piece. With a few simple
elements Jamie takes us on a trip into the deepest depths
of space, where stars are consumed by living dark matter
and the laws of physics that we understand hold no meaning.
Another fabulous piece from one of my personal favorites.

Sara Ayers supplies the piece "I Sewed The Feathers
To My Arms", a stunning vocal based piece accompanied
by minimal instrumentation. I've said this before on countless
occasions, but I think it bears saying again that Sara Ayers
is a treasure. Her work is always of the highest quality,
brilliant, sparkling, wonderful.  This track is a prime
representation of what she does, and of course what she
does is amazing. Simply Amazing.

"Broken" by James Johnson closes out the disc with a
beautiful organic piece where keys play delicate melodies
and found sounds play underneath creating a rich dense
soundscape that lives and breathes within it's own environment.
Wonderful work by one of the masters of the genre.

Needless to say, PiNG AMBiENCE 2 is an excellent
collection proving that there are an incredible number of
artists creating beautiful music worth discovering for yourself.
A wonderful introduction to a variety of talents and a testimony
to the community that has developed around THE AMBiENT PiNG.

rik maclean - rik@pingthings.com

Explore the ping things' newly expanded "features" section at:
http://www.pingthings.com/PTfeaturesNF.htm

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for updates on *all* the latest releases on sale at ping things

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

The Ambient Ping presents free live performances by Toronto's
finest ambient, chillout and experimental music artists plus
performers from across the continent, every Tuesday at club nia
(aka C'est What) featuring a comfortable lower stage area, perfect
for attentive listening, plus a higher level with a bar, back room
and more seating that's great for conversation, good food and the
club's impressive beer, wine and whiskey selection. Musical treats
are on offer at the *ping things* ambient/experimental CD boutique.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please forward this e-mail to any friends who may be interested
in live ambient, chillout and experimental music performances