― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Friday, 16 April 2004 06:45 (twenty years ago) link
― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 16 April 2004 08:01 (twenty years ago) link
― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 16 April 2004 09:47 (twenty years ago) link
― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 16 April 2004 09:56 (twenty years ago) link
PAN SONIC RELEASE NEW ALBUM, KESTO, AVAILABLE ONLY AS 4CD BOX SET
PAN SONICNew Album: KESTO (234:48:4)Release Date: May 18, 2004
"There is no theory for PAN SONIC. We have no plan. We just make the music." (Mika Vainio)
KESTO (234:48:4) is a brand new quartet of compact discs from PAN SONIC (Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen) available only as one complete set.
This is an epic work in the true sense of the word.
The title means "strength" or "duration", entirely appropriate in both the size of this work (over four hours of new music) and the scale of the band's adventures since the release of their last album Aaltopiiri in 2001.
Directly after Aaltopiiri's release, uninspired by the traditional rock and roll performance circuit they had so elegantly mastered since their public birth in 1995, PAN SONIC undertook a mammoth round-the-world tour that was organized via an enthusiastic response to two small adverts in The Wire music magazine. The adverts invited promoters, fans or the merely curious to offer the band a range of far flung locations and exotic venues in which to perform. In exchange, the band asked only for the promise of accommodation and a percentage of any profits that the event might generate. They received hundreds of offers, which resulted in a eight-week-long expedition that took them from their base in Barcelona to Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland , Papeete, Easter Island, Buenos Aires, Tijuana, Mexico City, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Princeton University, and Reykjavik. In the course of the tour they played in every type of venue, from major concert halls to back street "rumbatini" shacks, gathering inspirational atmospheres from a wide and wild variety of events including a monkeys' tea party, an Easter Island shebeen, late night hot springs and frozen snow baths, audio recordings of the famous stone heads of Easter Island and the lo rider cars of Tijuana, and working with a 40-member Icelandic choir. They had fully expected to continue on for another four weeks by driving to events in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Turkey, Israel and Greece, but Mika Vainio fell ill through the physical and mental stress of almost constant travel and performances, causing the Eastern Bloc section to be cancelled. The travelogue recommenced in Istanbul and was completed in Athens, but Mika vowed from there on in that touring would consist of no more than four consecutive performances.
After a lengthy period of recovery Mika relocated himself and their studio to Berlin from their first temporary home of Barcelona, where they had moved in 1998 to escape the long Finnish winters in their hometown of Turku, 100 miles west of Helsinki.
The original discussions of ideas for the new recordings were based around Mika's favourite painter Francis Bacon and his use of the triptych (a format Bacon used a number of times in his lifetime). Always pushing the boundaries, PAN SONIC were inspired to go on to record a fourth part.
Those familiar with PAN SONIC's work may detect a correlation between their use of sound and Bacon's use of paint; the KESTO recordings represent a substantial new depth and vitality in the quality of their sound palette that brings a newfound life force and delicate violence into their music.
PAN SONIC have remained true to their original and pioneering use of their special handmade analogue tone generators, more old radio set than synthesisers, with the occasional use of digital samplers for the more rhythmic sounds. They still record live to DAT tape in real time with no overdubbing.
The sounds within are complemented by the award winning photography of fellow Finnish artist Anne Hamalainen.
Meet the "quadruplets":
(As PAN SONIC often use a form of slang or "twisted" Finnish words, for this release they have added their nearest understanding of the Finnish meaning in English wherever possible to help listeners to integrate the source atmosphere into the tracks)
KESTO (234:48:4) = 234 minutes, 48 seconds, 4 milliseconds
CD101. Rahina 1/ Mayhem 102. Mutaaattori / Mutator03. Onkalo / Cavity04. Pakoisvoima / Fugalforce05. Louhi06. Rahina II / Mayhem II07. Tiimu / Halter08. Keskeisvoima / Central force09. Vahentaja / Diminisher10. Rahina III / Mayhem III 11. Lautturi / Rafter12. Painovoima / Gravity
CD201. Etaisyys / Distance02. Konnat / Toads03. Virtamuuntaja / Current-Transformer04. Tasmania05. Johto 5 / Cable 506. Valomuuntaja / Light-Transformer07. Altistus / Exposure08. Routa-olio / Groundfrost09. Telemiittit / Telemites10. Sykkiva / Throbbing11. Prospekt Vernatskogo12 Arktinen / Arctic
CD301. Viemarimaailma / Sewageworld02. Kaytava / Corridor03. Ilmenemismuoto / Appearanceform04. Pakkasen Holvit / Arches of Frost05. Selittamaton / Inexplicable06. Ilma / Air07. Koljan Uni / Sleep of Haddock08. Linjat / Lines
CD401. Sateily / Radiation
This year PAN SONIC have already provided a sound installation for the Berlin Biennale and performed at the Phillip Glass "Alter Ego" festival in Milan.
They will play the UK for the first time in nearly three years in April at The Triptych Festival (Edinburgh / Aberdeen / Glasgow) and in May at "RE~TG" – a celebration of Industrial Music in the 21st Century" at Camber Sands as special guests of the curators, Throbbing Gristle.
In November they travel to China to perform at Beijing's 2nd electronic music festival and in early 2005 they will return to Japan and Australia, as well as attempt their first tour of Africa.
They will also feature in David Toop's new book Haunted Weather and the accompanying double CD (out April) and in American digital film maker Edward Quist's much anticipated 1999 debut long-form DVD KUVAPUTKI (summer 2004)
http://www.mute.com
― The Rebukes of Hazard (mjt), Friday, 16 April 2004 10:42 (twenty years ago) link
― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 16 April 2004 11:13 (twenty years ago) link
― Peking Order, Friday, 16 April 2004 12:49 (twenty years ago) link
Great review, Ken.
I hope this thing doesn't cost a BUZZillion dollars.
― peepee (peepee), Friday, 16 April 2004 13:05 (twenty years ago) link
― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Friday, 16 April 2004 17:34 (twenty years ago) link
has it laeked yet?
― :|, Friday, 16 April 2004 18:01 (twenty years ago) link
speaking of 4cd albums, when is an electronic artist going to do something along the lines of "zaireeka"?
― vahid (vahid), Friday, 16 April 2004 18:10 (twenty years ago) link
― :|, Friday, 16 April 2004 19:16 (twenty years ago) link
― :|, Friday, 16 April 2004 19:17 (twenty years ago) link
― vahid (vahid), Friday, 16 April 2004 19:18 (twenty years ago) link
― :|, Friday, 16 April 2004 19:20 (twenty years ago) link
― tricky disco (disco stu), Friday, 16 April 2004 23:59 (twenty years ago) link
-A
― andrew jones (andrew jones), Saturday, 17 April 2004 00:22 (twenty years ago) link
― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Saturday, 17 April 2004 03:09 (twenty years ago) link
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Saturday, 17 April 2004 04:03 (twenty years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 24 April 2004 02:21 (twenty years ago) link
― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Saturday, 24 April 2004 02:28 (twenty years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 24 April 2004 04:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 6 May 2004 02:38 (nineteen years ago) link
Either way, even if it gets great, i'll be putting my copy up on ebay as soon as i'm done reviewing it, if anyone's interested...
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 7 May 2004 00:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 7 May 2004 01:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― does that make you want to touch yourself? (nordicskilla), Thursday, 7 April 2005 15:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 28 August 2005 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 28 August 2005 21:52 (eighteen years ago) link
so good
never realized how drastically the tone changes starting with disc three, this is the first time I've listened to it all in one sitting.
― sleeve, Wednesday, 27 January 2010 00:26 (fourteen years ago) link
yikes, just looked this up on amazon and the cheapest used one is going for a mere $177.
― Robert Necrofrost, Wednesday, 27 January 2010 00:57 (fourteen years ago) link
just read that pan sonic have split
http://www.phinnweb.org/panasonic/news/
this makes me rather sad but there is supposedly a final album out shortly
― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:39 (fourteen years ago) link
"yikes, just looked this up on amazon and the cheapest used one is going for a mere $177."
zoinks! i like this album, but, um...
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:42 (fourteen years ago) link
one just sold for 57 bucks on ebay. hmmmm....
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:44 (fourteen years ago) link
if that was the only conceivable way to obtain it then $177 would be worth paying
― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:44 (fourteen years ago) link
i don't ever listen to it. but i do like it as an artifact. and i did enjoy listening to it, like, once or twice. i dig them. i liked the album that came out before it even more. still kinda mad at myself that i didn't buy that live album on vinyl when i saw it years ago. owning a live pan sonic album on vinyl just seems cool to me for some reason.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:47 (fourteen years ago) link
their albums have a sort of palpable analogue heaviness that makes you think they deserve to be artifacts rather than some flac files or w/e
kesto has had great longevity imo
― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Only albums I've found and heard so far are Aaltopiiri and the live one with Keiji Haino from last year. Love the former; the latter I haven't really latched onto yet, but that's how a lot of Haino stuff can go.
What should I check out next?
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:59 (fourteen years ago) link
*A* was the album i really liked. from 1999.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 15:11 (fourteen years ago) link
one of those groups that definitely brings back lsd sense memories for me. pan sonic, so good i can taste them!
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 15:13 (fourteen years ago) link
recently pulled out the Charlemagne Palestine collabo ...
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 18:24 (fourteen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:44 (7 hours ago)
LOL this was mine, I burned it.
― sleeve, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 22:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Kesto is great because there are four whole discs in the box! and there are pictures on each! and each disc is pretty different from the others!
I should pull this out.
― mh, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 22:12 (fourteen years ago) link
I willn't sell my copy of this album ever but I have to say I love Pan Sonic more when they're hardly barely there than when they're beating the shit out my head with dustbin lids.
― National Sockpuppet Helpline (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 22:16 (fourteen years ago) link
Am regretting not buying this when it was wide in the open before, maybe I`ll take a look at some other places when I do my next CD scavenge.
― EDB, Wednesday, 24 February 2010 01:55 (fourteen years ago) link
forty something euros on discogs currently seems about right
just picked up this gem recently http://www.discogs.com/Kentolevi-Keimola-EP/master/75858
despite the sahko revival being (sadly) well and truly over - just that brutal post-industrial beat tool thing that mika vainio does best
then picked up a copy of the pansonic collabo with bruce gilbert from wire on mego, really minimal and rhythmic industrial music, no beats.
i wonder if jamal moss is aware that he got beaten to the IBM name by a couple of years
― anita bonghit (rionat), Wednesday, 24 February 2010 23:12 (fourteen years ago) link
that kentolevi ep is highly recommended btw if you like the corroded dancehall styles of panasonic circa "urania" but even more pared down and singular. so sick
― get a goal (rionat), Friday, 26 February 2010 11:29 (fourteen years ago) link
pulled this out the other day from cds i had in storage to try and undo the harm my ears have undergone by itunes claims circa 2005 that 160kbps is 'better than cd quality'. great album, i thought the ambient pieces were weak initially but i guess i just have more patience these days
― straightola, Friday, 26 February 2010 13:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Final album next month, Gravitoni.
http://blastfirstpetite.com/pansonic-gravitoni.html
― StanM, Thursday, 8 April 2010 17:36 (fourteen years ago) link
11 pan finale
fuck
there'll be plenty from mika and probably ilpo vaisanen separately i'd guess
― nakhchivan, Thursday, 8 April 2010 19:39 (fourteen years ago) link
mika vainio playing live in london next weekend
― phat vintage shit (r1o natsume), Thursday, 8 April 2010 20:44 (fourteen years ago) link
Absolutely huge loss. :(
R.I.P.
― ed.b, Thursday, 13 April 2017 15:41 (seven years ago) link
Genuinely gutted.
― emil.y, Thursday, 13 April 2017 15:55 (seven years ago) link
terrible news
RIP
― the late great, Thursday, 13 April 2017 16:00 (seven years ago) link
RIP. The first ever laptop-only performance I saw was him, Peter Rehberg and Christian Fennesz at the LMC experimental music festival in London, 1998 I think. All the crusty old jazz dudes walked out within about 5 minutes, it was great.
― めんどくさかった (Matt #2), Thursday, 13 April 2017 16:05 (seven years ago) link
this is bullshit and rong
pan sonic rule forever
― j., Thursday, 13 April 2017 16:18 (seven years ago) link
really devastated by this.
Have listened to so much Ø stuff this year, I think that project was some kind of platonic ideal of minimal techno.
indeed. i think he helped kill my love of techno as almost everything that came afterwards felt old and redundant in comparison, to my ears.
― stirmonster, Thursday, 13 April 2017 18:18 (seven years ago) link
kuvio 4 eva
― KitevsPill, Thursday, 13 April 2017 19:18 (seven years ago) link
Such a shock. I've had Kulma (sides C and D) sitting on my turntable for the last 48 hours and disc 4 of Kesto was sat in the CD player overnight so that's a bit freaky. It's not like I listen to his work all the time but I had a binge this week.
RIP.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 13 April 2017 20:23 (seven years ago) link
Reports coming in that he died accidentally while on holiday in France.
― heaven parker (anagram), Thursday, 13 April 2017 20:26 (seven years ago) link
:-(
Simply gutted by this. All the Ø stuff is so great already, but Kesto was essential, formative for me. He had so much brilliant music in him still. We'll never get to know it. RIP.
― On Some Faraday Beach (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 13 April 2017 21:13 (seven years ago) link
I've been listening to 'Virta 1' on repeat. It's taken on an almost requiem-like quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZL1V06Er1E
― pomenitul, Thursday, 13 April 2017 21:27 (seven years ago) link
53? Awful. RIP.
― Punnet of the Grapes (Tom D.), Thursday, 13 April 2017 21:41 (seven years ago) link
http://www.sashafrerejones.com/diary/2017/4/13/a-memory-of-mika-vainio
― StanM, Friday, 14 April 2017 08:41 (seven years ago) link
Why bother linking to that tripe?
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 14 April 2017 14:39 (seven years ago) link
ok.
― StanM, Friday, 14 April 2017 14:41 (seven years ago) link
oh come on, that story is great
― sleeve, Friday, 14 April 2017 14:44 (seven years ago) link
it's a good story!
― a landlocked exclave (mh 😏), Friday, 14 April 2017 15:17 (seven years ago) link
also I'm cracking up remembering the mixed reactions on ilm to autechre having russell haswell as an opener recently
― a landlocked exclave (mh 😏), Friday, 14 April 2017 15:18 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, that is a good story, sorry Albert.
I've never really paid much attention to Russell Haswell but isn't he basically just a try-hard dickhead?
― emil.y, Friday, 14 April 2017 15:28 (seven years ago) link
Bjork drops in on Mika in his Barcelona flat:https://twitter.com/i/videos/853284310652141568
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 15 April 2017 18:17 (seven years ago) link
magical
― the late great, Saturday, 15 April 2017 18:25 (seven years ago) link
That's beautiful.
What documentary or series is that from? Did Bjork do more of these?
― On Some Faraday Beach (Le Bateau Ivre), Saturday, 15 April 2017 18:48 (seven years ago) link
These guys passed me by a little but RIP. What's the best record to start with?
― Matt DC, Sunday, 16 April 2017 12:45 (seven years ago) link
The quadruple lp Kesto of the thread title is a good place to start imo, at least it was my gateway album to them.
― calzino, Sunday, 16 April 2017 13:06 (seven years ago) link
Kesto is huge, yeah, and a lot of it is good. For something more compact, I actually find Gravitoni really enjoyable and inviting. A was the first thing I heard by them and it made me turn my head; I haven't listened to it in years: I wonder how it would hold up.
― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Sunday, 16 April 2017 13:33 (seven years ago) link
Pan Sonic live in NYC, 1998. Alan Vega joins in at the end. fantastic. https://soundcloud.com/djspaceysissick/panasonic-pan-sonic-w-alan-vega-live-at-coney-island-high-oct-30th-1998
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 16 April 2017 13:45 (seven years ago) link
I could really do with blasting out Kesto at ear-splitting volume right now, but I have a new neighbours and they are so charming and brought some cake around yesterday. I won't do it to them!
― calzino, Sunday, 16 April 2017 13:47 (seven years ago) link
do it FOR them
― j., Sunday, 16 April 2017 14:19 (seven years ago) link
sounds like a plan!
― calzino, Sunday, 16 April 2017 14:53 (seven years ago) link
Gravity still rocks so hard, what a track!
― calzino, Sunday, 16 April 2017 15:23 (seven years ago) link
I think my peak interest in these was back in '05 and I can't remember which other albums I liked best at the time. But I can remember one track that made me think if they ever made a movie about the Kursk submarine disaster - this would be the soundtrack.
― calzino, Sunday, 16 April 2017 15:38 (seven years ago) link
i like pan sonic a lot but i prefer vainio's solo work as Ø
check out the compilation tulkinta, the albums metri and olento and then move on to the album oleva
― the late great, Sunday, 16 April 2017 16:51 (seven years ago) link
man all I have is Tulkinta (which I love), gotta pick up some of those other ones
see also: Philus
― sleeve, Sunday, 16 April 2017 17:30 (seven years ago) link
RIP. Was lucky enough to see Pan Sonic twice ... or maybe only once, depending on your definition. The first time was just before they changed their name, the second time was a couple of years later but they walked off stage about five minutes into their set because the acoustics of the venue weren't to their liking. The promoter was pissed and had to refund everyone's money. AFAIK they never played again in Toronto after that.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Sunday, 16 April 2017 17:38 (seven years ago) link
man it felt like there'd just always be a steady stream of hq noisy techno coming out from vainio for the rest of my life. r.i.p. miss this dude a lot already :-/
― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Sunday, 16 April 2017 18:41 (seven years ago) link
fearless artist, much respect, RIP
― a but (brimstead), Sunday, 16 April 2017 18:48 (seven years ago) link
Paul Smith on Mika: http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/04/mika-vainio-rip
― Position Position, Tuesday, 18 April 2017 17:24 (seven years ago) link
very good, thx
― sleeve, Tuesday, 18 April 2017 17:34 (seven years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/ninja-tune/solid-steel-radio-show-1252017-hour-2-panasonic-live-1996
― StanM, Monday, 22 May 2017 17:17 (six years ago) link
Hey, nice
https://boilerroom.tv/microsite/sahko-the-movie/
Artfully shot on 16mm by Jimi Tenor in 1995, Sähkö The Movie - a title fans have given the film in the absence of any official one - is a suitably abstract portrayal of the singular label in its prime. Finnish artists featured include Sähkö co-founder Tommi Grönlund, Mono Junk, Hertsi, IFÖ, and, of course, Mika Vainio himself.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 August 2017 16:03 (six years ago) link
oh man, I forgot that they were going to be premiering that
apparently it was either shown or released very briefly years ago but it seems like a great, if sad, time to really bring it to prominence. I've heard it's pretty great.
― mh, Thursday, 10 August 2017 16:25 (six years ago) link
https://editionsmego.bandcamp.com/album/net
Ilpo Väisänen returns to Editions Mego under the guise of I-LP-ON with an immense tribute to the outfit he played in alongside his friend and former creative partner Mika Vainio.
ÄÄNET takes inspiration from the life of PAN SONIC, the outfit they inhabited for over 2 decades. Recorded in Kuopio, Barcelona and Karttula, ÄÄNET is made up of a series of minatres that harness the many shadows this legendary act absorbed: Industrial, ambient, dub and club all figure into this edgy slow burning menace of a release. Featuring recordings made on the 2000 PAN SONIC world tour Väisänen has crafted a unique homage to the outfit which redefined experimental electronic music by embracing pulsing club aesthetics coupled with more abstract avant garde tendencies.
The seismic fingerprint left by PAN SONIC avoids dating and genre identification finding a new definition here both as a nod to a notorious past whilst laying the groundwork for reigniting something utterly contemporary. ÄÄNET is an essential release of Väisänen’s as it allows further expansion and broadening of the paths carved out from this resolutely unique form of scratchy and sublime electronic music.credits
released November 9, 2018
― j., Thursday, 22 November 2018 07:34 (five years ago) link
just listening to it now, excellent.
― calzino, Thursday, 22 November 2018 09:32 (five years ago) link
it is!
― StanM, Friday, 23 November 2018 11:23 (five years ago) link
I've been meaning to check these guys out for ages, now jumping in by listening to A for the first time. This is incredible, some of the most *future* music I've ever heard. It's glitchy and techno-y but nothing about it feels dated or tied specifically to the "glitch era." I'll tackle Kesto eventually, but can anyone give a rundown of the other stuff?
― J. Sam, Friday, 5 November 2021 19:07 (two years ago) link
A is my favorite, Kesto is my 2nd favorite, not as big a fan of Kulma, the B EP is almost as good as A, and def check out Mika Vainio's solo work
― Communist Hockey Goblin (sleeve), Friday, 5 November 2021 19:53 (two years ago) link
I am also partial to the austere Vainio side projects Philus and (ought sign) whatever the ASCII code is for that
― Communist Hockey Goblin (sleeve), Friday, 5 November 2021 19:54 (two years ago) link
Ø
― Communist Hockey Goblin (sleeve), Friday, 5 November 2021 19:55 (two years ago) link
Kesto is basically "here's four different albums showing four different sides of our approach"