May 16, 2008
LENI is a Philadelphia-based sound artist also known as Kevin Lenihan. Leni began exploring layering sound while a college DJ at WXYC in Chapel Hill, NC. Then he acquired a sequencer and some effects and began to make his own experimental electronic music and collaborating with friends. Without a traditional musical background Leni takes influence from non-musical sources like photography as well as artists like Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Black Dice and Yellow Swans to name a few. In 2005 Leni’s song “Up and Over” was featured on a compilation for the Broken Fader Cartel record label. After a year of living, studying and soaking up experimental music in Europe, Kevin returned to the USA and moved to Philadelphia. 2007 brought the release of Leni’s first album Radical Party, a collage of electronica, ambient, and noise music. Currently Leni is working on a collection of improvised ambient pieces entitled “The Polyps”.
MENOIR (Jeff Bechtel) uses a variety of experimental software, instruments and interface electronics for real time performances. The level of complexity of this setup pretty much insures the pieces couldn't ever be played the same way twice. The pieces use live synthesized and prerecorded sonic elements that are triggered and manipulated in real time through a large variety of processes. The musical style incorporates many different aspects of electronic music, but doesn't rely too heavily on any of them. If any classification could be used, the word 'abstract' would precede it...
SOENG is Ben Fleury-Steiner's experimental, anti-guitar noise project. Various preparations are taken to convert the electric guitar into a vehicle for creating new electro-acoustic landscapes or "ecosystems." This is accomplished by "playing" various guitars "magnetically" by rubbing various metal objects on other such objects magnetized to the instrument's pickups. One string-less guitar is converted into a wonderful creaky, metallic sounding "electric license plate." Volume blasts and low-end caterwaul are created with a pry-bar magnetized and lifted up and down onto a pick-up. Minimal, chimey notes are heard from the plucking of string pressed against metal. Building drones emerge from the convergence of everything through various hardware effects and ebow. The end result is hymns of distant machines, the whir of turbines, and vibrations of distant engines.
TRUE COLOUR OF BLOOD's (Eric Kesner) music can best be described as "Ambient" or "Dark Ambient" but manages to break even the rules (if there are any such thing) of those genres by making music with only guitars instead of the usual array of synths and samplers. Beginning in 1997, TCOB started recording using only guitar, drum programming, tape manipulation and a 4 track. His methods remain surprisingly low-fi and in a live context he uses no computers or samplers only guitar and effects boxes. TCOB has released music on Manifold Records, Afe, Eibon, and has a new disc forthcoming on Gears of Sand.
